Stephen A. Smith Goes Scorched Earth on Knicks Front Office’s ‘Lame’ Statement After Firing Tom Thibodeau

New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after failing to make it to the NBA Finals despite having a talented roster.

Stephen A. Smith Goes Scorched Earth on Knicks Front Office’s ‘Lame’ Statement After Firing Tom Thibodeau

Stephen A. Smith believes Leon Rose is as much culpable for Knicks' failures as Tom Thibodeau (Image via FirstSportz)

The New York Knicks ended their 2024-25 campaign a few days ago. Earlier, the front office and ownership decided they needed to move on from head coach Tom Thibodeau despite leading the team to two East Semifinals and one Conference Finals appearance.

It seemed as if the franchise believed that was not enough and felt they should go in a different direction. Some factors did play their hand in it, such as Thibs’ resistance towards using more bench players, or his failure to adjust to the needs of the situation.

Even then, fans could not understand why he was let go. It was not as if the Knicks had a plethora of top options to choose from, and their team was built around his vision. Now, they are letting go of that vision and will need to instill a new one when the next person walks through that door.

After firing Tom Thibodeau, franchise President Leon Rose issued a statement mentioning the need to win a championship led to this decision. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was critical of Thibs’ decisions in these East Finals. But even he could not relate to the statement issued, and said this while on NBA Today.

To be quite honest with you, I think we all, as New Yorkers, should find Leon Rose’s statement offensive. Get the hell in front of a microphone and a camera and answer questions. Stop being a coward.

Stephen A. Smith said

The 57-year-old analyst believes Leon Rose has done a terrific job in helping the Knicks get out of basketball purgatory. However, it made no sense to fire the head coach who came within 2 games of making it to the NBA Finals. Smith believes this firing masks Rose’s mistakes.

Stephen A. Smith believes Leon Rose is also at fault for Knicks’ problems

Stephen A. Smith acknowledges that the New York Knicks have done a stellar job reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. However, he has seen the team struggle to field good players, which may be why Tom Thibodeau did not field them.

There are moves that could have been made that could have better positioned the New York Knicks to be in a championship situation. It hasn’t happened. I want to see Leon Rose stand before a camera and justify firing a man that just took you to within 2 games of a berth to the NBA Finals, right after you traded 5 picks for a guy that never made it to the All-Star.

Stephen A. Smith said

The First Take host does not have a problem with Mikal Bridges, however, the price was too steep. Sending away 5 1st-round picks, 4 of which are unprotected, was too much for a 3rd option at best. That is way too much, especially considering how Rob Pelinka gave up just 1 for Luka Doncic, who made it to 5 straight All-NBA 1st teams.

Smith believes those assets could have been used not only to reinforce the team with better rotational players. But they could have helped the Knicks continue to be competitive over the next few years. Now, an incoming head coach will have to work with what he has at hand.

Bill Simmons understands why Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau

Whoever becomes the next head coach of the New York Knicks will need to work with the idea that the Eastern Conference Finals is no longer the goal. The franchise wants to win an NBA title, and as per Bill Simmons, taking that next step is what led the team to let Tom Thibodeau go.

The next New York Knicks head coach will need to work with the existing players
The next New York Knicks head coach will need to work with the existing players (Image via NBA Spain/X)

This is an admission that they actually weren’t as close to winning the title as maybe you think you were as one of the final 4 teams left. There’s previous examples of this… the 2003 Pistons, who moved on from Rick Carlisle, they hired Larry Brown.

Bill Simmons said on The Ringer

Simmons might have a point here, as the Detroit Pistons immediately won the NBA title the following season and went back to defend it in the 2005 Finals. Larry Brown helped elevate a team that had similar problems to what the New York Knicks faced this season.

Simmons recalled that William Wesley saw firsthand how the situation panned out at the Detroit Pistons. Considering his role as Executive Vice President – Senior Basketball Advisor for the Knicks, and his close relationship with President Leon Rose, it is possible that he saw the team needed to go the Pistons route.

Also Read: