Figures across the NBA came to the defense of Tom Thibodeau after the New York Knicks fired their coach just days after a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, including Knicks players themselves. The move resonated throughout the league's coaching ranks too,

The Knicks are unbothered by the rejections, the News has learned. Internally, the outreach is viewed as routine due diligence — a necessary part of surveying the league’s top coaching minds for what...