According to Google, Trae Young has won 7 of 25 vs the Knicks. Reggie Miller won 7 of 34 at MSG. Amazing how these self-proclaimed 'kings of NY' didn't do much winning in NY (granted their rare wins were dramatic).
On one of the McCullers 3s in transition (the ATB one where he has like five seconds to set his feet and check his grip) there are two players still in the backcourt. One is Mitchell Robinson who is huge and is responsible for grabbing rebounds.
The other is Trae Young slowly jogging back. If Young runs back he's able to contest the 3 or at least prevent McCuller from slowly rotating the ball to get his grip just so.
I get he's still just getting back. And I get there's nothing he can do about his size. But you CAN run back. The nominal best player on the team can't be seen on replay clips slowly jogging back while a 12th man gets to shoot like he's in the half time contest.
After Young killed us in that playoff series, and then went all the way to the conference finals, unlike a lot of fellow Knicks fans, I had a lot of respect for the guy. But wow, has he faded.
I skeeted about this very thing in response to the great “China” Joe Flynn yesterday. Brown doesn’t coach scared, and, wouldn’t ya know it, when the neophytes get in the game, they don’t *play* scared.
I convinced myself in previous years that Thibs’ distrust of certain young players forced those guys to hold themselves to a higher standard, which was key to them maximizing their potential. And I still do think that’s true, as several young players under Thibs have become far greater players than anyone imagined they would be.
But what’s happening here is something different. The culture of trust and confidence and self actualization that seems to have permeated the team is inspiring. I hope there’s not too much of a downside. Speaking of Downside, I would be way more inspired if this team could hold somebody under 120. But still.
By the way, I don’t think OG’s endgame is getting enough attention. Offensive rebound down 1, gets fouled, hits both to put us up one, steals the ball, gets fouled, hits both, then grabs the final defensive board. Doesn’t get as much attention as a Brunson game winner, but a game winning sequence for sure.
I’m enjoying the Brown tenure. However being a true believer in Thibs, I want to pose a different scenario. Thib’s was able to be successful, with the whole League and for that matter the whole universe knowing exactly what he was doing. I would wait giving Mike Brown Flowers until the League has a chance to make adjustments. I would also wait until the end of the season to attempt burying Thib’s successful record. Bench players being successful, because no one in the league has seen them before, is so much like the league not being ready for the changes present Knicks have shown. Thib’s record was obtained by a constant change in core players and a pretty non talented or inexperienced bench. I’m rooting for the Team and Brown’s success. But, faint praise for Tom Thibodeau really irks me.
You should read Joseph's comment above! It says all you need to know about the disparity of strong feelings Thibs engendered within the fan base that both his and your comment could be in response to the same newsletter.
Fair enough on the praise for Brown. If, all things being equal, we have little success in the postseason… that will certainly have to be taken into account.
But I don’t think you’re portraying Thibs’ critics accurately. You can of course find any view you want, but the legit criticism (i.e. the kind worth responding to) doesn’t begrudge him his success or claim he isn’t worthy of praise, it laments lost opportunity—something that neither time nor the the record of his successor nor anything else will do much to change. I respect the man and am grateful for the success he brought to a joke of a franchise, but when he played average veterans over young prospects when the Knicks were out of contention, when he rode Elfrid Payton till it was too late, when he clearly yanked young players for any mistake (while letting Randle whine and pout ostentatiously), and so many other things… it hurt. It hurt knowing that there were other choices available to him that he steadfastly refused to make.
In other words I accept that the very stubbornness that led to his confounding decisions also enabled him to lift the Knicks. But accepting that doesn’t mean he’s above criticism. He and those who either choose to defend him or criticize him (or both in my case) have to live with the complexity and legacy of all of it.
But at the end of the day we will all do well to remember that these big feelings… they come from a mutual love for the Knicks and our fervent desire for them to win!
I can only say, a coach’s decision is based on more expertise than I have. Thibs had to make decisions in real time to win games. In hindsight even people with no expertise think they could have done better or know more.
