The New York Knicks have named Tom Thibodeau of New Britain, Connecticut their new head coach according to the Associated Press on Thursday. The Knicks become the third National Basketball Association franchise Thibodeau has coached in his career. He also coached the Chicago Bulls from 2010 to 2015, and the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2016 to 2019.
Thibodeau has a career coaching record of 352 wins and 246 losses with a winning percentage of .589 in 598 games. He also reached the playoffs in each of his five seasons coaching the Bulls and helped Minnesota reach the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
In his first two seasons coaching in the NBA, Thibodeau had a remarkable winning percentage of .757. In 2010-11, the Bulls had a record of 62 wins and 20 losses, and reached the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Miami Heat in five games. Then in 2011-12, the Bulls had a regular season record of 50 wins and 16 losses in a lockout-shortened 66 games. Despite being the number one seed in the East, the Bulls were upset in six games by the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Thibodeau now enters a situation where every decision he makes will be under complete scrutiny. That is what happens when you take a job in the Big Apple.
Thibodeau’s first assignment will be to somehow find a way to get the Knicks into the playoffs, and fast. New York has not made the playoffs since 2013. In 2019-20, they had a record of 21 wins and 45 losses. Thibodeau also becomes the seventh Knicks head coach in seven years. He follows Mike Woodson, Derek Fisher, Kurt Rambis, Jeff Hornacek, David Fizdale, and Mike Miller.
