What the Knicks are trying to pull off with their coaching search is not unprecedented, nor is it even particularly uncommon.

NEW YORK, June 3, 2025 – The New York Knicks announced today that the team has relieved head coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties.

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle did not believe it at first when he saw the news that the New York Knicks had fired Tom Thibodeau just three days after he outcoached him in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

Brunson, in particular, has known Thibodeau nearly his entire life. He was a young kid when his father, Rick, played for the Knicks for two seasons from 1998-2000. Thibodeau was a Knicks assistant at the time. And Rick Brunson later served as an assistant on Thibodeau’s staff with the Bulls and Timberwolves before reuniting again on the Knicks.

Since the New York Knicks fired their head coach Tom Thibodeau last week, fans have eagerly expressed their opinions about the firing. Some felt that the move wasn’t necessary after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years,

Tom Thibodeau was, by far, the best New York Knicks coach of the 21st century. He led the team to the playoffs in four of his five years on the job. The Knicks made the playoffs just four times in the 19 seasons before he was hired.

The Knicks are expected to show interest in Ime Udoka and Jason Kidd, while Johnnie Bryant and Jay Wright are considered presumed candidates, per @TheSteinLine “When it comes to available coaches, longtime Villanova coach Jay Wright — who has long expressed a reluctance to make… pic.twitter.com/7ZwOY4df4j