In a shocking development last offseason, New York notably moved on from head coach Tom Thibodeau.
New York Knicks owner James Dolan made an appearance on WFAN's The Carton Show and discussed several topics around his franchise, from the reports of Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and others.
And regarding the head coaching dismissal of Tom Thibodeau, Dolan argued that the Knicks need a new voice and someone who can lead the team to the next step.
“The team is really built on the shoulders of Tom Thibodeau. He built that core,” Dolan said. “We went as far as we did last year. So you really got to take your hat off to Tom. And the job that he did.
"But we did come to the conclusion that we had an idea how we wanted to organize the team. And that meant we needed to evolve. Actually beyond the old traditional coaching formulas."
Hired by the Knicks in 2020, Thibodeau ushered the Knicks to a new era of success, leading the franchise to four playoff appearances, two consecutive 50-win seasons, and their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000.
But last offseason, the Knicks stunningly announced that they were moving on from the seasoned veteran, even though they are still under a three-year, $30 million contract extension in 2024.
While he gave Thibodeau credit for helping the Knicks, Dolan insisted that Thibodeau has an outdated and stubborn coaching approach.
"I won't say you can't win a title with Tom Thibodeau, I don't think that's true, but if you want to build a long-term, competitive [team], you need somebody who's more of a collaborator than Tom was," Dolan added. "But still, you really, Tom is still a great coach. He should coach again in the NBA. If I had a franchise I was just starting with, he would be a gold mine to get. He was like that for us when we first started and he first came in. He brought discipline. He brought strategy. He brought us all that way, but we really felt we needed to make a change to go the rest of the way.
"We talked to Tom all the time, and, look, I don't wanna get too deep into the interaction, but I would say that whole last year we were talking with Tom about where we wanted to go, etc. He would probably tell you that he's stubborn, but he'd also tell you that he's right."
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