Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks sent J.B. Bickerstaff into offseason mode earlier than he wanted, yet the Pistons’ coach is still sticking up for his former colleague.
Bickerstaff joined the growing list of those criticizing the Knicks for moving on from Thibodeau after five seasons following their ouster in the Eastern Conference finals.
While Bickerstaff did not specifically mention the franchise, his remarks came after being asked how the Knicks firing Thibodeau and seeking permission to talk to employed coaches is resonating across the NBA.
“I don’t want to call it the cherry on top, but it’s the final straw, I think, of what has happened this season and the level of respect that we feel coaches deserve versus what they are getting,” Bickerstaff said on ESPN Radio’s “Joe & Q” on Friday.
“Some of the decisions made down the stretch with firing coaches, it just shows that there are some places that don’t value what coaching is and what it can bring. When you are a coach, you feel like there is a job that you have been told to do. And when you go out and do that job well, you should carry it over to the next year. If you have had past successes, that should envision future successes. You can’t guess what the future is going to look like with somebody new.”
The Knicks’ parting ways with Thibodeau has been a hotly debated topic, although there have been some notable names recently saying the Knicks made a mistake.
Charles Barkley said the Knicks are the “stupidest damn people,” Dick Vitale called the situation “embarrassing” and suggested they actually re-hire Thibodeau and ESPN analyst and former NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo said the Knicks are their own worst enemy and believe they’re smarter than everyone else.
The timing of this firing has confused some since the Knicks axed the veteran coach after the franchise’s first conference finals run in 25 years and following a fourth playoff berth in five years.
Bickerstaff, whose Pistons fell to the Knicks in six games in the first round, said coaches don’t like seeing their brethren dismissed following a successful campaign.
“That’s the difficult part from a coach’s standing,” Bickerstaff said. “We understand it and we know the job we signed up for is a dangerous job. But, from a coach’s standpoint, it is our responsibility to be honest and tell the truth. Our job is extremely difficult. To win in the NBA is extremely difficult. To build teams in the NBA is extremely difficult. To lead guys, who have the superstar power in the NBA, is extremely difficult. So when a guy does a great job at it, from the outside looking in, we want to see that guy get rewarded. And it seems to be cases now where guys that do a great job aren’t even being rewarded with a next year.”
The Knicks felt they needed to make a change to improve their chances of winning a title, The Post previously reported, and some players did not love Thibodeau’s approach.
The team’s search is off to a bumpy start with five teams — the Rockets (Ime Udoka), Timberwolves (Chris Finch), Hawks (Quin Snyder), Mavericks (Jason Kidd) and Bulls (Billy Donovan) — denying permission to talk to their respective coaches.
The Knicks instead have now set up interviews with a pair of coaches who were dismissed during the season in Taylor Jenkins, formerly of the Grizzlies, and Mike Brown, who led the Kings.