The New York Knicks had a bit of drama on Wednesday after Mikal Bridges made comments regarding his head coach Tom Thibodeau’s minutes distribution. Things became more tense when the longtime head coach revealed that the two never had a conversation about playing time.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says that Tom Thibodeau is in a ‘world of trouble’
Thibodeau has been criticized for his minutes distribution for several years. It is a trend that has followed him ever since Derrick Rose tore his ACL in a game he could’ve been out of while he was with the Chicago Bulls.
The fact that a player on the Knicks spoke up about the minutes is unprecedented, as usually the players have embraced his coaching style. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith thinks that Thibodeau is in “a world of trouble” because of this.
“That’s not the same page, that’s not a good look for the New York Knicks. And if you got to choose between a player and the coach, under these circumstances, when you’re looking at players being worn out, Mikal Bridges ain’t say that for himself y’all. He’s speaking for the team, and Tom Thibodeau says it didn’t happen. That’s a bad sign, it’s a bad sign,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take.
The Knicks’ starters are among the league leaders in minutes played. Josh Hart and Bridges are the top two in average minutes per game played this season, to which Thibodeau attributed that to them being versatile defenders who he wants matched up with opposing team’s top wing players.
The Knicks need to prioritize health heading into the postseason
Thibodeau’s heavy workload for his starters has drawn criticism due to the risk of wearing them out before the postseason. The Knicks ran into awful injury luck last postseason and want to avoid that from happening again this year.
The starting five has done a strong job at staying healthy, with Jalen Brunson’s sprained ankle being the only significant injury, though that injury has nothing to do with minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart have had nagging knee problems this season, but the Knicks have taken a cautious approach at times throughout the season.
Furthermore, the Knicks are sitting comfortably in the third seed of the Eastern Conference with less than 20 games remaining. Perhaps as the season winds down, Thibodeau will change his ways and rest some of his guys leading up to the playoffs.
Nevertheless, the Knicks will look to avoid having any drama between players and coaches as they gear up for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.