Getty Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks reacts during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets.
Tom Thibodeau has been the most successful New York Knicks coach over the last two decades, guiding them to two playoff appearances and one series win in his first three seasons following a seven-year drought.
But even such success in the championship-starved “Mecca of Basketball” is not enough for ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith to ask the Knicks to replace Thibodeau for a younger but championship-savvy coach, especially if they can trade for former No.1 pick Zion Williamson, who is rumored to be available.
“I believe this should be Tom Thibodeau’s last year in New York,” Smith said on the June 16 episode of ESPN’s First Take. “I’m not saying he’s not a great coach. Okay, I’m not saying he can’t coach. I’m not saying he did anything wrong, even though some would argue he’s no Erik Spoelstra, he’s no Steve Kerr, and he’s no Ty Lue. He’s [expletive] ain’t even Dravin Ham right now, who makes adjustments, okay?”
“You know, he gets married to what he sees in the film room. But if something like [Williamson trade] happens, I would tell you I would look for the next — this should be Tom Thibodeau’s last season. Thank him, let him go somewhere else… and you get Ty Lue from the Los Angeles [Clippers].”
No Extension for Ty Lue
A few hours after Smith’s cry for a coaching change in New York, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report broke out that Lue and the Clippers “are unlikely to agree to an extension this offseason.”
Lue, 46, could become the most prominent free-agent coach after next season. He has two years left on his deal, with the final year a team option.
On the other hand, Thibodeau, 65, is entering the fourth season of a five-year deal with the Knicks.
“I think Ty Lue should want out of [the Clippers]. And I think he should want to coach where players are gonna be available to play,” Stephen A. Smith added on the June 16 episode of ESPN’s First Take. “And to me, if I’m the New York Knicks, as much as I respect Tom Thibodeau, and I’m not calling for his firing as much as I’m calling from moving away and let him start to do his time and then go somewhere else to coach because he should be a head coach in this league, it’s not about Tom Thibodeau.”
“I think Ty Lue is one of the great coaches — a top two coach in the NBA right now. And if the New York Knickerbockers are looking into the future, I think a coach that I believe is better than Tom Thibodeau, that’s 19 years younger, is somebody they should pursue.”
Ty Lue’s Championship Pedigree
As a rookie coach in 2016, Lue guided the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, to the greatest NBA Finals comeback in history, disrupting the Golden State Warriors dynasty. It was Cleveland’s and Lue’s first and only NBA championship so far.
The following season, Lue coached the Cavaliers to a 12-1 postseason mark before losing to the Warriors in five games in the finals rematch.
Known for his in-game adjustments, Lue succeeded Doc Rivers as the Clippers coach after blowing a 3-1 series lead in the Orlando Bubble to the Denver Nuggets.
Lue immediately guided the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games with Kawhi Leonard out with an injury.
Leonard and Paul George‘s injuries again hampered their campaign this past season, ending in a first-round loss.
In May, former Sports Illustrated’s NBA writer Howard Beck reported about the rumblings that Lue “might be getting impatient with the situation there [with Clippers].”
“It’s been wearing on him that he never has his stars available,” Beck said on the Locked on NBA podcast.