Thibs was fond of saying: "The game tells you what to do." However, for the rookies, you need to be in the game to learn what to do. Brown seems to understand that point as well as the fact that veterans need rest.
I love that he started Diawara. I had to watch the Hawks broadcast on league pass. The announcers (who are homers but are still better than ESPN and Prime) periodically confused Diawara with OG on defense. Just think about that. Potentially having another OG size big wing that can defend could be an absolute game changer for our chances of making the finals. McCullar was nice on offense but the lead started to dissipate after the non-goal-tending call when Brown took out Diawara and Jalen Johnson started cooking us.
When you think about Cade and the Pistons in front of us and Tatum potentially coming back for the Celtics, continuing to invest in Diawara minutes is maybe the most important thing we can do while Hart is out.
So often Macri, you voice or write the very thoughts I’m having. I never imagined I’d love Mike Brown as much I do. Thibs was a necessary step in our journey to get us from the disorder and disarray that we were to a stable organization with a defined process and emphasis on winning habits. Much like in business, the leader that gets your startup from a handful of employers to a legit business is not the same leader that grows your business to the point of acquisition (the finish line for many). Same applies here. The only departure I have from your verbiage is I believe Mike Brown cares as deeply as Thibs, it’s just a more nuanced kind of caring. As you noted, Brown cares about understanding what he has in every tool in his toolbox over the outcome of a regular season win or a loss. What I find most remarkable about Brown is his humility and self awareness that initially he knew nothing and is learning too. He’s logically and gradually getting a feel for his guys’ strengths and weaknesses both physically and mentally and is masterfully pressing all to truly get the most out of every single player. I’ve said it before…you don’t win two very recent COY awards without being a great leader. The FO once again should get credit for the perfect hire at the perfect moment.
What's impressed me the most this season is we are ahead of last year's win pace despite having key guys in and out of the lineup. OG missed three weeks with a hamstring. Deuce has missed a ton of time. Shamet's been out a month (remember when it was "where would this team be without Landry Shamet?"). Now Hart is missing time. And we keep finding ways to win. It's almost New Year's and we're still at single-digit losses. When was the last time that happened?
It's a testament to the whole organization. The coaching staff has done a phenomenal job developing the kids. Kolek, Diawara, and McCullar becoming something is game changing. Even if all of them aren't in the regular rotation when everyone is healthy, knowing you can count on them to step in when needed is huge. The moment hasn't been too big for them.
Please, no Requiem for Thibs is either required or appropriate here ever again. There is a difference between a disciplined coach who adheres to his principles as you present him to be, and an inflexible thinker, unwilling or unable to adapt to the situation at hand, even when change is obviously called for. Thibs' intransigence was exasperating to many, and ironically fatal to his ultimate goals of winning it all. The aphorism which describes him best is "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." He has only one place to look for answers as to why it ended the way it did -- the mirror. I hope he enjoys his Winnebago tour of the Land of Coaches, and that he de-camps outside the TD "Garden" and gazes at his "Coach of the Year" trophies while devising strategies to help Crazy Joe Mazzulla defend Brunson (while still on the MSG payroll) as the Celtics pursue their delusional pipe dream of getting the narcissistic Tatum back to fuel their laughable Holy Grail of a another Title run. Finally, I would hope that those "experts" who mocked the "Minutes Police" can finally recognize their short-sightedness and ignorance in the face of clear evidence. Nobody knows how this all will end, but I am confident that no Knick will wilt on the court from sheer exhaustion this year.
You're ignoring an awful lot of winning there, Joseph. A little humility might be in order.
As an aside, I find it very interesting to continue to compare these two men. I understand you, like man, want to never see that words "Tom Thibodeau" in print ever again, and that is your right. Just know that it won't be the last time you do, not in this space at least.
God knows if they ever win a title, you'll be getting a big old newsletter on Thibs thanking him for laying the groundwork for the eventual success. He deserves at least that much, and I genuinely pity anyone who strongly disagrees with that statement.
