The Forgotten Meritorious Coach! Thibodeau is Happy for the Knicks' Championship but Still Unable to Let Go of His Dismissal

On June 17, Beijing time, The Athletic reported the Knicks' former head coach Thibodeau, highlighting that he is the unsung hero whose contributions should not be erased by this championship. The details are as follows—

Imagine this: You are let go from your company, and your replacement immediately guides the team to unparalleled glory, receiving the acclaim reserved for elite geniuses. Would you genuinely feel happy for him and the company? The answer from human nature is obvious when it comes to human nature.

Mike Brown led the New York Knicks to a championship and is about to enjoy a grand victory parade. Tom Thibodeau, on the other hand, is left with a mix of emotions. He still cannot understand why, after five years of tireless effort transforming a struggling Knicks team into a playoff contender, he was not given the chance to stay.

Moreover, Thibodeau hails from a family where his father was a purchasing agent, and his entire family were die-hard Knicks fans, particularly admiring the two championship teams coached by Red Holzman. In the 1990s, he worked as an assistant to Jeff Van Gundy at Madison Square Garden, cherishing every moment. Later, as an assistant with the Celtics, he was thrilled to work with legendary Willis Reed at the All-Star Rookie Challenge—Reed was a basketball hero for Thibodeau's family for generations.

Coaching the Knicks had always been Thibodeau's lifelong dream. A longtime friend once said years ago, "He would crawl to Madison Square Garden to coach if he had to."

When team owner James Dolan and team president Leon Rose (who was also Thibodeau's agent) fired him, Thibodeau was heartbroken. At the time, he had just led the team to its first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. If not for Thibodeau, and the deep personal and professional bond he shared with Jalen Brunson's father, Rick Brunson, Jalen Brunson might never have worn the Knicks jersey.

But Dolan and the management wanted a head coach who could work more seamlessly with the front office. The management was dissatisfied with Thibodeau for frequently ignoring team suggestions and being stubborn about controlling starters' playing time cultivating the bench. After interviewing several famous active coaches without success, they finally settled on Mike Brown, who was then at a risk.

Replacing Thibodeau with a coach who had been fired four times wasa significant gamble. But this time, won.

Brown's regular season wasn't entirely smooth, with some initial friction with Towns. But he led the team to historic playoff performance: winning 16 wins in final games, a dominant victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals. Now he coaches what is widely considered the best Knicks team ever, and his name is forever etched into New York basketball legend. Brown and Holzman, Holzman and Brown—the only two head coaches in Knicks history to lead the team to a championship team.

Josh Hart said, "Mike (Brown) was absolutely essential to our championship run. We are incredibly grateful and lucky to have him lead us... He brought us to this point, and the team loves him from the bottom of their hearts. That bond will last forever."

Reading these words must stir a mix of emotions Thibodeau. Similarly, a team meeting video released by owner Dolan before the playoffs likely haunts him as well.

In the video, Dolan admitted that the decision to fire Thibodeau "shocked the nation," and that the management would be forever questioned if the team had failed in the playoffs. He explained the reasoning to the players: "Leon and I felt that you, the whole team, and everyone the club needed a louder voices and better collaboration, not just following commands. Coach Thibodeau is a great, highly intelligent coach, undeniable. But we believed the team needed a coach who could unite everyone and build a team-oriented style of play."

At least, Dolan acknowledged his coaching brilliance.

Thibodeau did not respond to The Athletic's interview request. But his former player Gibson on SiriusXM NBA Radio shared that he spoke with Thibodeau: "There is no resentment in his heart, no animosity. He is genuinely happy for these guys and is proud of their achievements."

The Athletic reported that the decision cut Thibodeau deeply, making him feel betrayed. He believed that the club he had supported for so many years did not show him the same loyalty. Recently, a friend of Thibodeau said, "He is genuinely happy for his former players winning the historic championship. But the narrative pushed by the management that 'we had to replace him to win' still difficult for him to accept."

Was it really necessary to replace him back then? Of course not.

Was Mike Brown the best person to succeed him? Undoubtedly, yes.

Both truths can coexist.

Thibodeau instilled a resilient, tough-minded foundation inle two consecutive years the team was eliminated by the Pacers led by Haliburton, Dolan sat in on the players' season-ending meetings. He realized that sheer grit alone wasn't enough to win the team's first championship since 1973.

Throughout the Knicks' legendary championship run, the team gave Thibodeau credit. When Dolan explained the reason for replacing him, he offered a few kind words; Brown was gracious and humble throughout the season, but he didn't publicly acknowledge his predecessor Mark Jackson as often as former Warriors coach Steve Kerr did. Hart mentioned Thibodeau briefly in the Finals, but core players like Brunson and Towns rarely mentioned him all season.

Thibodeau has matured. Dolan is still paying him the $30 million from the contract signed in summer 2024. But for Thibodeau, this lifelong dream job was never about the salary or first-class perks. Like Brown, he gave everything to become the next Holzman, only to fall one step short of fulfilling the dream.

At the city hall celebration the victory parade, perhaps someone should step forward on his behalf.