Could Rick Pitino ditch St. John’s to coach the New York Knicks? That seems to be a popular question in the Big Apple this week.
The Knicks shocked their fans on Tuesday when they relieved Tom Thibodeau of his duties. Most people assumed he’d return for the 2025-26 season considering he just led the franchise to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years. The front office, however, had other ideas.
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” Knicks president Leon Rose said. “This pursuit led us to the decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction. We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach.”
Roughly 24 hours after this move was announced, Pitino was asked to share his thoughts on Thibodeau’s exit.
“I feel bad for Thibs because he captured all of New York and built something very, very special,” Pitino said. “A lot of us don’t comprehend what happened, but Thibs is going to be well taken care of and move on to other passages.”
When asked if he’d be willing to take over the Knicks, the legendary basketball coach replied, “Absolutely not.”
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 21: New St. Johns Red Storm head basketball coach Rick Pitino during a press conference, at Madison Square Garden on March 21, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)
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Pitino was an assistant coach for the Knicks from 1983-1985 before earning the head coaching job in 1987. He led the franchise to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1989.
The thought of Pitino returning to the Knicks is fascinating, but a reunion isn’t in the cards.
Pitino believes the next head coach of the Knicks will deal with an immense amount of pressure right out of the gate. After all, it’s championship or bust in New York.
“I think whoever comes in, if he doesn’t get to the Finals, it’s going to be deemed an unsuccessful season,” Pitino added. “So, whoever comes in has got so much pressure on them to take this team to the next level, ’cause that’s why they’re doing it, obviously, in their minds.”
It’ll be interesting to see who the Knicks hire as their next head coach.
Houston Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his illegal hit to Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the ensuing brawl between the teams in a lengthy statement on social media.
Al-Shaair’s statement comes as his three-game suspension as a result of the incident has ended and he is slated to return to the field for the Texans on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
On December 1, an Al-Shaair hit to the head of a sliding and defenseless Lawrence caused chaos in Jacksonville. The defensive back needed to be restrained by several coaches and Lawrence has not played since taking the barbaric contact.
‘While so many jumped at the first opportunity to hop on the false narrative – that l’m a dirty player or bad person – the messages from all who stood by me were the only things keeping me mentally afloat during a time of isolation,’ Al-Shaair said on social media.
‘I’ve learned so much from this entire experience. Seeing myself on video – letting my emotions get the best of me to the point where I completely lost it – was an embarrassing and eye-opening moment for me.’
‘I’ve had to earn everything in my life. I never want to allow anyone to get me to a point where I jeopardize everything that I’ve worked all my life to obtain. That was not the way I want to represent myself or my family and I will continue to learn and grow from that moment.’
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Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his hit to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence
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The Texans defensive back was suspended for three games as a result of the hit to Lawrence
Al-Shaair said during his three-game ban, he met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league executives for the first time, taking issue with how he was characterized in the official announcement of his suspension.
The defender said he thought his character and integrity were ‘unjustifiably smeared’ in the release but the meeting with Goodell and others was ‘productive’ and gave him hope it would not happen again.
‘In that conversation – man-to-man – I owned and acknowledged that my actions following my ejection were careless and, in that moment, I didn’t think about the responsibility I have been blessed with to represent the shield,’ Al-Shaair continued.
‘I also stated that the letter, and specifically the language used in the letter, was equally as careless and conveyed that the context of the words used were not a reflection of my character, nor my career, as I have not been warned multiple times for my play on the field.’
Al-Shaair’s hit on Lawrence was not the only controversial incident he was involved in this season.
During the Texans’ game against the Bears in September, he punched Roschon Johnson, who wasn’t even in the game at the time of another sideline confrontation.
Al-Shaair ended his statement by saying his view is that everyone in the league office and on the field are on the same team to represent the NFL in the best nature possible, something he failed to do earlier this month.
‘Lastly, I’ll say that this world is full of negative people who can’t wait to tear you down, but if you move with love and compassion, the seeds of good you planted in others’ lives can grow into the very tree that shades you with comfort and compassion when you need it most,’ Al-Shaair concluded.
‘I am a man of God, I am a leader, a warrior and a lover. I am also a hell of a football player and I’m grateful to be back doing what I love.’