Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks 2019-20 has officially come to and end

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New York Knicks, Elfrid Payton

The New York Knicks season is officially over.  The NBA will be voting today on playing out the regular season in a new proposal.

The Knicks are currently in the bottom 8 in the league.  The new proposal, via ESPNs Woj, twenty-two teams will be invited to Orlando.  Thirteen Western Conference teams and 9 from the East.  Their will be a play-in for the 8th seed in each conference. This is to take place July 31st to October 12th.

This is good and bad for the Knicks and their fans.

First the bad.  We all want to see more Knicks basketball.  Despite another season going horrible for the team, we still want to watch the blue and orange.  No matter how bad the Knicks are, there are still plenty of loyal fans that will root for their team no matter what. The Knicks fans are them.  The season was cut short due to COVID-19.

The good in all of this is the Knicks can begin looking for their next head coach.  Everyone knows that Tom Thibodeau is the leader in the clubhouse, currently, for the job.  But with this organization, you truly never know what is going to happen.  Others who will get an interview are Mike Miller and Kenny Atkinson.

This also will give the Knicks an ample amount of time to begin scouting the draft.  This is to stay they haven’t already since there might‘be been a feeling their season was already over.

Knicks fans already don’t agree on who the next coach should be.  That comes as no surprise Knicks fans can’t agree on anything. But whoever it is, the Knicks faithful will be behind them.  At least for a little while.

If the Knicks do hire Thibs, some may say the re-build is over.  The team will be looking for compete in the 2020-21 season.

The Knicks have the tools in place to be successful down the road. RJ Barrett snd Mitchell Robinson to start.  The new front office is set and ready to turn this around.  It’s now officially the new beginning for the New York Knicks.

Now Baron Davis wants to be the head coach of the New York Knicks?

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New York Knicks, Spike Lee

A former New York Knicks point guard is throwing his name in the ring to be the next head coach.  Baron Davis mentioned on Twitter that he’d take the job.

Someone quoted tweeted a article about should Knicks believe in Tim Thibodeau.  Thibs is currently the leader in the clubhouse for the job.  The fan mentioned that the Knicks shouldn’t be recycling old coaches.  That’s when Davis chimed in.

Davis said “I will take the job.  They gave it to Derek Fisher and he a con artist.”  Unsure if these two actually have any beef but that’s beside the point.  Fisher spent a season and a half with Knicks.  His record was 40-96, not great.

At the time, the Fisher hire was a reach.  But fans believed in it because Phil Jackson was behind the hire.  Maybe coaching the New York Knicks for your first coaching gig wasn’t the best way to ‘ease’ into the league.

While Davis is just trolling, there’s no real consideration from the Knicks.  The team tired to experiment with coaches like Fisher then Jeff Hornacek and look how they all turned out.  Bad.

We have no idea what Davis would even be like as a coach.  For what he know, he doesn’t have any coaching experience.  However, as a point guard, Davis was the coach on the court.  But that will translate differently to the bench. Plus, coaching the Knicks isn’t easy.  He’s currently a studio analyst for The NBA on TNT.

While Knicks fans would all be on board for hiring Davis, that shouldn’t even be a thought.  Experimenting with first time or inexperienced coaches are over in New York.  If the New York Knicks want to begin to turn this organization around, they need an experienced, proven coach.

Maybe Thibodeau will excel as the head coach of the New York Knicks

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

Tom Thibodeau is the leader in the clubhouse for the New York Knicks job.  Others that will get an interview are Mike Miller and Kenny Atkinson.

As it appears now, it’s Thibodeau’s job to lose. A lot the Knicks fan seem to think that Thibs is not the right man for the job.  We, Empire Sports Media, have also had our doubts about him as well.

But maybe we’re all over thinking this. Fans like to think Thibs will be running the Knicks players into the ground like he in Minnesota.  A good majority of people criticize that last season of his in Minnesota.  Not every coach is going to have incredible seasons every year. Unless you’re Phil Jackson.  There’s going to lots of ups and downs.

