Several players on the New York Knicks were enraged after head coach Tom Thibodeau was named the “coach I’d least like to play for” in The Athletic’s player poll released on Monday.
Thibodeau won the award for the third consecutive year, but his players, including Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart, came against what they feel is a dated misconception surrounding Thibodeau’s vigor as a coach.
Knicks players fire back at recent disrespect from league players toward head coach Tom Thibodeau
Since joining the Knicks, the former two-time NBA Coach of the Year has forged somewhat of a different reputation, but not one that’s been strong enough to sway the general opinion of players around the league. So, DiVincenzo reacted to the poll by saying this, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post
“Buls–t, that’s all I have to say,” DiVincenzo said. “A lot of guys don’t play for Thibs. I play for Thibs. On the outside, looking in you have a certain viewpoint. When you are inside and play for Thibs, like I said, it’s bulls–t.”
The longstanding belief is that Thibodeau runs his players into the ground. When he coached the Chicago Bulls from 2010 to 2015, he had players contend for the league lead in minutes per game including Luol Deng, who saw at least 38.7 minutes per game from 2010-11 to 2012-13, and Jimmy Butler, who averaged the same from 2013-14 to 2014-15.
He also bore the blame for reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose tearing his ACL in the waning moments of the Bulls’ Game 1 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in their 2012 Eastern Conference first-round series, a game they had in the bag with much time to spare.
Knicks players have thrived under Thibodeau’s leadership in 2023-24
Knicks players seem to love playing for the Connecticut native regardless. Though several players got hurt this year for extended stretches, including 2024 All-Star Julius Randle, who went down for the year with a dislocated shoulder on Jan. 27, the team has been balanced and competitive for most of the season.
This is a major reason why they have a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round this season without Randle, against a Sixers team with reigning league MVP Joel Embiid.
At the end of the day, while Knicks players have disdain over the poll, they’ve shown that they embrace Thibodeau’s coaching scheme and it’s paying off on the floor.
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