Should the Knicks Move On From Tom Thibodeau

Author: Frank Caggino

After Tom Thibodeau won coach of the year, it looked like the Knicks finally found their head coach. He is New York’s fifth head coach in the past decade. Tom, was also the first coach to have a winning record in almost a decade. However, with the Knicks’ struggles this season, fans are now questioning if he is the right man for the job. Thibodeau’s decision-making and unwillingness to change, has caused Knicks fans to be concerned.

When the Knicks struggled on offense in the postseason, it was clear they need some players that can generate their own shot. The Knicks signed Kemba Walker and while some fans were happy, it seems like Tom Thibodeau was not. This was clearly evident when early in the season, Walker was benched and it looked like he was going to be out of the rotation. Due to injures and players getting sick, Walker found his way back into the starting lineup and played well at the end of December. Kemba has not been able to string together consistent high-scoring numbers and now, is going to sit out the rest of the season. Tom Thibodeau is a defensive-minded coach and Kemba Walker is not a good defender, which is one of the main reasons why Thibodeau has decided to bench him. Unfortunately, this is not the only player that has been brought in that has not gotten the playing time the front office hoped for.

The only acquisition the Knicks made during the season was trading for Cam Reddish from the Atlanta Hawks. However, it took several games before Reddish received consistent minutes. Multiple reports came out that Thibodeau did not want the Knicks to acquire Reddish. This is another example of the head coach and front office not being on the same page. Regardless of who is the general manager, it is hard to see the coach remaining with his inability to adapt.

Some of the reasons why Tom Thibodeau is no longer coaching the Bulls or Timberwolves is because of playing his veterans too many minutes and not being creative on offense. Those same criticisms have held true this year, with the number of minutes players such as Alec Burks and Taj Gibson have gotten this season. The Knicks’ half-court offense, particularly late in games has been poor and has led to them having a losing record. Unfortunately, even if the Knicks move on from Thibodeau, replacing him will not be easy.

It took four different head coaches for the Knicks to have a winning season. Hopefully, it will not take four more head coaches for the Knicks to have another winning record. Luckily for New York, there are some quality head coaching candidates out there. One of the names that comes to mind is Kenny Attkinson, who coached a young Brooklyn Nets team to a playoff team. Because of their success, they were able to attract Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Atkinson has experience working in New York and working with a young team which is what the Knicks currently have. Kenny is also from New York, which helps when interacting with the media. Another name to consider is Mark Jackson who is also from New York but has not coached since 2014. If the Knicks are considering moving on from Thibodeau, now is the time while a coach such as Kenny Atkinson is still available. As great as Tom and the Knicks were last year, this year has been very different which is why the Knicks need a coach that is very different.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

Adjustments The Knicks Must Make To Win Game 4

Author: Danny Gardner

Editor: Brian Symons

Game 3 was nothing short of a disaster for the Knicks. Their offense was anemic, their defense was lacking, and the 11-point margin on the final scoreboard didn’t even come close to depicting how badly they were outplayed. Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks were getting virtually whatever they wanted, and they let the Knicks know it too. It is no secret that the Hawks are far more talented than the Knicks, but that does not mean that there are no changes that can be made to give the Knicks a better shot in this series. Benching the atrocity that is Elfrid Payton was a good start, but there are some other things Thibs can do to put the Knicks in a position to win.

1. Make Trae Young work defensively

Trae Young has been a problem for the Knicks defense through the first three games of this series. They simply have no answer for him defensively. However, one way to hinder a terrific offensive player is to make them work defensively, and Trae is a particularly atrocious defender. Set more screens with Bullock to get Young switched on to Rose, Randle, and Barrett. Part of the problem with starting Bullock and playing him so much is that it allows for Young to hide defensively, so possibly exploring more of Burks or Quickley with the other starters could be an option worth exploring as well. Attacking quicker when the switches occur is key. The Knicks (and Randle in particular) are far too slow to attack offensively, and it allows for defenses to set up their traps and their double teams a lot easier. However they do it, forcing Young to work on the defensive end will go a long way toward helping the Knicks slow the Hawks’ star.

2. Use multiple ball handlers when Rose sits

I don’t love having Rose start simply because I love the dynamic of him and IQ coming of the bench together, but I recognize it is a necessity given how bad Payton has been in the starting lineup. The issue however, and this was clear last night, is the team now lacks a primary ball handler when Rose sits. The team tried a trio of Burks, IQ, and Reggie Bullock but that unit was a disaster offensively. When Rose sits, Quickley, Burks, and RJ should be on the court together. This way, you make up for a lack of a primary ball handler by using three secondary ones. Payton puts them in a tough spot, but the Knicks have to be creative in order to solve their point guard problem.