The thing about Thibs people forget about is he’s a proven coach.  Yes, it didn’t work out in Minnesota but in a way it did.  He got the Timberwolves to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.  If he can get the Knicks to the playoffs again, they’ll throw him a parade.

Thibs as a winning mindset. He requires the absolute best from his players at all times.  That’s why he was so successful in Chicago. People forget Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, and Joakim Noah were all 25 or younger when they went 62-20 in 2010-11.  So he can develop the young guys and preach a defensive mentality.

One Knicks players that will benefit from Thibs is RJ Barrett.  He wants to be the best and who better than an old-school, no nonsense mindset than Thibs.

Regardless of some of the positive surrounding Thibs. Knicks fans will always look at the negatives.  We’re never satisfied with any moves and have no patience.  Hopefully, this time around is different for the New York Knicks.

Tom Thibodeau changing his ways for the New York Knicks gig?

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

New York Knicks head coaching candidate is learning from his old coaching woes. Tom Thibodeau’s stint in Minnesota had it’s ups and downs.  So he may be changing his ways for his next job.

Thibs did take the Timberwolves to their first playoff appearance since 2004.  However, the big take away was working his younger players to hard.  The Knicks could use that, certain players more than others.

Thibs was on “The Woj Pod” talking about talking what he needs to do at his next stop.  “The way everyone’s managing with load management and where your team is, sports scientists, so it’s different.  And if your team is young and you’re in a rebuild, you’re probably practicing more than an older veteran team,” Thibs said.  The Knicks are certainly rebuilding so that’s a start.

For Thibs to be the next head coach of the Knicks, developing the youth is a must.  He had a tough time with that in Minnesota but was still able to make the playoffs.  However, developing the youth the proper way would’ve gave him more years there.  And not running the younger guys into the ground.

The Knicks could use this new Thibs.  It could be different this time around if he wants to be a coach longer than 2 and a half seasons.

The guy the Knicks really need to Target is Kenny Atkinson.  He developed the youth in Brooklyn very well.  He took average players and made them into playoff contenders.  That was before Durant and Irving arrived too.

Whoever the New York Knicks hire, drafting the right players and developing them needs to be the main focus.

New York Knicks: Thibs chats with First Take about his coaching career & future

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

The possible next head coach of the New York Knicks joined First Take last week.  Tom Thibodeau spoke about his past coaching gigs and adapting to this NBA.

Most importantly, one of the focal points was hitting on adjusting his coaching style.  If he wants to be the Knicks head coach, that’s something he’ll need to do.

The Interview

“My experience this past year in going around and visiting a number of different teams and seeing it — and it’s been evolving this way for probably the last three or four years — there’s different ways to manage practice” Thibs said, for instance.

He said, “There’s load management, there’s sports scientists, there’s situations in which your young guys are practicing a little bit more and your older vets are doing less and you’re separating the two, and you’re bringing them in toward the end of practice to do whatever needs to be done to prepare for that next game.”

Thibs continued, “So I think utilizing all the resources that you now have, understanding how to use them, how to manage that, has become critical.

He said, “I think player care, player wellness, those things are prioritized.  I think the big thing is, what does it take to be successful in the playoffs?  And if we look at that, you start the season with those things in mind and prepare for the entire season.”

It’s hard to tell if he’s switching up his approach with his next coaching stop. The Knicks can’t have Thibs running RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson into the ground.  That’s assuming he’s the Knicks head coach.

The Knicks need to make sure that Thibs style has changed for the better.  He needs to prioritize his coaching style around the development and growth of Barrett and Robinson.  The New York Knicks to make sure whoever the next hire is that they have their younger players in mind.

