Insider reveals players’ gripes about Tom Thibodeau’s coaching methods that ignored scrimmaging

According to StatMuse, Tom Thibodeau went 226-174 in his tenure with the New York Knicks. He had four winning seasons in five years, and the team won at least one playoff series in three consecutive years.

Under Thibodeau, they had their first 50-win season since 2014, and they reached that mark twice in the past couple of years. On top of that, they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.

That’s why it was so surprising to see them part ways with him on June 3, just three days after their playoff elimination to the Indiana Pacers.

Even so, despite all he did for the organization, it seemed like he was starting to lose his grip on the locker room. According to SNY insider Ian Begley, the players questioned his approach when they didn't even have full scrimmages during training camp.

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"The Knicks didn’t have full scrimmages during an entire training camp one season, which is uncommon," Begley wrote on June 12. "The players found it odd that they didn’t scrimmage during the camp; Thibodeau’s Knicks didn’t scrimmage often in season, which is more common in the NBA. But the lack of scrimmaging hindered the players’ ability to develop cohesion, they’ve said."

Tom Thibodeau's coaching staff didn't practice end-game situations

Per Begley's reports, that's not the only thing that rubbed the players the wrong way. Apparently, they didn't work on crucial and hypothetical situations during the season, thus leaving them unprepared when it mattered the most:

"Players were also surprised that they didn’t work on specific end-game situations during the season, which is something that most teams do. They found it strange that the coaching staff didn’t go over those situations during practice," Begley wrote.

Tom Thibodeau has been a head coach in this league for more than a decade, and given his track record, it's hard to argue that he's a very good coach. Nevertheless, he's also drawn a reputation for not making adjustments or changing his ways, and his few flaws have often cost his teams in the postseason.

Then again, given the current picture in the league, it shouldn't be long before he makes his way back to a head coaching position. He's got one of the best defensive minds in all of basketball, and he's still a respected figure in the NBA.

Still, sometimes teams need to shake things up and take a step back to take a couple of steps forward, and his time in the Big Apple has come to an end.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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