Stephen A. Smith Rips Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is in hot water after some awkward comments from Mikal Bridges about his playing time.

Bridges spoke following the team's win against the Portland Trail Blazers about playing too many minutes as New York gears up for the playoffs, and Thibodeau responded by appearing to disagree with his player.

“We never had a conversation about it," Thibodeau said about Bridges' request, per James Edwards III of The Athletic. "The facts are the facts. Jalen is 20th or 21st in average minutes. [Karl-Anthony Towns] is below that. Your wings play more. They’re matched up against primary players.”

This led to ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith going off on Thibodeau and the Knicks.

“Tom Thibodeau is in trouble. He’s in a world of trouble,” Smith said on First Take.

“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.”

The Knicks are currently in third place in the Eastern Conference while trying to stay afloat as Jalen Brunson sits on the sidelines.

The tight rotations, especially late in the regular season, have been a common criticism of Thibodeau and the Knicks over the years, but the coach has always stood firm in his ways.

This is Bridges' first season with the Knicks, and he is never one to "complain" about playing too much since he has yet to miss a game in his career, but considering he is now speaking up about this, maybe it's time for Thibodeau to bend.