The New York Knicks’ coach and front office
We’ve seen some real growth from Tom Thibodeau this year. Kemba Walker was a New York basketball hero, an exciting addition, and a player that Thibs respected a lot. Last year, I don’t know if we would have seen him make this move. It takes gall, and it was the right move for the team. Those can be the hardest decisions to make. And it was made respectfully, at least as far as we know.
The rotation has tightened and the Knicks has improved because of it. I know this is a cliche, but I am seriously concerned with the minutes. Randle and Barrett are both young and athletic so they can take it. But the veterans need more of a break.
Alec Burks is 30 and struggled with many injuries earlier in his career. He’s averaging FOURTY minutes a game since he became the starting point guard. They need to reel that in if they don’t want to look for yet another starter at the position.
Besides that, this is a Thibs coached team. They do not let you score at the basket. They play hard for every minute of every game. Not many complaints about him to be honest.
The front office is performing at expectations after exceeding them last season. The additions of Kemba and Fournier aren’t as shiny as they were when they first signed. But they’re not massive commitments. It turns out they chose correctly when they brought back Burks over Reggie Bullock. It’s too early to say anything definitive about Quentin Grimes and Deuce McBride, but they’ve been encouraging if nothing else.
An important offseason looms, though.