In his first press conference as the Knicks’ new head coach, Tom Thibodeau predictably had many good things to say about the franchise that hired him for his third opportunity as head coach in the NBA. However, it was surprising to see Thibodeau proclaiming that the Big Apple is “synonymous with wins and championships”. The Knicks have not won an NBA title since 1973, when current color analyst Clyde Frazier was in charge of the team, and of the major sports teams that have “New York” in their names, the last to win a title. it was the New York Giants in 2012.
New York didn’t hire Thibodeau to win a championship in the short term. They are a reconstruction team that will likely hope Thibodeau can do exactly what he did during the stops in Chicago and Minnesota: to convince his players to compete hard and develop chemistry on the field. Thibodeau was first in the search, according to reports, and although names like Jason Kidd and Spurs’ assistant Will Hardy emerged during the interview process, Thibodeau was indeed the man who got one of the highest jobs. profile in the NBA.
The new lead executive Leon Rose does not want assumptions about the legitimacy of the research, especially because Thibodeau is represented by the CAA, the agency in which Rose managed the arm that managed the NBA coaches.
From Thibodeau’s point of view, his relationships with Rose and his ex-CAA colleague William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley also stood out, in addition to the young list and the ample space for hats. Young players like Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett seem to adapt to the hard nosed style that Thibodeau prefers.