New York Knicks: Five reasons Tom Thibodeau was the right hire

2. Why Tom Thibodeau is the right hire for the Knicks: He wins

Whether you love, hate, or feel indifferent about Tom Thibodeau’s approach, there’s no denying that it wins games. Every team Thibodeau has coached has managed to make the Playoffs, whether that be as a head coach or an assistant.

Focusing primarily on his experience as a head coach, however, Tom Thibodeau has a number that works heavily in his favor: A win percentage of .589.

Thibodeau boasted a win percentage of .647 over the course of five seasons in Chicago. The Bulls won at least one postseason series in three of those five campaigns, making the postseason every time—and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 13 years.

Thibodeau also led Chicago to its only 60-win season and its only three 50-wins seasons since Michael Jordan retired in 1998.

In Minnesota, Thibodeau compiled a win percentage of .475—a mark that Minnesota has only exceeded in two of the past 13 seasons that it’s played without him as head coach. He led the 2017-18 Timberwolves to the playoffs, thus ending the franchise’s 14-year postseason drought.

Minnesota was 19-21 (.475) at the time of Thibodeau’s firing in 2018-19, and has since gone on to compile a record of 36-70 (.340).

Thibodeau was also an assistant coach for the NBA Champion Boston Celtics in 2007-08, the Knicks team that made the NBA Finals in 1998-99, and the Houston Rockets groups that had two 50-win seasons between 2004-05 and 2006-07.

Thibodeau simply wins.