This month, the New York Knicks shocked the NBA world after they fired head coach Tom Thibodeau when he led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals.
No one expected the Knicks to even defeat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but it wasn’t enough to save Thibodeau’s job. To make matters worse, it looks like the Knicks had no backup plan.
Throughout the week, the Knicks have attempted to speak with the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks about hiring their head coaches, but they were promptly denied by every single team.
Knicks interview requests:
Hawks — Denied
Wolves — Denied
Mavs — Denied
Rockets — Denied0-4. pic.twitter.com/TKvRA2yOM1
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 11, 2025
While NBA fans have all laughed at the Knicks’ expense, Charles Barkley decided to eviscerate the organization on Wednesday night.
“The Knicks gotta be the stupidest damn people in the world,” Barkley said. “You don’t fire no good coach like that and don’t have a plan. I mean, Thibs did a hell of a job, obviously something’s going on there. … You’ve gotta have a plan, man. … I don’t know what the hell they’re going to do.”
“The Knicks gotta be the stupidest damn people in the world.”
— Charles Barkley. 🤣
(h/t @ClutchPoints)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 12, 2025
It’s hard to understand why the New York Knicks fired Thibodeau, especially when he was still on the good side of his superstar players like Jalen Brunson. However, for one reason or another, it looks as if he rubbed members of the Knicks organization the wrong way.
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