Fans are divided on the idea of Tom Thibodeau as the next New York coach.
Some see Thibodeau as one of the keys to a return to respectability. Others do not believe that Thibodeau is suitable for the young New York list.
It is not surprising to see Knicks fans divided on the matter. When the team you root for has won only one playoff series in the past 20 years, you will likely be skeptical of organizational decisions.
If the Knicks end up hiring Thibodeau, recent history suggests that they will see a significant increase in victory early in his term. The Timberwolves won 29 games a year before Thibodeau arrived. Two years later, they won 47 games and reached the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons (the second longest drought in NBA history). The Bulls won 41 games a year before Thibodeau took over. Thibodeau has trained Chicago to 62 wins in his first season as head coach.
Obviously, those teams had different turns than the Knicks. Chicago had a young MVP in Derrick Rose. Minnesota had Karl Towns and Jimmy Butler. New York doesn’t have that kind of talent on the register. The team is about to begin a 21-45 season that has been shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.
But Thibodeau’s track record suggests that, at the very least, he will be able to break Knicks’ six-year streak with payout percentages below 400.