“What are the Knicks doing?”
I have been asked the question countless times over the past month since Tom Thibodeau was fired as the team’s head coach on June 3, three days after losing 4-2 to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The question often has curse words harshly and hilariously mixed in, by anxiety-filled Knicks fans, non-partisan supporters of other teams, and close followers of the NBA — the latter whose vested interests are infused with Knicks hate and wanting nothing more than to see the organization devolve back into the sh*tshow it was before the Leon Rose-Thibodeau era began in 2020.
My answers vary. Sometimes I provide a profoundly extensive take. Other times I bluntly respond “hell if I know!” No one really does other than a very small circle of insiders that doesn’t include the media because Knicks president Rose doesn’t speak with the media regarding team business. Neither does his right hand man William Wesley, the Knicks’ executive vice president – senior basketball advisor. Same for Gersson Rosas, the franchise’s senior vice president of basketball operations.
This crew is steadfast in maintaining the NBA’s version of omerta, the Mafia code of silence. While many members of the press have derided Rose and his comrades for being muted, his stealth comportment has yielded positive results since he was hired by Knicks owner James Dolan in March 2020 and then named Thibodeau as his first head coach four months later. July 2020, ironically, when Rose brought on Thibodeau to direct the Knicks’ on-court transformation and given the current state of affairs, he’ll name his next head coach this month, too.
This time, his decisions appear dubious.
One of my responses to “what are the Knicks doing?” is it is obvious Rose and Thibodeau had irreconcilable philosophical differences; it is mindless to fire a coach that has improved the team three straight seasons and was on the cusp of making the Finals without already having his replacement locked up. My opinion is Thibodeau should not have been terminated. But his departure clearly was not solely about results.
Reports are that Mike Brown is the leading candidate to be the Knicks’ next head coach. Brown, 55, had previous head coaching stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings. He is a capable commander. But the Knicks roster still needs an upgrade. Agreeing to deals this week with free agent veterans, guard Jordan Clarkson and forward center Guerschon Yabusele are solid moves, but not fortune changers. There’s still more work to be done. The bench needs more fortifying.
Maybe by the time this piece is published over the next 24 hours the Knicks will have a new head coach. Yet, one month after Thibodeau was canned, the question “what are the Knicks doing?” blares across the basketball landscape.
I am a little confused that the question would be asked on July 3rd when the team has already selected a coach ( not the best one, but who should play his bench ), and signed two players who give the two perhaps the best roster on paper in the East if not the League. That question was appropriate two weeks ago. Now they should break the bank and get Dame for next season!
S/b who gives the team the best roster.