Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks are relieving head coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties, the team announced Tuesday.

Thibodeau just led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years, where they fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games.

"Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction," said Knicks president Leon Rose.

The Knicks believe a new voice will serve as the focus for the organization's next step, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.

Thibodeau became the Knicks' coach in 2020 and guided them to the playoffs in four out of five seasons. He also led them to back-to-back 50-plus-win campaigns for the first time since 1991-95.

The 67-year-old was named Coach of the Year in 2021 after ending New York's eight-year playoff drought.

The Knicks won at least one playoff series in each of the past three years under Thibodeau. They won just one series from 2001-2020.

"We can't thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks' head coach," said Rose. "He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward."

Thibodeau signed a three-year extension with the Knicks last summer. They still owe him at least $30 million guaranteed, per SNY's Ian Begley.

Thibodeau received plenty of criticism for his unwillingness to expand his rotation. Mikal Bridges (3,036) and Josh Hart (2,897) finished first and second, respectively, in minutes played this season, while OG Anunoby (2,706) was ninth.

Bridges spoke with Thibodeau in March about playing the Knicks' bench more.

New York finished this past season third in the East at 51-31.