Charles Barkley eviscerates Knicks for lack of post-Tom Thibodeau plan: ‘Stupidest damn people'
One NBA icon is completely befuddled by the Knicks' head coaching situation.
New York, which fired Tom Thibodeau after losing the Eastern Conference finals in six games, has been on the hunt for a new head coach but has been denied by at least five teams — including the Mavericks for permission to talk to coach Jason Kidd.
Well, Charles Barkley, never shy about sharing his opinion on anything, called out the Knicks on Wednesday night before the Pacers' 116-107 win over the Thunder in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Barkley said he believes the Knicks needed a set plan in place after firing Thibodeau, and that they didn't have one.
'The Knicks gotta be the stupidest damn people in the world,' Barkley said on NBA TV. 'You don't fire no good coach like that and don't have a plan. I mean, Thibs did a hell of a job, obviously something's going on there. … You've gotta have a plan, man. … I don't know what the hell they're going to do.'
Along with Kidd, the Knicks have been denied permission to speak with Ime Udoka, Chris Finch, Quin Snyder and Billy Donovan.
Charles Barkley called out the Knicks for their process.
Awful Announcing/X
The Post's Stefan Bondy previously reported that former Villanova coach Jay Wright is not interested in unretiring, while UConn coach Dan Hurley has indicated he does not want to leave Storrs.
Barkley is not alone in his criticism of the Knicks, as former Nets bench boss P.J. Carlesimo called out the club for its handling of the situation.
Knicks president Leon Rose
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
'The Knicks always think they're smarter than everybody else, that's the Knick philosophy,' Carlesimo said Tuesday on the 'Ryen Russillo podcast.'
'They think they're different and we're smarter than all these other teams and we know what we're doing, and I would say they're normally the opposite. They're often times their own worst enemy.'
Whomever the Knicks hire, they will be taking over a star-studded team that fell just two wins shy of the NBA Finals.
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