In his first press conference as the new head coach of the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau predictably had a lot of good things to say about the franchise hiring him for his third opportunity as head coach in the NBA. Still, it was surprising to see Thibodeau proclaim that the Big Apple is “synonymous with winning and championships.” The Knicks have not won an NBA title since 1973, when current color analyst Clyde Frazier was on the court leading the team, and of the major sports teams that have “New York” in their names, the last one to win a title was the New York Giants in 2012.
tom thibodeau says new york is synonymous with winning and championships
— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) July 30, 2020
Tom Thibodeau mentions the 90s Knicks, how New York City is the best city, MSG is the best arena, Knicks fans are the best fans. We are nearing Knicks press conference bingo.
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) July 30, 2020
New York did not hire Thibodeau to win a championship in the near-term. They are a rebuilding team who will likely hope Thibodeau can do exactly what he’s done during stops in Chicago and Minnesota: Get his players to compete hard and develop on-court chemistry. Thibodeau was the front-runner in the search all along, according to reports, and though names like Jason Kidd and Spurs assistant Will Hardy came up during the interview process, Thibodeau was indeed the man to land one of the highest-profile jobs in the NBA.
New lead executive Leon Rose doesn’t want any assumptions to be made about the legitimacy of the search, however, especially because Thibodeau is represented by CAA, the agency where Rose used to run the arm that managed NBA coaches.
Leon Rose: "Just to be clear, going into this search we had an open mind. There's other coaches in the search I … have had relationships with. Going through the process affirmed the thoughts that I've had about Tom."
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) July 30, 2020
From Thibodeau’s perspective, it was also his relationships with Rose and fellow former CAA coach rep William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley that stood out, in addition to the young roster and ample cap space. Young players like Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett do seem to fit the hard-nosed style Thibodeau prefers.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau references the current roster, his relationship with Leon Rose, William ‘World Wide Wes’ Wesley, the presence of GM Scott Perry and the future picks, cap flexibility, opportunity to build the roster out as some reasons he was excited about the job.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 30, 2020
Tom Thibodeau says Knicks job was attractive for 3 main reasons:
1. "The current roster we have now. It’s young & talented. There’s room for growth and that’s exciting to me."
2. Leon Rose and World Wide Wes
3. "All the draft picks that have been acquired & also the cap space."— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) July 30, 2020
The last bit of news from Thibodeau’s introductory press conference was reported just before Thibodeau logged onto his Zoom call with the media, but has not been confirmed by the team.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Thibodeau’s hiring will coincide with the return of Mike Woodson, who coached the Knicks from 2011-14 and interviewed for the top gig this summer. Woodson has not coached in the NBA since 2018.
Former Knicks coach Mike Woodson is expected to join the Knicks organization in a capacity, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Woodson led the Knicks to a 54-28 record in 2012-13, which marks their most recent playoff appearance and highest win total since 1996-97.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 30, 2020
The Thibodeau era in New York is already off to an interesting start.
