Carlisle: I just heard that Thibodeau was dismissed from class and thought it was a fake news generated by AI

When he first heard the news that Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was dismissed, Pacers coach Carlisle thought it was fake news generated by AI (artificial intelligence).

"Impossible, that can't be true." Carlisle said of his first reaction, "I respect Thibodeau. I have a deep friendship with him, and I was very surprised when I heard the news." The Pacers led by Carlisle became the last opponent to fight before the get out of class was dismissed. The Pacers eliminated the Knicks 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. After that, the Knicks fired Thibodeau's squid.

Carlisle is not only a friend of Thibodeau, but he is also the chairman of the NBA Coaching Association. So whenever a head coach is fired, Carlisle will always be asked by reporters about related questions. At present, the head coaches who led the NBA team to win championships in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023 have said goodbye to the team at that time, which proves that winning the championship cannot bring much guarantee to the coach's job. This is an extremely turbulent career. Among the above-mentioned champion coaches, only Nass still coached the team at that time for more than three seasons after winning the championship.

"I always say I'm shocked, but sometimes you'll be numb and even no longer surprised." Carlisle said, "The Knicks' situation is very special. They will get special attention. The fan base is very large and the whole world is watching them, so it's always difficult to coach the Knicks. The coaches who have had successful experiences in the Knicks may not have coached for a long time, but they all left their mark, such as Pat Riley, Jeff Van Gundy, and Pitino. The Knicks have many recessions, but after Thibodeau arrived, they have changed a lot."

In the five seasons of coaching the Knicks, Thibodeau led the team to 224 wins and 176 losses, and the playoff record was 24 wins and 23 losses. The last head coach who led the Knicks to the first round of the playoffs for three consecutive years was Van Gundy Jr.

"I know how the players feel about him, so there's nothing to say. I mean, the management and the boss of the team can make a decision unilaterally, and that's their right." Carlisle said, "So Tom (Thibodeau) will be fine, I don't think he'll have any trouble with finding his next job, it just depends on when he's ready."

(text/Thaifo)