NBA Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway is among those shocked at the firing of New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. Hardaway expressed his disappointment on an Instagram post.
"I think we are all stunned," Hardaway said. "Everybody in the basketball world is stunned that coach Thibs got let go and relieved of his duties. I feel that's unfair."
Thibodeau was fired despite leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals, falling to the Indiana Pacers. Hardaway's son, Tim Jr., also played under Thibodeau when he was with the Knicks.
In five seasons with the Knicks, Thibodeau, 67, had a 226-174 record and led New York to the playoffs in four of those seasons. The firing also comes less than a year after he reportedly agreed to a three-year contract extension to remain with the team. The Knicks released a statement saying they were ready to head in a different direction.
"He's been in the postseason four out of five times that he's been the head coach for the Knicks," Hardaway said. "And then he gets to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. And then y'all reward him with letting him go. That is absolutely terrible. I don't think any other coach can go in there and do what Thibs did ... That's unfortunate. That's not right."
MORE BACK IN THE DAY HOOPS COVERAGE
NBA legend makes head-scratching LeBron James statement
Thunder's roster compared to 2000's Spurs
Charles Barkley blasts TNT's new plan for Inside The NBA