Lack Of Success Puts Knicks' Tom Thibodeau On Hot Seat

Given the New York Knicks inconsistent start to the 2022-23 season, head coach Tom Thibodeau’s job security is beginning to be questioned.

Consistency is a word that has not resonated with the New York Knicks overall the last several years. Other than their playoff appearance in 2021, the Knicks have struggled to remain relevant in the Eastern Conference and so far this season, not much has changed.

The addition of Jalen Brunson has very clearly helped this team on the offensive side of things and the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein has helped the Knicks become one of the league’s better rebounding teams, but they still have some major problems to fix.

This team has gone very dormant at times offensively and on the defensive-end of the floor, the Knicks look like the worst they have been under head coach Tom Thibodeau.

New York expects excellence from their sports franchises and right now, it is really hard to claim that the Knicks have what it takes to make it back to the playoffs and be a threatening team in the Eastern Conference, a conference that is loaded with talent this year.

So where do the Knicks go from here after a lackluster 6-7 start to the new season that definitely features some quality wins, but also some cringe-worthy losses?

The Knicks just lost 145-135 on Sunday afternoon to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a loss that has not sat well with fans of the team. From the very top row of the arena, fans let the Knicks hear it after this loss and now, it appears as if Thibodeau’s long-term job security with the team could be in question.

Thibodeau is now in his third season with New York and while he has helped change the culture that once surrounded this franchise, the NBA is all about improving and getting better. This is something the Knicks really have not done since his first season on the sideline.

It does not appear as if the Knicks are eagerly looking to make a change at the head coaching position right now, but losses like the one suffered at home to the Thunder on Sunday definitely create a cause for concern within this organization and many will be quick to point the finger towards Tom Thibodeau if consistency continues to be an issue for this team.

This loss to the Thunder recently was not a good look for the Knicks for various reasons and according to SNY’s Ian Begley, losses like this one will lead to questions being asked within this organization, specifically in regards to Tom Thibodeau being on the hot seat.

.@IanBegley tells @emacSNY that Tom Thibodeau's seat is "warm":

"If you have another few of those games on this trip where the Knicks just look terrible, I think there's going to be a big change made, whether it's Thibodeau or something else" https://t.co/9VKFOyvi2Y

➡️ @HONDA pic.twitter.com/j0pgwQHafJ

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 14, 2022

Begley states that the upcoming road trip the Knicks will head on this week will be very important and depending on how the team performs, there could be a massive change on the horizon whether that deals with Thibodeau or something else.

The Knicks will play two games back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday this week against the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, respectively, followed by the Golden State Warriors on Friday and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

Utah, Denver and Phoenix are all amongst the league’s best in terms of record right now and Golden State are one of the best teams in the league at home, plus they are defending NBA champions.

Things are not going to be getting any easier for the Knicks and if their struggles pursue, the team could very much look to move on from Tom Thibodeau before the start of 2023. 

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