Tom Thibodeau, the man behind the resurgence of the New York Knicks, was deemed no longer the right fit to lead the franchise after their loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals. Mike Brown has been brought in as his replacement, which means the players, including Karl-Anthony Towns, who joined in 2024, will now have to adjust to a major shift heading into the 2025/26 season.
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The timing raised eyebrows. Just months after KAT’s arrival in New York, Thibodeau was handed his walking papers. The move is especially notable given their rocky history in Minnesota, where Towns’s offensive brilliance often clashed with Thibodeau’s hard, defense-first philosophy.
Understandably, as Towns suited up in Knicks colors for media day last weekend, this was one of the questions everyone had in mind. The former Timberwolves man spoke about it during a recent episode on Fat Joe and Jadakiss‘s podcast.
Jada was aware of the history between KAT and Thibs, and wondered if there was anything to his getting his old coach canned. “I love when people ask me that and I say, ‘Boy, I’ve only been here six months.’ I just talked to Thibs. He’s good. We had dinner and everything,” stated the five-time All-Star.
It seemed like a fine answer. But Jada kept pressing, with the famed rapper wondering if politics had anything to do with it.
Towns sort of dodged the question by giving a very similar answer to his previous. “I was here six months. And Thibs is my man too.”
KAT’s body language looked uncomfortable. But despite rumors, he likely had nothing to do with Thibs’ dismissal. New York just seemed outmatched for most of the Pacers series, and were one Game 1 meltdown away from pushing the series to 7 games.
Besides, Towns seconds later admitted that the Knicks wouldn’t even be relevant without the incredible leadership from Thibs. “Thibs came to New York. Changed the culture. Brought New York back to winning culture. Got to the ECF last year, and that’s not just the players. It’s a testament to the coaching staff,” he stated.
“Thibs is special. I think anybody who knows basketball knows he’s special. Shout out to Thibs,” KAT added, almost pushing the idea that he and his old coach were very good friends.
The Knicks are stepping into a new era, but the shadow of Thibs’ impact will hang over the Garden for a long time. Fans might question the timing and politics behind his firing, but nobody can deny the culture shift he engineered in New York.
Whether Brown can build on that foundation or not is the real story heading into next season. One thing’s for sure: Thibs left the Knicks far better than he found them, and the city won’t forget it.
