The New York Knicks have slowly fallen apart all season. With every player that goes down, more and more backlash falls on head coach Tom Thibodeau. Thibs is known for pushing his players and giving them a lot of minutes. Many believe this coaching style is leading to the injury plagued roster.
However, he has had players stick up for him stating that these injuries are not their coach’s fault. These are professional basketball players who have a job to do. Sometimes this means playing a consistent 35+ minutes every game. However, are there moments that Tom Thibodeau should reevaluate when it comes to how he is playing his starters?
Derrick Rose’s Career Altering Injury
At the age of 35, 3x All-Star Derrick Rose is still facing injury troubles. He hasn’t won any rings yet, but there is no question that he is an elite player who continues to have impact on any roster he is on.
It was 2010 and the Chicago Bulls faced off against the Philadelphia 76ers in game one of the first round of the playoffs. With around a minute left in the quarter reigning MVP Derrick Rose went up for a layup and came down wrong. He ended up with a horrible ACL tear that seemingly changed his career.
The score of the game was 99 to 87, and everyone knew there was no need for Rose to be on the court with so little time left. However, then head coach of the Bulls, Tom Thibodeau, didn’t sit his star. After this accident every single one of Rose’s stats would plummet every year. This is an example of a coaching mistake. There is no reason to have an elite player on the court with the game sealed in the playoffs knowing that injuries can happen at any time.
Are New York Knicks Players Suffering the Same Fate?
The New York Knicks are the most injured team in the playoffs. Thankfully, they’ve managed to roll through the first round smoothly. Furthermore, it seemed like they would be handling the Indiana Pacers with ease in round two, but the absence of OG Anunoby and now the risk of losing Josh Hart have heavily impacted their play.
OG Anunoby has had injury problems in the past so blaming that on Tim Thibodeau doesn’t make much sense. However, there is an argument for some of the other injuries. Specifically, Josh Hart’s injury should be focused on. He has been given so many minutes and is a very strong player who doesn’t show much physical weakness. For him to be on the bench clutching his stomach in pain it needs to be serious. This could be due to being overworked.
What Tom Thibodeau Should Do in Game 7
If Josh Hart is somehow available for game seven, Thibs should keep his minutes as limited as possible. The coach needs to start thinking about round three against the Boston Celtics. Boston has been stomping on injury riddled teams for the whole playoffs and the New York Knicks could easily be the next to fall. Hart will be needed for that series.
The same goes for OG Anunoby. If he can play, there is no way he should see more than 25 minutes. If the New York Knicks can get the win without Anunoby on the floor much that would be huge. They need as much rest as possible because the third series will be coming at them Tuesday if they beat Indiana. Tom Thibodeau needs to be strategic and keep his players health in mind.
About the Author
Elizabeth is an avid watcher of all things sports. However, the Boston sports teams will always be her number one. Her favorite sport to watch is basketball, but she also enjoys professional wrestling, soccer, and baseball. You can find her on X @edellapiana1 to check out more content.
Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.