New York Knicks to Hire Tom Thibodeau as Franchise’s Next Head Coach

Tom Thibodeau in 2011
New York Knicks' Tom Thibodeau in 2011. Image via Keith Allison/Wikipedia

It appears that New York Knicks wrapped up their head coaching search. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Knicks chose Tom Thibodeau as the man for the job.

Thibodeau, who previously coached Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, reportedly agreed to a five-year deal. The two sides have a verbal agreement and are expected to finalize the paperwork in the near future.

Through the process of searching the franchise’s next head coach, Knicks interviewed a number of candidates, including LA Lakers’ assistant Jason Kidd, former Cleveland Cavs’ head coach Mike Brown and San Antonio Spurs’ Will Hardy. However, Thibodeau emerged as an early favorite due to his experience and previous ties with the organization.

The Knicks now hope Thibodeau will provide stability to the franchise that struggled to be relevant for the majority of the past decade. The franchise made their last playoff trip in 2012/13, and since changed six different head coaches. The last one was David Fizdale, who lasted only 100 games before being fired early in the 2019/20 season.

Tom Thibodeau’s first head coaching experience was with Chicago Bulls in 2010. In five seasons with the franchise, he made five playoff trips and even made it to Eastern Conference Finals. Thibodeau also coached Minnesota Timberwolves between 2016 and 2019, ending the organization’s 14-year postseason drought.