The New York Knicks’ decision to part ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau has been picked apart relentlessly by media members over the past few days. But as far as Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff sees it, the decision represents a concern for all coaches around the NBA that results simply may not be enough to hold onto a job.
For the first time in 25 years, the New York Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. And instead of this accomplishment netting Thibodeau any type of job security, he was blamed for not getting the organization over the hump.
Bickerstaff appeared on the Joe & Q Show, hosted by Joe Fortenbaugh and Q Myers on ESPN Radio, on Friday to discuss Thibodeau’s firing, explaining how this decision is an example how the Knicks, and perhaps other organizations, don’t value coaching as much as they should.
“It’s the final straw of what has happened this season and the level of respect that we feel coaches deserve versus what they are getting,” said Bickerstaff. “Some of the decisions made down the stretch, firing coaches, it just shows that there are some places that don’t value what coaching is or what it can bring. When you are a coach, you feel like there is a job you have been told to do. And when you go out and do that job well, you should carry it over to the next year. If you have had past successes, that should envision future successes. You can’t guess what the future is going to look like with somebody new.”
“We understand it, we know the job we signed up for is a dangerous job. But, from a coaches standpoint, it is our responsibility to be honest and tell the truth. Our job is extremely difficult. To win in the NBA is extremely difficult. To build teams in the NBA is extremely difficult. To lead guys, who have the superstar power in the NBA, is extremely difficult. So if a guy does a great job at it, from the outside looking in, we want to see that guy get rewarded. And it there seem to be cases now where guys that do a great job aren’t being rewarded with a next year.”
“It shows that there are some places don’t value what coaching is and what it can bring.”@jbbickerstaff_ on coaches feeling disrespected after getting fired after successful seasons via Joe & Q ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/23QmsRGBeA
— ESPN Radio (@ESPNRadio) June 13, 2025
Bickerstaff never outright said anything about the Knicks here. But it’s not hard to realize exactly which NBA team he is talking about.
However, as Bickerstaff alluded to, the Knicks are not the only team this NBA season who has decided to part ways with coaches who experienced success in past years.
The Denver Nuggets, of course, parted ways with Michael Malone, who brought the organization their first NBA championship just two seasons ago, prior to the 2024-25 NBA postseason. And the Memphis Grizzlies did the same when they fired Taylor Jenkins back in March despite the fact that they were a top-four seed in the West
Bickerstaff has also been in Thibodeau’s shoes in a sense in the past. While he never reached the highs that Thibodeau did this past season, Bickerstaff was let go by the Cleveland Cavaliers after postseason appearances in back-to-back years.
Ultimately, things have worked out just fine for Bickerstaff, who led the Pistons to their first postseason in six years this season. So perhaps Thibodeau has a model in how to go about being without a coaching job in the NBA for the first time in quite a while.