The New York Knicks are having one of their best seasons in years. Led by Jalen Brunson, the team has made savvy moves to fill out the roster. However, injuries may cause them to make an early exit from the playoffs. Many players are banged up and missing critical playoff games. In a seven-game series, every game is important. NBA veteran Chandler Parsons claims he knows why the injuries are happening. He is putting the blame squarely on head coach Tom Thibodeau.
New York Knicks Tom Thibodeau To Blame?
"This is why that players poll came out w/ guys that don't want to play for [Thibs], b/c…you can't sustain it in such a long season"
–– Chandler Parsons, who knows a lot about playing long seasonspic.twitter.com/fbqmdcl7f6
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 13, 2024
It is well documented that Tom Thibodeau loves to work his favorite players hard. He tends to have a small rotation, and no matter the score, he will keep those players in the game. This has led to a lot of winning for the New York Knicks, but Parsons says it comes at a cost. That type of workload is not sustainable for an entire season.
“Is it Thibs’ fault? This is why we were concerned initially, because when injuries do start to happen and things linger, now guys are missing games, and there’s just an obvious, glaring, huge minutes being played by them, it’s just hard not to look at that. This is why when that players’ poll came out, guys don’t want to play for him because it doesn’t last, you can’t sustain it, it’s a long season.”
Julius Randle is out for the year. OG Anuoby will miss his third straight game. Brunson is dealing with a foot injury as well. An NBA season is long, and players need rest. While the NBA is trying to mitigate taking games off, Parsons’ point is that Tom Thibodeau could rest some players in blowout games to help keep players healthy.
Will This Doom The Knicks?
It is hard to pin the blame for injuries on one party. The Milwaukee Bucks got bit by the injury bug at the wrong time and got bounced from the playoffs. Tom Thibodeau was nowhere near that team. The New York Knicks may be a victim of bad luck. We see this happen all the time in sports where one team gets riddled with injuries, and it drastically affects their season (just ask the Memphis Grizzlies).
However, we do have a lot of data on Thibodeau. He has coached teams where players have had devastating injuries that affected their careers. Is this bad luck or a philosophical issue for the veteran head coach? One thing is for sure: The New York Knicks have to hope players can get healthy fast. Their series against the Indiana Pacers is now a best of three. If they don’t figure out something quick, they will head into the 2024 offseason with many questions.
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Matt Brown has been following sports since he was a kid. It does not matter what sport he is talking about; he tends to be an expert in it. When he is not glued to following sports, he is a banker in Wisconsin and hosts two podcasts, Beers and Ears & Discontinued on Display.
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