Lastly, I made sure to couch everything I wrote today with "I" statements. These are MY beliefs about the last head coach. If there's something I wrote that resembles a bold claim you think is silly, please, feel free to point it out.
You don’t know Thibodeau, if you think he would sit home looking in the mirror. This man has made his life work teaching and learning. He never sat home licking his wounds. It’s no wonder it took the Knicks so long to find his replacement. It is hard to follow success. I will not say Mike Brown is up to the task, he has to prove it and the bar is high. Thibs wasn’t stagnant as you propose. He picked the finest minds in basketball. He has many connections that don’t include the Knicks. I think the man deserves respect for his winning and yes development of players.
The only thing I lost is respect for your intellectual honesty with yourself. Thibs failed when it counted most. Res Ispa Loquitor. Keep waving that flag and good luck to you. I am very disappointed in you, just so you know. It is okay to disagree but it is not okay to be disagreeable. It is only a game.
I'd feel better if you owned up to losing an argument that you started. There nothing worse that someone who has lost, knows they lost, and is too small to acknowledge it. Seems like the sort of thing you'd accuse Thibs of.
Not personal, just telling it like it is. As I said, feel free to keep his blessed memory alive if that is what you want to do. I thoroughly enjoy the content at KFS and appreciate your efforts to enlighten. I am just calling balls and strikes as to my perception and I think in this case (in fairness) you have consistently and wildly overstated Thibs’ contribution to this team, and I am calling you out for it as I have grown fatigued reading about it. I think it is mostly a function of the Knicks dark ages before he arrived. Thibs added a needed measure of professionalism and attention to detail that was previously lacking. That is his legacy. The Knicks have moved on, can we all do the same? Or is constructive criticism verboten here?
I love constructive criticism. For you to declare as fact that I have wildly overstated Thibs' contribution to the team is as silly as you declaring as fact that he was some sort of bum on the sidelines who significantly held them back. But that's besides the point. If I continued to sing Thibs' praises postmortem, that would be one thing. This newsletter was quite literally the opposite of that, in which I stated, in no uncertain terms, how qualities that I respected about him *needed* to change for the betterment of the team. As an additional aside, I think this is 2nd, maybe 3rd time I've brought him into the newsletter in a prominent way in the 6 months since he's been fired. Are those 2-3 times enough to fatigue you, as you say? I guess so.
Again, it seems *painfully* clear to me that the one who hasn't moved on from Thibs is you, because that's the only reasonable explanation for this level of response to a newsletter that mentioned Thibodeau ***purely to contrast him with the current guy who I stated unequivocally is doing a better job***
I'm fine with comments. I'm fine with criticism. I'm even fine with baseless rants that I don't agree with in the slightest. But I do get a little twisted when accused not only of writing on a topic that wholly irrelevant (which this isn't) too often (which I haven't) and doing so in a way that isn't fair and impartial (which this was, and when it wasn't, I very clearly stated as such).
Sorry, but I am just tired of this trite narrative about his myriad accomplishments in the face of my belief that he wasted a golden opportunity last year due primarily to his narrow-mindedness. He was out-coached and failed with a more talented team in the ECF. He was fired for cause. All I am saying to you is that it that is enough already. Let’s move on. The Thibs Era is over. You might as well be talking about Stu Jackson’s attributes at this point. It is ancient history.
the accomplishments are the accomplishments - the wins, the playoff series victories, the player improvements under his watch, taking the organization from a joke to respectability. The narratives (he was shafted, the bad stuff wasn't his fault, KAT torpedoed his tenure, etc) are out there, but I don't peddle those nor do I endorse them. There's a reason my stance the day he was fired was "good move, now go find the right guy." Is it fair to say he underachieved last season? Absolutely! But that's what makes the comparison to Brown to interesting to me.
What I'm really struggling with is why you're taking a newsletter in which I shared my personal feelings about the last coach (in which, by the way, I never outwardly praised him; only shared my personal reasons for respecting him) as some sort of gospel. It seems to me that you're so dug into your stance about Thibs that the mere implication that he was anything other than a terrible coach gets you twisted in knots, to which I say a) that's fairly immature and b) what do you know that every major NBA media person doesn't? The people who cover this sport universally agree that while he wasn't perfect, Tom Thibodeau was a good coach. Are you wiser than them? I wish I had such confidence!
