Rick Pitino Would 'Absolutely Not' Take Knicks HC Job, 'Feels Bad' for Tom Thibodeau

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino, who served as both an assistant coach and head coach for the New York Knicks in the 1980s, offered his thoughts on the organization's decision to fire Tom Thibodeau after a run to the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2024-25 season.

"I feel bad for Thibs because he captured all of New York and built something very, very special," Pitino told reporters Wednesday. "A lot of us don't comprehend what happened, but Thibs is going to be well taken care of and move on to other passages. ... Only time tells [if his firing was a mistake]. We'll see."

Thibodeau, 67, went 226-174 in his five seasons with the Knicks, leading the team to four playoff appearances. But questions also emerged this season whether he was the man to get the current group of Knicks over the proverbial hump, as his heavy usage of the starters and lineup configurations became controversial.

Don't expect Pitino to replace him. The St. John's head coach said he would "absolutely not" take the Knicks' job when asked during the broadcast of the New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians.

"I think, whoever comes in, if he doesn't get to the Finals it's going to be deemed an unsuccessful season," Pitino added. "So whoever comes in has so much pressure on them to take this team to the next level. Because that's why they're doing it, obviously, in their minds."