"Hell nahh" - Trae Young pokes fun at New York Knicks' wild search for a head coach after Tom Thibodeau's firing
"Hell nahh" - Trae Young pokes fun at New York Knicks' wild search for a head coach after Tom Thibodeau's firing originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The New York Knicks appear to have brought disaster upon themselves, and one of the most hated figures in New York at the moment, Trae Young, is reveling in the team's current dilemma.
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As many are aware, the Knicks have recently parted ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau following their loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. The decision was met with a lot of questions, especially because it comes on the heels of their first conference finals appearance since 2000.
Seemingly making matters worse is that New York's next step after firing Thibodeau is to go after head coaches who already have a job, including Quin Snyder of the Atlanta Hawks. Young saw Shams Charania's report about Atlanta denying the Knicks' permission to speak to the coach and couldn't help but post a hilarious response.
Trae and the Knicks
Young's post has provoked the ire of many Knicks fans, who view the Hawks star as one of the most dislikeable villains in franchise history.
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It's unclear when the beef began, although it probably started when Trae eliminated New York in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. That battle saw him deliver a game-winning floater in the series opener, average 29.2 points and 9.8 assists per contest in the five-game round and deal with "Fu*k Trae Young" chants as the series wore on.
Since then, the four-time All-Star has embraced the villain role at Madison Square Garden, sharing once that he had seen children express their disdain for him inappropriately. He didn't do himself any favor among the boisterous Knicks crowd when he pretended to roll a dice over the franchise's logo during Atlanta's win in MSG in this year's NBA Cup.
Of course, New York has had the last laugh over "Ice Trae" so far. After all, it has been on an upward trajectory since its elimination in the 2021 playoffs, even if it couldn't get past the Pacers in this year's ECF. As for Young, he has never been past the first round of the playoffs again and hasn't even reached that stage again in the past two seasons.
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Related: "Yeah, they'll probably have to do something" - Bird says the NBA will be forced to move the 3-point line back if high volume continues
The Knicks and their coaching search
It remains to be seen, though, how the 2025-26 campaign fares for Trae and NYK. The former Hawks' future appears to be hazy, as his lack of success in Atlanta has had folks around the league questioning whether the organization should ship him elsewhere and start fresh.
Meanwhile, the Knicks' fate next year will likely depend on the head coach it chooses to succeed Thibodeau. The thing is, the front office has looked disjointed recently because of its apparent lack of plan for its head coaching vacancy.
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Reports have it that New York has tried to set up interviews with Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets, Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls, and, of course, Snyder. However, their employers have refused to accept the Knicks' request.
Maybe it's time for the Knickerbockers to expand their search to more obtainable candidates, such as assistant coaches or previous head coaches who aren't currently tied up to any NBA team. Otherwise, they will just continue to be ridiculed by many people around the league, including Young.
Related: "The Knicks have to be extremely careful" - Quentin Richardson warns New York not to take Indiana for granted
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
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