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.
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