You'll continue to read about Thibs in this space when I feel its appropriate, and if that's an issue for you, well I guess I've lost myself a subscriber. He's an indelible part of narrative of the current team, just like RJ, IQ, Julius, and everyone else who has helped them get to this point.
And hey, the whole point of the newsletter was to PRAISE Brown for being DIFFERENT from Thibs! I'm siding with you my guy! Take a chill pill and ease up. Tom can't hurt you anymore, wherever he is, although I doubt its where you think.
Couldn’t agree more. Thibs was outcoached in every playoff series he was in except the five game victory over the Cavs. He played Elfrid Payton for a whole season. Thibs was awful. Brown has been terrific but he’s not really reinventing the wheel. Look around the league. Everyone is playing UDFAs, low draft picks and two ways. It’s just the way it should be. Thibs was never the best coach on any floor and never gave them their best chance to win.
According to Google, Trae Young has won 7 of 25 vs the Knicks. Reggie Miller won 7 of 34 at MSG. Amazing how these self-proclaimed 'kings of NY' didn't do much winning in NY (granted their rare wins were dramatic).
On one of the McCullers 3s in transition (the ATB one where he has like five seconds to set his feet and check his grip) there are two players still in the backcourt. One is Mitchell Robinson who is huge and is responsible for grabbing rebounds.
The other is Trae Young slowly jogging back. If Young runs back he's able to contest the 3 or at least prevent McCuller from slowly rotating the ball to get his grip just so.
I get he's still just getting back. And I get there's nothing he can do about his size. But you CAN run back. The nominal best player on the team can't be seen on replay clips slowly jogging back while a 12th man gets to shoot like he's in the half time contest.
It's unacceptable.
no team with him as their best player will ever win big. I'll be kind and say the jury is out on what a team might do if he's their No. 2
After Young killed us in that playoff series, and then went all the way to the conference finals, unlike a lot of fellow Knicks fans, I had a lot of respect for the guy. But wow, has he faded.
He’s very talented. Eff Trae Young.
I skeeted about this very thing in response to the great “China” Joe Flynn yesterday. Brown doesn’t coach scared, and, wouldn’t ya know it, when the neophytes get in the game, they don’t *play* scared.
I convinced myself in previous years that Thibs’ distrust of certain young players forced those guys to hold themselves to a higher standard, which was key to them maximizing their potential. And I still do think that’s true, as several young players under Thibs have become far greater players than anyone imagined they would be.
But what’s happening here is something different. The culture of trust and confidence and self actualization that seems to have permeated the team is inspiring. I hope there’s not too much of a downside. Speaking of Downside, I would be way more inspired if this team could hold somebody under 120. But still.
By the way, I don’t think OG’s endgame is getting enough attention. Offensive rebound down 1, gets fouled, hits both to put us up one, steals the ball, gets fouled, hits both, then grabs the final defensive board. Doesn’t get as much attention as a Brunson game winner, but a game winning sequence for sure.
I think the takeaway here is that there's different ways to skin a cat, but that change after 1 way of doing things for so long is often welcome.
S/O China Joe that's a blast from the past
The great China Joe!
I’m enjoying the Brown tenure. However being a true believer in Thibs, I want to pose a different scenario. Thib’s was able to be successful, with the whole League and for that matter the whole universe knowing exactly what he was doing. I would wait giving Mike Brown Flowers until the League has a chance to make adjustments. I would also wait until the end of the season to attempt burying Thib’s successful record. Bench players being successful, because no one in the league has seen them before, is so much like the league not being ready for the changes present Knicks have shown. Thib’s record was obtained by a constant change in core players and a pretty non talented or inexperienced bench. I’m rooting for the Team and Brown’s success. But, faint praise for Tom Thibodeau really irks me.