The New York Knicks aren’t the only team interested in Thibs

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks will be the first ones to go after Tom Thibodeau.  This is according to The New York Post’s Marc Berman.  However, the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets are two other teams that could be interested in his services.  The Knicks would have the first shot at Thibs solely because they’re not in the playoff mix.

Thibodeau does have a .647 career win percentage but there’s more to him than just that statistic.  He runs key, young players into the ground well he did in Minnesota.  You can’t have RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson playing 35/40+ minutes each night.  The building blocks of the Knicks future shouldn’t be in the conversation with ‘load management’.

While Thibs did have success in Chicago, that type of mentality and old school ball doesn’t work today.  He had a bad flame out in Minnesota for the way he handled the youth there.  However, he had Timberwolves make the playoffs for the first time in thirteen years.  The Knicks are young just like the Wolves so unless Thibs’ style has changed the team should look elsewhere.  Kenny Atkinson has to be looked at in great detail with his reputation on developing players.

With the Rockets and Nets both being interested in Thibs, it’s hard to imagine he’d be a good fit in those places either.  Durant and Irving respect Thibs since he was the assistant on the USA men’s national team.  But, it appears like that those two would rather Ty Lue instead.  As for the Rockets, D’Antoni is at the end of his contract and most likely won’t return since they can’t find a way to make it to the finals.  Hard to imagine James Harden falling in line with Thib’s style.

If the Knicks truly want Thibs to be the next coach, Leon Rose has to do his homework.  The CAA relationship is a good start but more needs to be done.  Rose has to make sure that Thibs’ style of play is going to the be right one for the Knicks youth.  The New York Knicks need to hit a home run on the next coaching hire since the last few haven’t been the right fit.

Tom Thibodeau the next head coach of the New York Knicks?

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

As we all wish that the New York Knicks were still playing, the rumor mill hasn’t stopped.  Leon Rose will be looking for his head coach for next season, assuming Mike Miller doesn’t return.

SNY’s Ian Begley reports, “several coaches and people” believe that Rose will hire Tom ‘Tibbs’ Thibodeau if Miller isn’t brought back.  This comes as no surprise since Tibbs has been linked to the Knicks job for some time now.

Apparently Rose and Tibbs have been close for two decades, according to Frank Isola.  This shouldn’t be look into as much. Rose has all his current and formers clients connected to the Knicks.  It’s all filler.

This seems to be long overdue. Whenever the Knicks had a head coaching vacancy, Tibbs’ name always came up.  Rumors swirled that  Tibbs always wanted to coach the Knicks.

He was an assistant for the Knicks from 1996-2004. He was under Jeff Van Gundy, primarily, Don Chaney, Herb Williams and Lenny Wilkens.  Van Gundy was drawn to Tibbs cause of his attention to detail and player development.

Tibbs may not be the best candidate to help develop these young Knicks players.  He’s never been the type to develop players. He has young, good talent in Minnesota and was fired after 3 seasons.  Thibs tried to adapt to the new style of play and he ran the young players into the ground, some games high 30 minutes.  Plus, the old school mentality hasn’t worked of recent.

Another thing to pay attention to, say the Knicks hire Tibbs, is his health.

Tibbs is 106 games over .500 in his NBA head coaching career.  The New York Knicks have won a total of 144 games over the last six seasons.

The New York Knicks should prefer Atkinson over Thibodeau

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Brooklyn Nets, Kenny Atkinson

The new president of the New York Knicks, Leon Rose, will need time to evaluate current personnel.  It seems like interim head coach Mike Miller, most likely, won’t be returning.  Rose will be looking for a more experienced coach.  But what he should be looking for is a developmental coach.

Kenny Atkinson was let go by the Brooklyn Nets.  This news came as a shock considering he’s doing the best possible job with the roster he has.  Coming from Knicks fans, that’s saying something.

Before the arrival of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Atkinson was able to take a young Nets roster to the playoffs.  And while fans probably won’t want to admit it, he put a better, younger product on the floor than the Knicks.

