New York Knicks apparently want to hold on to head coach Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks will reportedly retain head coach Tom Thibodeau beyond the current season. In view of the disappointing season, rumors have recently been circulating that the 64-year-old could be released in the summer.

According to information from Jake Fischer (Bleacher Report) the Knicks want to go into the next season with Thibodeau. While there are voices within the organization that support a split, team president Leon Rose is said to have no plans to make a change on the sidelines.

Team owner James Dolan has given the front office a free hand whether or not to continue with coach Thibodeau, the report said. Thibodeau has been the head coach of the traditional franchise from the Big Apple since the summer of 2020, when Rose landed him and gave him a five-year contract.

In his first season as a Knicks coach, he surprisingly led the team to the playoffs, New York ended last season in fourth place in the East with a record of 41-31, Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year. In the first round, however, it was already over after five games against Atlanta.

In the current season, the Knicks have not been able to meet the expectations raised by their success in the previous season. New York is currently in danger of missing the Play-In tournament (29-40, 12th in the East). Executive Vice President William Wesley is said to have blamed Thibodeau internally for this, and speculation has circulated that he will be fired soon.

Fischer’s report also reveals that the Knicks had multiple opportunities to thread a trade from Alec Burks ahead of the trade deadline. Among the offers was a three-team trade with the Lakers and Raptors.

This would have sent Burks and Cam Reddish to Los Angeles, Talen Horton-Tucker and Nerlens Noel to Toronto, and in return Goran Dragic and a Raptors first-round pick to the Knicks. These talks are said to have failed because New York demanded more draft picks in return.

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