You should read Joseph's comment above! It says all you need to know about the disparity of strong feelings Thibs engendered within the fan base that both his and your comment could be in response to the same newsletter.
So true.
Fair enough on the praise for Brown. If, all things being equal, we have little success in the postseason… that will certainly have to be taken into account.
But I don’t think you’re portraying Thibs’ critics accurately. You can of course find any view you want, but the legit criticism (i.e. the kind worth responding to) doesn’t begrudge him his success or claim he isn’t worthy of praise, it laments lost opportunity—something that neither time nor the the record of his successor nor anything else will do much to change. I respect the man and am grateful for the success he brought to a joke of a franchise, but when he played average veterans over young prospects when the Knicks were out of contention, when he rode Elfrid Payton till it was too late, when he clearly yanked young players for any mistake (while letting Randle whine and pout ostentatiously), and so many other things… it hurt. It hurt knowing that there were other choices available to him that he steadfastly refused to make.
In other words I accept that the very stubbornness that led to his confounding decisions also enabled him to lift the Knicks. But accepting that doesn’t mean he’s above criticism. He and those who either choose to defend him or criticize him (or both in my case) have to live with the complexity and legacy of all of it.
But at the end of the day we will all do well to remember that these big feelings… they come from a mutual love for the Knicks and our fervent desire for them to win!
I can only say, a coach’s decision is based on more expertise than I have. Thibs had to make decisions in real time to win games. In hindsight even people with no expertise think they could have done better or know more.
And was anyone making that claim your response would be reasonable.
The other part of playing a deeper rotation is it really matters from a team building perspective.
A. Do we still really need a backup PG with Kolek’s rise? I’d say no.
B. All of a sudden the baby Knicks may have some trade value around the league. 29 teams have gotten real looks at Diawara, Huk, Kolek, and McCuller.
These can only help us long-term. Really hard to find things to be upset about 30 games in.
"Maybe that's the secret to making the most of a precious opportunity: Don't treat it precious at all."
Damn Macri, that quote goes hard! Didn't realize you were a philosophizer.
Why thank you! I'll have to add that to my LinkedIn page.
So this is journalistic load management ? Very today’s NBA Jonathan ;)
;)
Looks like we need to load manage Macri like Mitch if we're gonna get these bangers
Who shoots better FTs?
Thibs was fond of saying: "The game tells you what to do." However, for the rookies, you need to be in the game to learn what to do. Brown seems to understand that point as well as the fact that veterans need rest.
I love that he started Diawara. I had to watch the Hawks broadcast on league pass. The announcers (who are homers but are still better than ESPN and Prime) periodically confused Diawara with OG on defense. Just think about that. Potentially having another OG size big wing that can defend could be an absolute game changer for our chances of making the finals. McCullar was nice on offense but the lead started to dissipate after the non-goal-tending call when Brown took out Diawara and Jalen Johnson started cooking us.
When you think about Cade and the Pistons in front of us and Tatum potentially coming back for the Celtics, continuing to invest in Diawara minutes is maybe the most important thing we can do while Hart is out.
good point on investing in Mo to handle what might be coming down the pike
So often Macri, you voice or write the very thoughts I’m having. I never imagined I’d love Mike Brown as much I do. Thibs was a necessary step in our journey to get us from the disorder and disarray that we were to a stable organization with a defined process and emphasis on winning habits. Much like in business, the leader that gets your startup from a handful of employers to a legit business is not the same leader that grows your business to the point of acquisition (the finish line for many). Same applies here. The only departure I have from your verbiage is I believe Mike Brown cares as deeply as Thibs, it’s just a more nuanced kind of caring. As you noted, Brown cares about understanding what he has in every tool in his toolbox over the outcome of a regular season win or a loss. What I find most remarkable about Brown is his humility and self awareness that initially he knew nothing and is learning too. He’s logically and gradually getting a feel for his guys’ strengths and weaknesses both physically and mentally and is masterfully pressing all to truly get the most out of every single player. I’ve said it before…you don’t win two very recent COY awards without being a great leader. The FO once again should get credit for the perfect hire at the perfect moment.