3. Get Randle and RJ going

This one is fairly simple, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett need to make their shots. Randle, who was an All-Star, the league’s Most Improved Player, and will soon likely be named to one of the All-NBA teams, is having an absolutely miserable series. After averaging 24.1 PPG on 46/41/81 percentages, he is scoring only 14.7 PPG while shooting 24/30/86. He has looked tentative, slow, and most concerning of all like he has lost all confidence. He needs to attack before the double comes and get to the line so he can hopefully rediscover his confidence. RJ looked solid in games 1 and 2 but was awful in game 3 and hasn’t shot the ball well overall. One way to get him going I think would be to allow him to initiate more of the offense when Rose and Randle are on the bench. He’s a capable passer in the pick and roll and can be strong finisher especially when attacking weaker defenders. Simply sticking him in the corner and hoping he hits shots is not a great way to get him going when his shot hasn’t been falling. I love his approach and his energy; he just needs to be more involved.

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Knicks Will Beat the Hawks

Author: Patrick Sullivan

Editor: Mark Awadallah

For the first time in 8 years, the New York Knicks will be participating in a playoff series. With a record of 41-31 the Knicks took the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference and are set to play the Atlanta Hawks who are the 5th seed also at a record of 41-31. Considering the play of both teams this year this should be a very interesting series that should be very competitive. In the three games they played each other in the regular season, the Knicks won all three games in part due to Trae Young’s injury in a couple of those games. The Knicks have home court advantage which should give them an edge in the series conserind fans are now allowed back at Madison Square Garden. The series is set to kick off at 7 pm est on Sunday May 23rd.

Looking at the impact players have on both teams, each team is talented in their own rights. The Knicks are led by Julius Randle who has had an incredible season thus far and have a lot of help around him whether that's in the starting lineup or the bench. In terms of the Knicks starters, RJ Barret has been constantly improving throughout the season and has been a great asset to the team. Nerlens Noel has stepped in as of late in the starting lineup due to the injury of Michell Robinson and has helped out a lot on the defensive side of the ball. In addition to Noel, Reggie Bullock has been providing the Knicks with great play on both sides of the ball. However, Elrid Payton at starting PG is a spot Tom Thibadeau should look into since he has been struggling most of the season and Derrick Rose off the bench has been in great form. Another bench player is Alec Burks has dominated some games and has been performing at a high level all year along with being very clutch in key moments. Other players off the bench who have stepped up this year include Immaunel Quickley, Frank Ntilikina, and Obi Toppin. The strong bench play all year has really given the Knicks an edge over certain teams and has led to their success.

Moreover, the Hawks are built much differently than the Knicks as they have a star point guard in Trae Young and a dominant center in Clint Capela. These are two things the Knicks don’t have but if they did they could have made that jump as a legitimate contender for the championship. Along with star Trey Young and Capela, the Hawks have consistent strong play from Lou Williams who is a great playmaker, John Collins, Danillo Gallinari, and Bogdan Bogdanovic. All of these players have averaged double digit points throughout the regular season and helped propel this team to the 5th seed.

The key to winning this series for the New York Knicks is to focus on containing Trey Young, and have great play from their starting lineup. If the Knicks can stop Trey Young from scoring and causing so many fouls, they should be able to constrain the Hawks offensively. Furthermore, the main reason the starting lineup needs to play well is because the bench has been consistently helping this team put up points, meaning if the starting lineup can play well, there's no reason the Knicks don’t win this series. The two most important players that need to perform in the starting lineup are Julius Ranlde and RJ Barret, if these two can score like they have at times this season, the Knicks are in great shape to win in a 7 game series.

Moreover, the Hawks main goals to win need to contain Julius Randle and feed Trae Young. If the Hawks can contain Julius Randle, it will force the Knicks to need other players to step up throughout the game which can make it easier for the Hawks to win. The second goal is to feed Trey Young because at times he can be unstoppable., His driving ability and three point shooting have been fantastic all year and can cripple the Knicks if they are unable to contain him. Overall, this is going to be a thrilling series and should be very close, could very well go 7 games.

Series Prediction: Knicks win 4-2

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE