UPDATE: July 30 — The Knicks have officially named Thibs as their next head coach, per a press release sent out on Thursday morning.
.@nyknicks Name Tom Thibodeau Head Coach pic.twitter.com/7I4GIEmMzk
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) July 30, 2020
The New York Knicks and Tom Thibodeau are finalizing a five-year deal to make him their next head coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday.
The New York Knicks and Tom Thibodeau are finalizing a five-year deal to make him the franchise’s next coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2020
There were reports that the Knicks were strongly considering Jason Kidd for their head coach position. It seems they opted for the proven veteran coach in Thibodeau, who was a highly touted assistant before becoming the Chicago Bulls head coach back in 2010. Thibs led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011, losing to the Miami Heat in five games.
After leaving the Bulls on shaky terms after the 2014-15 season, Thibodeau joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2016. Thibs was with Minnesota for two and a half seasons before being fired. He has a career head coaching record of 352-246 over eight seasons. He went 24-32 in six playoff appearances.
The Knicks had fired David Fizdale after going 4-18 to start the 2019-20 season. He was replaced by interim coach Mike Miller, who was 17-27 in 44 games before the NBA season was halted due to the coronavirus outbreak. New York had tried to land some big fish in free agency, but ultimately whiffed big time. With Thibs, along with new team President Leon Rose and “World Wide” Wes, the Knicks will look to lure big-name free agents to the Big Apple in the next few summers in an attempt to revitalize the franchise.