Magic Johnson sent a massive warning to stars like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns after the Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau. This was the message from the Los Angeles Lakers legend during a special appearance on ESPN’s Get Up.
“The players wanted him gone. There’s a lot of pressure on them next season because now, if you fire the coach, and this is what you wanted, now you gotta step up. I’ve been in this situation back in the Lakers. I wanted a coach gone. Right? Paul Westhead. And it all fell on me. If I wanted him gone, now I gotta step up and we gotta win the championship. That same year that we fired Westhead, we went on and won the championship. So, all the excuses are gone now. Next season Brunson, if Karl-Anthony Towns comes back, all you guys, the pressure is on them.”
Right now, the New York Knicks are the most controversial topic in the NBA, as it seems they had no backup plan after letting go of Thibodeau. As a result, fans and experts alike can’t understand how they could fire the man who led them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in over two decades.
Why did the Knicks fire head coach Tom Thibodeau?
The Knicks likely fired Tom Thibodeau because team ownership believed that the roster they had should have reached the NBA Finals. New York was favored over the Indiana Pacers and had home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Undoubtedly, Thibodeau’s lack of success in the playoffs overshadowed his strong work during the regular season for many years, and the Knicks, in a miscalculation, believed they could easily find a star replacement on the market.
However, several teams have slammed the door in their face to prevent them from interviewing potential candidates like Jason Kidd or Chris Finch. Now, it seems the Knicks have run out of options and may not find anything better than what they had with Thibs.