The Knicks moved off of Tom Thibodeau after it became clear he wasn't the right guy to lead them to a title. Now, according to a new report from the New York Post's Stefan Body, the Knicks want their next coach to possess all of the qualities that Thibodeau was missing.
In the article, Body outlines that sources have indicated that the Knicks want their next sideline leader to emphasize player development, expand rotations, lean on assistants, work collaboratively with the front office, and have a keen ability to adjust in-game. In other words, the description for the position is: The complete opposite of Thibodeau.
Of course I am being a bit facetious. Thibodeau wasn't missing all of those traits. However, anyone who has watched the Knicks over the last few seasons will immediately recognize that those areas of emphasis were clear weak spots for Thibodeau.
What Thibodeau lacked
Thibodeau has many skills, and like every single other coach, has weaknesses as well. He is a student of the game, credited for being a mastermind on the defensive end of the floor. He also has qualities that he deems more important than others, notably rebounding and things like transition defense.
While he often gets knocked for not developing players, he certainly had a hand in turning Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson into All-NBA talents. At the same time, his stubbornness is his own worst enemy. He lacks the ability, or willingness, to experiment with lineups and often opts to run his starters into the ground before attempting to see what his bench can provide.
In the end, those missing traits were all part of the collective decision to move on from Thibodeau after five seasons.
The Knicks next coach must have most of those qualities
There is no perfect candidate out there. If there were, the Knicks would have hired them already. It is also unlikely they find someone who excels in all areas that they listed as important components.
Because of that, they need to find to organize the qualities they desire very carefully. In my mind, the most important qualities the next coach must have are: making in-game adjustments and developing the Knicks' young core of Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, and Ariel Hukporti.
Of course, there is also the overarching ability to maximize the roster on the offensive end of the floor. The Knicks roster, as currently constructed, needs to be offense-first. Any team built around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will be best optimized that way.