Last season, Atkinson had a group of young, role players that earned the 6th playoff spot in the East.  While it might not mean much in the East, he still developed a playoff team.  This season, his roster is even worse with the injuries to Irving and Durant and they’re still in the playoff picture, the Knicks are not.

Irving and Durant are headaches, so being relived of his duties isn’t on Atkinson.  It was more player driven, allegedly, well Irving driven.

Atkinson coming to the Knicks would be the best case scenario.  He can develop young players and that is what the Knicks need the most.  Tom Thibodeau remains high on the list for the position but isn’t high on developing youth.  Jeff Van Gundy is a pipe dream and shouldn’t want to leave his comfy job for the mess that is the Knicks anyway.   Atkinson should be the New York Knicks number one priority for developmental purposes.

Tom Thibodeau needs to change his style for the New York Knicks job

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

According to incoming new team president, Leon Rose, the New York Knicks are in the market for a new head coach.  There are three candidates who have been linked to the job.  Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Tom Thibodeau.

There have been reports that Thibodeau is a ‘serious candidate’ and he ‘can taste’ the Knicks job.  But is Thibodeau the best person for the job?

There’s no getting around it that Thibodeau is an old school coach.  He tends to lean towards veteran players over younger ones.  This was apparent with his short-lived tenure as president and head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Thibs had plenty of young talent, Karl-Anthony Town Zach LaVine and Jimmy Butler, to work with and he greatly underachieved.

The Knicks are young as well, so what makes fans think that he’ll do better with this young group.  Even when Thibodeau tried to adapt to the younger generation, he ran his young players into the ground.  There was no happy medium to his coaching style and players ultimately got hurt.

Thibodeau’s style in Minnesota was more one-on-one ball than team orientated.  The Knick have enough problems falling back into their old ways with one-on-one ball.  However, with Mike Miller, there has been more offensive schemes and ball movement as compared to Tom Thibodeau and David Fizdale’s systems.

For Thibodeau to be a good hire for the Knicks, he’ll need to change his style and adapt with the game.  It’ll be hard for him since his style seems to be embedded in stone.

The New York Knicks are rebuilding.  They don’t need a old-school coach who doesn’t want to change his coaching style.  Unless Thibs has changed it and is keeping it quite, the new front office has to consider all options.

As of yesterday, their are rumblings that Leon Rose’s could be introduced this week as new team president.  As well, more rumblings of Thibs ‘90%’ likely to be the new head coach.

Jay Wright the next coach of the New York Knicks?

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You can add Jay Wright to the short list of possible candidates to be the next head coach of the New York Knicks.  A league source says, according to Forbes Adam Zagoria.

Others that have been linked to the Knicks are Jeff Van Gundy, of course, Mark Jackson and Tom Thibodeau.

Wright didn’t comment this time around when asked about the Knicks job.  However, he did when being linked to the job when the team went with with Jeff Hornacek in 2016.  Ultimately, Wright just didn’t want to leave Villanova.

While Wright is an above-average college coach, transitioning to the NBA will be difficult.  Last season John Beilein, went from Michigan, a top program, to Cleveland.  The Cavaliers are in the processing of rebuilding so Beilein has a tough task at hand.

If Wright were to be chosen by the Knicks, his path will be similar to Beilein.  It won’t be easy since the Knicks are also rebuilding.  Plus, the Knicks are in a worse spot than the Cavailers.

The New York Knicks need a coach with experience.  Not saying Wright doesn’t have experience but it’s at the college level. The NBA is a different animal.  Coaching professionals is a lot harder and complicated than teenagers.

The 3 coaches, Van Gundy, Jackson and Thibodeau, all have the experience with professionals that the Knicks need.  They need a non non-sense coach with the ability to control the locker room and hold players accountable.

Mike Miller has done that to an extent and has done well with the talent available to him. While he may be doing an above-average with the Knicks, they need someone who’s going to command more of the team.