Oh I think you can argue he cares more in that he cares about the players in a way I'm not sure Thibs could.
💯
What's impressed me the most this season is we are ahead of last year's win pace despite having key guys in and out of the lineup. OG missed three weeks with a hamstring. Deuce has missed a ton of time. Shamet's been out a month (remember when it was "where would this team be without Landry Shamet?"). Now Hart is missing time. And we keep finding ways to win. It's almost New Year's and we're still at single-digit losses. When was the last time that happened?
It's a testament to the whole organization. The coaching staff has done a phenomenal job developing the kids. Kolek, Diawara, and McCullar becoming something is game changing. Even if all of them aren't in the regular rotation when everyone is healthy, knowing you can count on them to step in when needed is huge. The moment hasn't been too big for them.
The best part il of this comment is you forgot to mention that Brunson was also out for several games.
The dog that didn't bark. He went deep into the bench, right past Yabba. Why has there been no commentary on Yabba now being the 15th man?
Out of respect for the dead. (And I like Yabu).
I take that back. He’s doing some good tonight.
Please, no Requiem for Thibs is either required or appropriate here ever again. There is a difference between a disciplined coach who adheres to his principles as you present him to be, and an inflexible thinker, unwilling or unable to adapt to the situation at hand, even when change is obviously called for. Thibs' intransigence was exasperating to many, and ironically fatal to his ultimate goals of winning it all. The aphorism which describes him best is "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." He has only one place to look for answers as to why it ended the way it did -- the mirror. I hope he enjoys his Winnebago tour of the Land of Coaches, and that he de-camps outside the TD "Garden" and gazes at his "Coach of the Year" trophies while devising strategies to help Crazy Joe Mazzulla defend Brunson (while still on the MSG payroll) as the Celtics pursue their delusional pipe dream of getting the narcissistic Tatum back to fuel their laughable Holy Grail of a another Title run. Finally, I would hope that those "experts" who mocked the "Minutes Police" can finally recognize their short-sightedness and ignorance in the face of clear evidence. Nobody knows how this all will end, but I am confident that no Knick will wilt on the court from sheer exhaustion this year.
You're ignoring an awful lot of winning there, Joseph. A little humility might be in order.
As an aside, I find it very interesting to continue to compare these two men. I understand you, like man, want to never see that words "Tom Thibodeau" in print ever again, and that is your right. Just know that it won't be the last time you do, not in this space at least.
God knows if they ever win a title, you'll be getting a big old newsletter on Thibs thanking him for laying the groundwork for the eventual success. He deserves at least that much, and I genuinely pity anyone who strongly disagrees with that statement.
Lastly, I made sure to couch everything I wrote today with "I" statements. These are MY beliefs about the last head coach. If there's something I wrote that resembles a bold claim you think is silly, please, feel free to point it out.
You don’t know Thibodeau, if you think he would sit home looking in the mirror. This man has made his life work teaching and learning. He never sat home licking his wounds. It’s no wonder it took the Knicks so long to find his replacement. It is hard to follow success. I will not say Mike Brown is up to the task, he has to prove it and the bar is high. Thibs wasn’t stagnant as you propose. He picked the finest minds in basketball. He has many connections that don’t include the Knicks. I think the man deserves respect for his winning and yes development of players.
Lol is right! What a game!
The only thing I lost is respect for your intellectual honesty with yourself. Thibs failed when it counted most. Res Ispa Loquitor. Keep waving that flag and good luck to you. I am very disappointed in you, just so you know. It is okay to disagree but it is not okay to be disagreeable. It is only a game.
glad we found common ground lol
Wow, hope you feel better. Let’s Go Knicks!
I'd feel better if you owned up to losing an argument that you started. There nothing worse that someone who has lost, knows they lost, and is too small to acknowledge it. Seems like the sort of thing you'd accuse Thibs of.
