Time has a way of providing clarity, so it comes as no surprise that we’re getting more insight into the New York Knicks firing Tom Thibodeau months later. Though their reasons varied, we now know his departure had something to do with his inability to work alongside OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
Speaking on The Ringer NBA Show with Wosny Lambre, The Athletic’s Fred Katz shed some light on the awkward dynamic between Thibs and two of his most important players.
“I don’t think Thibs ever really worked great with Mikal Bridges,” Katz explained, at around the 11:51 mark. “I don’t think the basketball fit optimized great…Thibs was an amazing coach for Jalen Brunson, an amazing coach for Donte DiVincenzo. I don’t think he was a great coach for Mikal Bridges. And I think…maybe not a great coach for OG Anunoby. I know those guys had disagreements on certain things.”
There is no way Anunoby and Bridges alone drove New York to part ways with Thibs. They are not the most important voice in the locker room. That belongs to Jalen Brunson, the team’s staunchest Thibs supporter.
Still, we can’t pretend these philosophical differences didn’t factor into the Knicks’ thinking. Because you don’t fire the head coach that brought you to your first conference finals in a quarter-century without there being some behind-the-scenes awkwardness, if not discord.
Mikal Bridges’ opinion of Thibs had to matter
The disconnect between Thibs and Bridges, specifically, looms large here. And it bubbled to the surface long before the former was canned. Bridges publicly called out Thibs’ minutes distribution back in March, a sound bite tattooed to memory for everyone, no matter how much people tried to downplay it afterward.
If Bridges wasn’t a fan of his, the Knicks had to take that into account. For all we know, if Thibs stuck around, he would have been less likely to sign an extension that they needed him to accept.
Risking Bridges’ entry into unrestricted free agency next summer was never an option. He could have left New York for nothing, or it would have cost $200-plus million to retain him for the same number of years. The organization also could have felt compelled to trade him if he didn’t sign an extension, in which case they would have taken a bath on all the assets they gave up to get him.
Bridges and Anunoby were not the only reason the Knicks pivoted to Mike Brown
This is not meant to put Thibs’ firing at the feet of Anunoby and Bridges. Nothing suggests either one of them gave the Knicks an ultimatum.
Other factors played into the decision. Katz went on to note that the minutes distribution was a biggie, and that owner James Dolan was a catalyst behind the call, too. As ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne previously reported during a fantastic deep dive into the matter, people within the franchise believed Thibs was thoroughly outcoached in the playoffs as well.
Combine this with all the assets that went into building New York’s nucleus and its current Finals-or-bust expectations, and Thibs’ firing cannot be boiled down to a singular reason. It is crystal clear, however, that his relationship with Anunoby and Bridges—or lack thereof—didn’t do him any favors.