The Triumphant Return of Knicks for Clicks

Anyone that has been following the Knicks for long enough has likely heard the phrase “Knicks for Clicks”. For the uninitiated, it’s a media phenomenon of firing off jokes about the Knicks to generate views, because us Knicks fans will hate-watch and reshare it, triggering an endless cycle of successful outrage content.

But for the last few years, much of that discussion has been non-existent. The Knicks, much to the dismay of some in the national media, have been running a prudent and efficient NBA operation. Since 2022-23, the Knicks have the sixth best record in basketball, have scouted well, and made smart trades and signings.

All good things must come to an end, however. And the firing of Tom Thibodeau has reignited the flames of the “Knicks for Clicks” enthusiasts. Those same people who were advocating for his dismissal and bemoaning his limitations throughout his tenure are now the same ones pleading for justice on his behalf. It’s further evidence that no matter what the Knicks do, there are loud voices that will always find fault in their process.

Throughout his tenure with the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau constantly had doubters. It’s the cost of coaching the Knicks, a position that comes with a spotlight and even more criticism. In his half decade patrolling the sideline, many in the national media were critical of him despite team success.

Most of the criticisms centered around two things: minutes distribution and lack of offensive innovation. Ever since his days in Chicago, the reputation of running players into the ground has followed Thibodeau. This season, there was a lot of ammunition to that argument, as four Knicks ranked in the top five of minutes per game. This rigid reliance on the starters and a refusal to utilize his bench ultimately cost him his job.

The second criticism, which we saw play out again and again this season, was that the offense that he implements often lacked imagination with a reliance on its star players to make great plays. It left a lot of proverbial meat on the bone by not mixing lineups before the postseason, not experimenting with pick and roll actions between Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, and not tinkering with defensive alignments. All those critiques were fair and all good reasons to move on from Thibodeau as head coach.

It stood to reason that the talking point after his dismissal would be the validation of the criticisms and commending the Knicks for being rational and not giving it another season when they had seen all that they needed to see regarding the ceiling of their head coach, despite making the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead, it became an excuse to joke about the Knicks yet again. With the general message that they fired their best coach in a quarter of a century without reason.

Those same talking heads and commenters that were advocating for moving on from Thibodeau and his disastrous minutes distribution were now blaming the organization for firing a stable and successful head coach.

As is so common with “Knicks for Clicks” talking points, there is no winning for the organization. Instead of understanding the process that led to the decision, it has been much easier to simply say that the Knicks are a toothless organization that can’t help but be inept. This sort of coverage has permeated in the way that the team’s coaching search has been received.

NBA teams amid a coaching search will sometimes reach out to teams that have current coaches in place. It’s not a new concept, and if a deal can be reached, there is often financial and draft compensation for the former team. Often, the new team is rebuffed. But as the adage goes, “you’ll never know until you ask.”

The Knicks have done a lot of asking. They requested to interview the likes of Jason Kidd, Billy Donovan, Ime Udoka, Chris Finch, and Quinn Snyder—and were declined by every team. This has turned into an easy opportunity to mock the Knicks for asking for permission to interview employed coaches, which is not unusual according to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.

While this can be looked at merely as due diligence, many have viewed it as desperation. I would argue that if this was any other franchise outside of the Lakers, it would be a non-story. After the refusals, the Knicks have moved on to their next tier of candidates.

The reality is that the Knicks see what is in front of them. The Eastern Conference next season is wide open in a way that we have not seen since LeBron James entered the NBA. Top teams like the Bucks, Celtics, and Pacers are dealing with year-compromising Achilles injuries to their star players, and the Knicks enter next season with a clean bill of health and a chance to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals once again. To get there, they know that they will need to hire the right head coach.

Their understanding of the magnitude of the moment is being perceived in the context of the pre-Leon Rose Knicks. This is not the same franchise. They have operated shrewdly, employ industry leading cap management and training staffs, and have a roster that is capable of deep runs in today’s NBA. But it is instead easier to laugh at the Knicks and recall memories of the 2010s where Carmelo Anthony’s prime was somewhat squandered.

Knicks for Clicks has made a triumphant return, an indication that the narrative wasn’t dead but rather just dormant. It seems that the only way to shut these sorts of discussions once and for all will be to win a title. Because in this current NBA landscape, that seems to be the only way for people to acknowledge progress and smart process. Until then, it seems that we will be subjected to endless cycles of Knicks rage bait, which becomes even more frustrating when the team of 2025 is so much different than the one in 2015.

CP The Fanchise reacts to takes about the Knicks around the NBA media-sphere.