SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Tom Thibodeau believes Knicks legend Patrick Ewing will “bounce back” from his shootout in Georgetown on Thursday.
Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Knicks during Ewing’s final seasons with the franchise as a player, and they worked closely together as an assistant to Jeff Van Gundy in Houston from 2004-07.
“It’s unfortunate, but Patrick, in my eyes, is an all-time great, if not the greatest Knick of all-time. And, of course, working with him, he is not only a great coach, but a better person. So it’s disappointing,” Thibodeau said before the Kings lost 122-117. “I thought he was having a great time. I know it meant a lot to him.
“But Patrick will be fine. Like I said, I’ve worked with him, so I know he’s a great coach. But he is a great person. He is a close friend. And so he will go back and good things will come to him in the future.’
Tom Thibodeau argues with the officials during the Knicks’ 122-117 loss to the Kings.AP
Ewing, 60, was fired Thursday after the Hoyas went 13-50 over the past two seasons, including 7-25 this year.
In six years at his alma mater, the 11-time NBA All-Star center finished with a 75-109 record.
“The thing about Patrick is the only thing you can control as a coach is what you put into it. I know how much he put into it,” Thibodeau said. what that means to him.
“The initial disappointment of not having that, that’s normal human nature. But it will backfire. I know how strongly he feels about the school, how much he appreciates his time there. And he will still be involved with Georgetown. It’s a great school. He will move on. It will be fine.”
Thibodeau added that “the state of college basketball is changing right now,” citing the transfer portal and NIL (Name, Image, Appearance) compensation as “dramatically changing the dynamics of college basketball.”
“I think you have to look at, OK, obviously when you’re successful, you’re not doing it yourself,” Thibodeau added. “You share with that and then when something doesn’t work, it’s not one particular person, you have to share that and you have to say that there are a lot of factors involved.”