Overview

• Tom Thibodeau was relieved of his duties on June 3 after five seasons that included consecutive 50-win campaigns and the Knicks’ deepest playoff run in a quarter-century
• Leon Rose, with owner Jim Dolan’s approval, cited the organization’s championship ambitions as the driving force behind the decision to move in a new direction
• Under the terms of a three-year extension signed last summer, New York will owe Thibodeau at least $30 million in guaranteed salary
• Critics pointed to Thibodeau’s heavy reliance on starters and slow in-series adjustments during the six-game loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals
• The Knicks have begun a search for a successor, with championship coach Michael Malone and former leads Taylor Jenkins and Frank Vogel among the names under consideration