Carmelo Anthony Says Knicks Didn't Overreact by Firing Thibodeau After Playoff Exit
The New York Knicks made a drastic move following their playoff exit against the Indiana Pacers, firing head coach Tom Thibodeau.
While the move came as a shock to some, one Knicks legend thought the team made the right call. Carmelo Anthony explained on his podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn, a Wave Original, why he thinks firing Thibodeau wasn't an overraction (17:18 mark).
“No, and I say that meaning everybody else thinks that that just happened overnight. That ain't just happened overnight. That's been the part of the conversation behind the scenes going on…[Thibs] was under a microscope for a period of time. So it didn't just happen…Thibs is an unbelievable coach. One of the greatest basketball minds that this game has ever seen when it comes to strategy Xs and Os, the way he studies the game, the way he coaches the game….What adjustments are you going to make to get it over the hump to get us over the hump? Your bench is a major issue but everybody knows that. It ain't like this just happened. His bench has always been a major issue. He'd only play six, seven guys. He's a loyal guy. He's playing with who he's loyal to… Let's be frank, the Knicks need a bench…I'm not saying that he don't have guys on the bench that can play. Should guys play more? Yes. Cool. But when you trying to win a [championship], it's a fine line of adjustments that you have to make and he just don't make those adjustments when it comes to what's the adjustments that you need to make…we all overreacted because we lost. Indiana came in and did what they supposed to do. We did what we supposed to do in Boston and we were supposed to take care of that in Indiana but we didn't. I think we got tired. I think we got worn down, mentally. I think the Thibs s--t was lingering in the background. You could see the disconnect from them on the team on the benches. You see all type of sh*t. There was some things– I ain't talking about the s--t that the media is pointing, I'm talking about s--t that I see watching the game from my own point of view.”
Under Thibodeau, the Knicks missed the postseason just one time in five seasons and posted back-to-back 50-win seasons over the last two years. New York also reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, falling to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
While the decision, on the surface, seemed like a direct response to the Knicks coming up short of reaching the Finals, there was reportedly more to it than that.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that the team had been considering firing Thibodeau for "months" before eventually doing so. Team president Leon Rose had even been permitted by governor James Dolan to fire Thibodeau after the 2022-23 season, but opted to wait, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
As Anthony noted, one of Thibodeau's biggest flaws was his hesitancy to use his bench. ESPN's Shams Charania noted that the team is looking for a "more lenient" coach who is willing to use the bench unit more often.
The Knicks are now searching for a new head coach, but the process hasn't been easy so far. They've requested to interview five active head coaches and have been denied by each of those coaches' respective teams.
As the offseason continues, the search will likely get easier, but it's clear at this point that the Knicks didn't have their next head coach lined up when they fired Thibodeau.