Not personal, just telling it like it is. As I said, feel free to keep his blessed memory alive if that is what you want to do. I thoroughly enjoy the content at KFS and appreciate your efforts to enlighten. I am just calling balls and strikes as to my perception and I think in this case (in fairness) you have consistently and wildly overstated Thibs’ contribution to this team, and I am calling you out for it as I have grown fatigued reading about it. I think it is mostly a function of the Knicks dark ages before he arrived. Thibs added a needed measure of professionalism and attention to detail that was previously lacking. That is his legacy. The Knicks have moved on, can we all do the same? Or is constructive criticism verboten here?
I love constructive criticism. For you to declare as fact that I have wildly overstated Thibs' contribution to the team is as silly as you declaring as fact that he was some sort of bum on the sidelines who significantly held them back. But that's besides the point. If I continued to sing Thibs' praises postmortem, that would be one thing. This newsletter was quite literally the opposite of that, in which I stated, in no uncertain terms, how qualities that I respected about him *needed* to change for the betterment of the team. As an additional aside, I think this is 2nd, maybe 3rd time I've brought him into the newsletter in a prominent way in the 6 months since he's been fired. Are those 2-3 times enough to fatigue you, as you say? I guess so.
Again, it seems *painfully* clear to me that the one who hasn't moved on from Thibs is you, because that's the only reasonable explanation for this level of response to a newsletter that mentioned Thibodeau ***purely to contrast him with the current guy who I stated unequivocally is doing a better job***
I'm fine with comments. I'm fine with criticism. I'm even fine with baseless rants that I don't agree with in the slightest. But I do get a little twisted when accused not only of writing on a topic that wholly irrelevant (which this isn't) too often (which I haven't) and doing so in a way that isn't fair and impartial (which this was, and when it wasn't, I very clearly stated as such).
Yes, maybe they should raise a banner at MSG for his outstanding service right next to Red’s 613. Please keep his memory alive!
Sorry, but I am just tired of this trite narrative about his myriad accomplishments in the face of my belief that he wasted a golden opportunity last year due primarily to his narrow-mindedness. He was out-coached and failed with a more talented team in the ECF. He was fired for cause. All I am saying to you is that it that is enough already. Let’s move on. The Thibs Era is over. You might as well be talking about Stu Jackson’s attributes at this point. It is ancient history.
the accomplishments are the accomplishments - the wins, the playoff series victories, the player improvements under his watch, taking the organization from a joke to respectability. The narratives (he was shafted, the bad stuff wasn't his fault, KAT torpedoed his tenure, etc) are out there, but I don't peddle those nor do I endorse them. There's a reason my stance the day he was fired was "good move, now go find the right guy." Is it fair to say he underachieved last season? Absolutely! But that's what makes the comparison to Brown to interesting to me.
What I'm really struggling with is why you're taking a newsletter in which I shared my personal feelings about the last coach (in which, by the way, I never outwardly praised him; only shared my personal reasons for respecting him) as some sort of gospel. It seems to me that you're so dug into your stance about Thibs that the mere implication that he was anything other than a terrible coach gets you twisted in knots, to which I say a) that's fairly immature and b) what do you know that every major NBA media person doesn't? The people who cover this sport universally agree that while he wasn't perfect, Tom Thibodeau was a good coach. Are you wiser than them? I wish I had such confidence!
You'll continue to read about Thibs in this space when I feel its appropriate, and if that's an issue for you, well I guess I've lost myself a subscriber. He's an indelible part of narrative of the current team, just like RJ, IQ, Julius, and everyone else who has helped them get to this point.
And hey, the whole point of the newsletter was to PRAISE Brown for being DIFFERENT from Thibs! I'm siding with you my guy! Take a chill pill and ease up. Tom can't hurt you anymore, wherever he is, although I doubt its where you think.
Saying things doesn’t make them so.
Couldn’t agree more. Thibs was outcoached in every playoff series he was in except the five game victory over the Cavs. He played Elfrid Payton for a whole season. Thibs was awful. Brown has been terrific but he’s not really reinventing the wheel. Look around the league. Everyone is playing UDFAs, low draft picks and two ways. It’s just the way it should be. Thibs was never the best coach on any floor and never gave them their best chance to win.