And frankly, it was the right decision for this franchise, as hard as it was. Let’s get this out of the way off the top before we pick him apart in this piece. I have a lot of love and respect for Tom Thibodeau and the job he did with this franchise should be celebrated now and in the future. I never thought that the Knicks would go ahead and make this change, but to take the next step I think it’s the right change to make, as I said earlier. That does not mean Thibs was solely responsible for issues with the team or that should be the only change made.

I’d be lying to myself, as I’m sure many of you would be too, to say the thought of a change never came to mind. I wrote on this site after the game four win in Detroit that inspire of the 3-1 series lead that this team had outgrown Thibs. There were no adjustments in game, no minutes for the bench as usual, and what seemed to be a misalignment in philosophy and strategy. The Knicks went out of their way last year to change their team and its style of play, from a defensive group that wanted to grind, to an offensive minded team that could score on anyone. That was far from Thibs preferred style and he didn’t adapt to it either, and that along with some of the concerns I mentioned above likely being shared by the front office, the Knicks had to do this.

Organizational cohesion is everything when you’re trying to win in sports, and if there was even a hint of division between Thibs, Leon Rose, and or his lieutenants, then firing him him was the right call. The rest of the brass are singularly focused on the common goal of winning a Title, and that’s not say Thibs didn’t share that vision as well. But if all others in charge did not see him as a part of achieving that goal then they now must find the next person to helm that vision.

When looking back at this playoff run, Thibs had come into it essentially facing the ultimatum of at least reaching a conference final or being fired. While he did accomplish that goal, the path to getting there wasn’t pretty for him. He felt out coached and complacent in round one against the Pistons, a team the Knicks beat mostly on sheer talent and nothing else. He did push several buttons correctly against Boston in round two, but then was completely outfoxed by Rick Carlisle for the second year in a row. Not to throw too much shade, but outsmarting Joe “we only take threes” Mazzulla isn’t exactly beating Red Auerbach.

Never giving the bench a run of play took its toll over the last few years without any question. I am not fan of load management, nor am I calling for it to be implemented here, but strictly riding the same five players has to stop. It is not practical to play that way, nor is it smart to never find out if other combos can help you in games, or at least not until round three of the playoffs. Thibs all of a sudden finding a bench unit that could play against Indiana was too little too late, and it made one wonder what else could have been done along the way.

Amongst what is still to speculate on, is the question of how much did the players influence this decision. It certainly felt like most if not all of this team continued to respect Thibs and enjoyed playing for him, but I also think it was clear they didn’t quite see eye to eye anymore. Mikal Bridges, who has a lot to answer for himself, questioned Thibs distribution of minutes or lack there of. Meanwhile after they were eliminated Deuce McBride said the Knicks were “exposed” by Indiana. We have heard of multiple players only meetings being held on off days during each series, seemingly cutting the coach and his lieutenants out of the flow of things. One meeting is fine, two can still be normal, but anymore than that is indicative of a wider issue, not a group rallying cry.

The roster may still change from here, and frankly it’s hard to say how now. A few days ago I said I expected minimal changes but with Thibs on his way out the, it feels like anything could be in play for some players on this roster and elsewhere. There will be a lot of discussion about who will succeed Thibodeau as coach but it feels too early to really narrow down the field. Mike Malone, a world champion in Denver, is available and feels like a logical choice. As usual Jay Wright will land in the mix because of his Nova connections but I can’t see it right now. There will likely be more names in the mix than that, so who knows where this lands. One thing is for sure, this is one of the most import hires in team history.

I am reminded of another coach in New York sports history in this moment, or in his case, a manager. Stay with me on the parallel here, but this feels reminiscent of the Yankees firing Buck Showalter in 1995. Thibs, much like Buck with the Yanks in the early 90’s, built the Knicks back up from the lowest of the low to a viable contender that could win it all. But the front office didn’t see Buck as the person to finish the development and final tweaks to bring a World Series to the Bronx, and the Knicks clearly don’t see Thibs that way either. It’s a harsh business but when the business is winning it all, not a round or two, a cut throat decision is required sometimes. The Knicks front office have to get it right as I said before, and have frankly earned the right to try and prove they made the right choice this time, even if we don’t like it at first…much like the Yankees in 95.

The fairy tale ending for this is Tom Thibodeau, flanked by Leon Rose, Jalen Brunson and his teammates, riding down the canyon of heroes together. From rebuilders to rebuilt champions. But the fairy tale doesn’t always work that way, just ask Buck. So here’s hoping the Knicks find their Joe Torre and the rest of the fairy tale comes true, ending like our parallel story did…

Stay tuned for continuing Knicks offseason coverage as well Rangers draft and free agency stories. We’ll also have more of our best of series to come and continuing coverage of the Yanks and Mets! On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.