Tom Thibodeau signed a five-year contract to serve as head coach of the New York Knicks in the summer of 2020. Thibodeau has been mostly successful through three and a half years. Still, there is a vocal minority amongst Knicks fans who fault Thibs for overplaying stars and causing injuries, with many of those fans clamoring for new locker room leadership. Despite his flaws, the Knicks need to offer Thibodeau a contract extension this offseason.
This season represents Thibodeau’s fourth as coach of the Knicks. New York has accumulated a 125-111 record through three complete seasons under Thibodeau’s leadership, and they are 36-26 entering play on Friday in 2023-24. In total, they have won 54% of their games with Thibs as their coach.
Thibodeau has one year remaining on his deal after this season. Locking him up with an extension after this season would be smart.
The 65-year-old coach has led the Knicks to the playoffs in two of his three complete seasons — and another trip looks imminent this year. Assuming that’s the case, that is three playoff appearances in four seasons for a team that made the playoffs only four times in the previous 16 years.
Thibodeau’s success has led to unprecedented consistency. Thibodeau is in his fourth consecutive season coaching the Knicks. Comparatively, New York went through 12 coaches in the previous 18 seasons.
Benefits of extending Tom Thibodeau
Beyond the obvious one (rewarding Thibs for a job well done), the continuity offered by extending Tom Thibodeau is the biggest benefit. Current Knicks seem to love playing for the Connecticut native. Julius Randle echoed that sentiment in October in speaking with the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
“[Thibodeau] has been extremely important, for the culture, holding each other accountable, all that different type of stuff. He’s extremely important,” Randle said. “What he does day in and day out to prepare not only himself but to prepare our team, it’s vital. I think we take a lot from it. We know going into a game we’re going to be prepared.”
But extending Thibs is about more than appeasing the existing roster. Understanding who a coach is and seeing how much his team supports him is paramount in attracting stars, too. The Knicks are widely expected to go big-game hunting this offseason, hoping to add a superstar by way of trade. Extending your coach insinuates that systems and players will remain in place, which is a draw to free agents.
Arguments against a Thibs contract extension
The loudest argument against an extension has to do with collecting as much information on Thibodeau as possible. Making a fully informed decision with the complete results is preferable to folks arguing against an extension because they might want the option of pivoting while the roster’s core is young enough to reap the benefits of doing so.
Some anti-Thibodeau folks simply prefer a new voice. Some fans believe that Thibs has done all he can, and that the team would benefit from a new coach with a different style. This is a great example of perfection impeding progress. Because Thibs hasn’t turned the Knicks into a championship team in Year 4, he should be replaced. That is categorically false.
There are plenty of detractors to a Thibodeau extension who don’t necessarily want to replace him immediately. Many believe that rewarding a coach for one playoff series win is too much, too soon. So, this group would prefer to hold off on an extension, for now.
The thing is, the NBA is not played in a vacuum. Thibodeau successfully spearheaded a culture shift in New York, eradicating much of the dysfunction that surrounded the team for what felt like forever.
Furthermore, Thibs has willingly adapted right before our eyes. He’s playing younger players — something he was unwilling to do in the past. And he has made the leap from defensive specialist to offensive guru, as he led the third-best offensive last season in terms of offensive rating.
The Knicks have a lot to be sour about at present. They could take issue with how they’ve been officiated for much of this season. They could also complain about the number of games that injuries have cost them. But coaching has not been a problem this season. And if we’re being honest, it hasn’t been for the entire time Thibodeau has been in New York.
So, extending a guy who wants to be here, gives the team his all, and understands how to manage stars in the modern NBA seems like a no-brainer. The Knicks should get this done as soon as possible. If they don’t, it opens the door for someone else to convince him to accept a position elsewhere.
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