Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said he is baffled by the New York Knicks’ choice to part ways with Tom Thibodeau only days after the club reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in a quarter-century.
“Should he have been fired? Hell no,” Lue told the Club Shay Shay podcast. “It’s the first time they’ve been to the conference finals in 25 years. The city was on fire, the fans were on fire. The players did a hell of a job, and Thibs did a hell of a job.”
Coach dismissed despite deep playoff berth
New York dismissed Thibodeau—who is still owed more than $35 million—just days after being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the East finals. Team president Leon Rose offered only a brief statement, saying the organization remains “singularly focused on winning a championship.”
Lue rejects post-season loss as justification
Lue noted that Indiana also defeated the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers before falling one victory short of the NBA Finals. “So everybody that Indiana beat, you want to fire their coach?” he asked.
Mike Brown faces heightened expectations
The firing places immediate pressure on incoming coach Mike Brown, Lue added, arguing that the benchmark in New York is now nothing short of an NBA Finals appearance. “That’s a tough spot to be in,” he said, pointing out that, unlike the 2016 Cavaliers team Lue inherited, the Knicks do not have LeBron James to lean on.
Lue dismisses minutes-load criticism
Responding to long-standing critiques of Thibodeau’s heavy reliance on his starters, Lue said, “Everywhere he’s been, he wins. To do that, I thought it was crazy.”
The Knicks have not offered further public explanation for the dismissal, and Thibodeau has yet to comment.
Source: Hoops Wire
