On May 16, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs continued. According to Shams of The Athletic, the Knicks are on track to sign Thibodeau to an eight-figure contract extension. The Knicks currently lead the Pacers 3-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals and only need one win to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
When talking about Thibodeau's contract extension, Shams said on the show "Run It Back": "Thibodeau is one of the best head coaches in the league, and next season will be the last year of his contract, and the Knicks can't possibly put him in the final year of his contract without a contract extension. I was told that a new contract would be discussed. This offseason, the Knicks are very keen to keep Thibodeau for the long term. ”
Shams then continued: "Given the current environment in the league, I'm sure there will be a lot of teams throwing an olive branch at him. He's on a contract of about seven million a year, and we all know what the current coaching contract looks like. No one will be surprised if his next contract reaches eight figures. ”
However, Thibodeau has had a mixed reputation for the way it hires people. Former NBA star Crawford was criticized, saying, "Can the Knicks' seven-man rotation make it through the playoffs? My answer is no. The Knicks' three rotation players, Randle, O.G. Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, have also suffered major injuries. But this phenomenon can also be said to be the result of Thibodeau's consistent use of people this season. For the players, this wear and tear will come to the door, you can't consume yourself repeatedly. At some point, players will start to have more injuries and mistakes because they are exhausted. ”
In addition to Crawford, Barkley has previously criticized Thibodeau: "I've always wanted to ask, why does Thibodeau have to wait until a player is injured to miss out on them? Why can't they (the rotation players and the bench players) play more than 10 minutes per game? ”
Despite a lot of criticism, Thibodeau is still expected to lead the Knicks to record-setting. The Knicks haven't reached the Eastern Conference Finals since the 1998-99 season, reaching as far as the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If the Knicks can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, they will have the best record of the 21st century, which is enough to show the huge role of Thibodeau.
According to the schedule, the Knicks will face the Pacers on the road tomorrow, can Thibodeau lead the team to advance? Let's wait and see!