The Knicks front office and upper management have come under scrutiny ever since they fired Tom Thibodeau despite their Eastern Conference Finals run. And their latest actions have only fueled the fire among fans that the front office does not know what they are doing. The Knicks reportedly contacted five teams within hours to request their permission and try to poach their head coaches away. All five teams reportedly strongly refused.
This move brought the front office under scrutiny even more, as the NBA world now felt that the Knicks decided to fire Tom Thibodeau without planning on who to hire as a replacement, thus showing incompetence on their part. To further rub salt on their wounds, arguably the most hated man in New York, Trae Young, went on social media after the Knicks failed to get permission to talk to Quinn Snyder as a potential replacement for Thibodeau.
“Hell nahh,” wrote Trae Young as he reacted with a laughing emoji to Shams Charania’s X post claiming the Knicks wanted to approach Snyder. The Knicks went 0-5 in their search after seeking permission to contact Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka, Chris Finch, Quinn Snyder, and Billy Donovan.
Hell nahh🤣
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) June 12, 2025
Young’s enmity with the Knicks and their fanbase goes back to the 2021 Playoffs, where he embraced the “villain” role to send the Knicks packing in five games of the first round. Young averaged 29.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 5 games versus the Knicks in the 2021 Eastern Conference First Round. Seeing him enjoy the Knicks’ misery will certainly poke Knicks fans even more.
Charles Barkley Calls Knicks Stupid For Firing Tom Thibodeau
The news of the Knicks reaching out to these five teams (Mavericks, Rockets, Timberwolves, Hawks, and Bulls) to seek their permission came out hours before the NBA Finals Game 3. Therefore, before Game 3 began, Charles Barkley addressed the Knicks’ decision to part ways with Tom Thibodeau.
“The Knicks gotta be the stupidest damn people in the world,” Barkley said on NBA TV. “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 had 17 wins and 21 wins in two seasons before they hired Tom Thibodeau in July 2020, who converted this team into a consistent Playoff contender. They were above .500 in four of the five seasons he coached them. He won the NBA Coach of the Year award in his very first season with the Knicks.
He coached the team to their first Eastern Conference Final in 25 years, yet it wasn’t enough to keep his job secure with the Knicks. Who will finally replace Tom Thibodeau? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
