Ahead of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, the New York Knicks received a speech from team governor James Dolan. During the address, which was initially reported on by SNY's Ian Begley, Dolan spoke openly about the team's decision to move on from former head coach Tom Thibodeau — and why current coach Mike Brown stood out as a fit.
Once released, that specific portion of the address revealed the true source of the Knicks' use of the word "collaborative" this past offseason. The franchise trusted Thibodeau to give them organization, which was especially difficult inheriting a 47-year title drought and was something the coach objectively delivered on. But the governor and team president ultimately felt, one way or another, that Thibodeau's convictions were not worth the sacrifices.
It's exactly why former Knick Gerald Wilkins' comments that Thibodeau deserves an invite to the team's Championship parade were off-base. He told WFAN hosts Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle that Thibodeau should be at the celebration, missing Dolan's point that while Thibodeau, and several former Knick players, laid the foundation for their championship run -- the moves inseparable from their departures, like the hiring of Brown or acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns via trade were integral to their actual success.
Dolan's speech proves it's okay to leave some parts of the past alone
The Knicks' governor's words were a reminder that, as much credit as Thibodeau and former players from Leon Rose and William Wesley's tenure deserve, the team's Championship couldn't have happened unless the organization proved brave enough to move on from them. Regardless of how successful some of those Knick resumes were, with players like Donte DiVincenzo certainly not representing any traits the team needed to expel, this particular group is the one that broke through.
It makes sense that fans wanted to see DiVincenzo, who's currently recovering from an injury and remains beloved for his contributions in 2024, attend one of the playoff games. But do all former players and coaches, particularly ones that New York clearly needed to move on to reach these championship-level heights, truly need their own floats? Dolan didn't seem, during his speech, like someone that would extend those kinds of invitations.
"Leon and I believed that you, the team, and the rest of the organization needed to be heard more. Needed to work together more. Not just led, or dictated to, and Coach Thibs was a great coach...we thought you needed a coach that would pull you together, have you play as a team. Although it's not been perfect, we believed...it would give us a shot at winning a Championship, rather than relying on one person's opinion," Dolan explained in a video posted by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart's "Roommates Show."
Mikal Bridges' comments about Landry Shamet from his already-infamous Instagram live confirmed, again, that there was frustration in the locker room regarding the lack of roles some veterans played in last year's rotation.
Dolan made it clear, even ahead of the postseason, that he ultimately believed in shifting power toward the players – regardless of what fans thought the governor would think of Bridges' decision to blow the whistle to the media last season about Thibodeau's utilization of his starters.
"That's the team that we have now. We believed that instead of relying on the coach, that you would discipline each other. That you would talk to each other. That you would figure out how to play together, with each other. And that that was stronger than hearing it from just one voice," the governor said.
The Knicks certainly owe thank-you notes to Thibodeau and players like DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, who embraced the challenge of ending the team's championship drought despite not lasting until the city's thirst was quenched.
But spots on their parade floats is bordering on disrespectful to the sacrifices made by the players that had orange and blue on when the final buzzer of Game 5 rang out in San Antonio. And the coaches in black quarterzips and sweaters that made it to the top of the mountain in their first year together as a staff.
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