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Former longtime New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau may have overseen the most successful run for the team this century for any coach, but it apparently wasn’t enough for ownership or management this summer, who let him go despite a 51-31 regular season run that culminated in an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. During the offseason and training camp, Thibodeau has been spotted traveling around the league, paying visits to various teams and offering insights into his process. He has been seen at practices with the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns, among others. More news: Knicks Reportedly Discussing Contract Extension With Key Player Thibodeau made an instant impact in New York, guiding the club to a 41-31 record during a pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, good for homecourt advantage in the playoffs (although the Knicks fell in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks), and earning Coach of the Year honors. All told, Thibodeau brought his Knicks squads to a cumulative 226-174 overall regular season record and a 24-23 playoff record during his five years at the helm of the franchise. The Knicks’ US coach Tom Thibodeau reacts during a time out in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden in New York on May 29, 2025. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images) New York advanced across three of its four playoff berths under Thibodeau, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter-century just this past spring. According to Ian O’Connor of The Athletic, Knicks owner James Dolan got heavily involved in New York’s offseason debriefing, and apparently made the ultimate decision to let Thibodeau even after he had helped revitalize Knicks basketball and brought the franchise its most success this century. “And yet the owner did a deep dive on the coach’s imperfections, invited himself to player and staff exit interviews, and decided the Knicks had crashed into their ceiling,” writes O’Connor. “Thibodeau was deeply wounded over the loss of the only job he ever really wanted.” More news: 2 Knicks Veterans Receive Major Prediction Ahead of Opening Night A Connecticut native, Thibodeau had also been an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy during the Knicks’ 1990s heyday. He was a respected longtime lead assistant before getting his first head coaching opportunity with the Chicago Bulls in 2010-11. Thibodeau quickly turned around that sorry franchise, leading Chicago to a 62-20 record and its first (and, so far, last) East Finals appearance since 1998. He has also served as the head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Per O’Connor, a source indicates that Thibodeau took his Knicks firing hard. “But he also had a sense of betrayal,” the source told O’Connor. “When you find out that people you helped either weren’t with you in the end or didn’t fight for you like you fought for them, that stings.” More news: Knicks All-Star Undergoing Major Body Transformation in Anticipation of New Role For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
