NBA Coaching Community Reacts to Thibodeau’s Firing

Many respected figures in the NBA coaching world believe that Tom Thibodeau’s dismissal was unwarranted.

“Should he have been fired? Absolutely not,” remarked Ty Lue, the current coach of the Clippers, during an appearance on a podcast. He noted that after 25 years, the Knicks made it to the conference finals, a moment met with excitement from the fans and players alike. Lue mentioned, “Tibbs worked incredibly hard. It just doesn’t make sense for him to be let go after achieving that milestone.”

Thibodeau’s firing came as a surprise shortly after the Knicks were eliminated by the Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He still had three years and $35 million left on his contract at the time.

The Knicks organization has not provided detailed reasoning for the decision, aside from a statement from team president Leon Rose, which emphasized a focus on winning the championship.

Lue also dismissed any notion that Thibodeau was penalized for losing to the Pacers. He pointed out that Indiana ultimately had a strong playoff run, beating teams like the Dock Rivers Bucks and the Kenny Atkinson Cavaliers.

“So, if Indiana takes out multiple teams, should we fire their coaches?” Lue asked, recalling his time working alongside Thibodeau with the Celtics. “It just doesn’t add up.”

As a highly regarded coach, Lue acknowledged that the pressure on Thibodeau’s successor, Mike Brown, might be unjustly high. He drew a parallel to his own coaching stint with the Cavaliers, which immediately led to a championship win but came with its own set of immense expectations.

Lue emphasized that the Knicks face challenges not seen during his tenure with the Cavaliers, especially lacking the star power of someone like LeBron James. “It’s a tough situation,” he said.

In defending Thibodeau further, Lue tackled criticisms surrounding player minutes and workloads. As Clippers coach, he himself manages two aging stars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, while still achieving winning records.

Lue made it clear that despite any complaints regarding Thibodeau’s approach, the objective remains clear: “Whatever it takes to win. If players don’t want to practice, that’s one thing, but you also want them in the game for a bit, right?”

Reflecting on the rationale behind Thibodeau’s firing, Lue described it as illogical. “I think Tibbs did a great job, but you can never fully know what’s happening within an organization. Winning has followed him everywhere,” he concluded.