Gary Payton spoke about his thoughts on the recent firing of Tom Thibodeau from the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau in a shocking move this week. After taking the team to their first Eastern Conference Finals this century, Thibodeau was wished the best in his future endeavors.
Many criticized the Knicks for their statement on the matter. The firing of a respected head coach was bound to bring up these concerns.
Some went even further, with Stephen A. Smith demanding action against the Knicks. But the decision has been made, and the Knicks surely had their reasons.
I had the chance to ask Gary Payton what he felt about the firing of Thibodeau, and his answer on the matter was truly insightful.
At the BudXNBA House press conference in Mumbai, I asked Gary Payton about the New York Knicks firing Tom Thibodeau.
The former NBA champion said he was surprised by the decision and suspected Knicks owner James Dolan played a part. He also pointed to the firings of Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins as he made his point.
“That’s a great question. I was surprised at that. This is a business. When the owner goes into his office and says, ‘Can we go any further than where we are?’. The New York Knicks did a lot this offseason to acquire a lot of players to get to that level.”
“I think he [Dolan] wants to win now. With Thibodeau, I don’t think it was fair. I didn’t think the firing of [Michael] Malone in Denver was fair, I didn’t think the firing of the Memphis coach [was fair either].”
“Both teams were very high in the conference at the time they got fired. But it’s a business. I think that the ownership and the personnel there – the higher-ups on the Knicks – didn’t think they’d get any further, and they needed a different approach. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“I don’t blame coaches. I blame players. Because we get players in situations and put them there. Then they have to perform. Should they put them in the right position to succeed? Yes.”
Payton further explained why he feels Thibodeau didn’t make any mistake with the minutes he played the Knicks. As for the next coach, the Glove wished to reserve judgment till he sees how the Knicks play.
“A lot of people said he did the wrong thing of playing players too much. Okay. But what are you trying to do? You’re trying to win. And I think he felt that the team should win. I would have did the same thing… I just call timeouts and give them rest.”
“As you go forward, the Knicks won’t have any problems. Whoever they get, they’re gonna get a coach that’s going to be able to relate to Brunson, to Bridges, and all the guys. They have to.”
“But I think you have to get these players to play for you. Now, is it the right players there to get to the top? We don’t know. They made a decision to blame it on the coach, so they blamed it on him. You gotta see if they bring in a new coach and how that works.”
“I believe in the players having to come and perform. Let them perform. I don’t know if a good coach is going to bring a different culture in there. Let’s see. But they’re going to have to make changes again and see what it’s going to take.”
“Last year, I did think they were supposed to beat Indiana. Indiana was just a better basketball team. It’s a business. They did what they thought was better for their New York Knickerbockers. We’ll see what happens.”
The New York Knicks reportedly have four candidates lined up to be their next head coach. Whoever comes in to replace Thibodeau faces a tall order trying to top what he did with the Knicks.
