The New York Knicks‘ main goal this offseason is to find the perfect candidate to replace the recently fired head coach, Tom Thibodeau. Following the Knicks’ elimination in the Eastern Conference finals, management decided to move on from Thibodeau after five years. However, the organization had a surprising approach as to how they would hire their next coach.
The Knicks have reached out to multiple teams, requesting to interview various head coaches. First, it was between Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets and Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets were quick to deny New York of their request, while the Mavericks eventually followed.
Following that, they reached out to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Chris Finch but were denied. The fourth team they had in mind was the Atlanta Hawks. But the Hawks stayed loyal to Quin Snyder and rejected any request from the Knicks. On Wednesday, the same day the Knicks approached the Hawks, New York reportedly contacted the Chicago Bulls for Billy Donovan.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, the Bulls didn’t entertain what they asked for.
On Wednesday, following the Indiana Pacers’ 116-107 victory in Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA legend Charles Barkley had something to say about the Knicks. He called out the Eastern Conference organization for not having a plan with their search for a new coach.
“The Knicks gonna be the stupidest d**n people in the world. You don’t fire no good coach like that and don’t have a plan. Thibs did a hell of a job. Obviously, something’s going on down there, but you don’t have a plan?” Barkley said about the New York Knicks.
“The Knicks gotta be the stupidest damn people in the world.”
— Charles Barkley. 🤣
(h/t @ClutchPoints)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 12, 2025
“And now, the three coaches turned you down, you gotta have a plan. They don’t have a plan, no. I don’t know what the hell they gon’ do.”
Thibodeau pens a heartfelt letter after getting fired by the New York Knicks
The 2008 champion spoke up for the first time since Thibodeau was let go by the New York Knicks. The ex-head coach penned a heartfelt letter for the franchise and the fans in the New York Times.
“When I was hired in 2020, I said this was my dream job. I am grateful that dream became a reality. Thank you to our players and coaching staff who gave everything they had, and to everyone who makes this franchise special. I am proud of everything we accomplished together, including four playoff appearances and this year’s run to the Eastern Conference finals — our first in 25 years.”
Thank you, New York. pic.twitter.com/bKpZlBEgux
— Tom Thibodeau (@thibodeau_96709) June 11, 2025
Fans will never forget how Thibs led the New York Knicks back to the conference finals after 25 years.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
