The Knicks havent played a minute of basketball since their playoff exit but theyve still managed to dominate the conversation during the NBA Finals and not in a good way.
Just before Game 3 tipped off, Charles Barkley didnt hold back on NBA TV, lighting up the Knicks for their directionless head coaching search after firing Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks gotta be the stupidest damn people in the world, Barkley said. You dont fire no good coach like that and dont have a plan. Thibs did a hell of a job. Obviously somethings going on there. You dont have a plan? Now three coaches turn you down. You got to have a plan, man. They dont have a plan. Now, I mean, I dont know what the hell theyre going to do.
The Knicks gotta be the stupidest damn people in the world.
Charles Barkley.
(h/t @ClutchPoints)
Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 12, 2025
And as if to prove Barkleys point in real time, news broke mid-broadcast that the Bulls had joined the growing list of teams, including Dallas, Minnesota, Houston, and Atlanta, to deny New York permission to interview their head coach.
Since dismissing Thibodeau just days after the Knicks best season in two decades, New York has looked lost.
Thibs led the team to back-to-back 50-win campaigns, an Eastern Conference Finals berth, and revived basketball at MSG. His firing, without a clear successor in place, has left fans scratching their heads, and Barkley boiling over.
The coaching carousel always turns. But when you fire your best bet and go spinning without a strategy, someone like Chuck is going to call it like he sees it.
And as far as hes concerned, They dont have a damn clue.
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