THIBS: GOTTA EARN A SPOT
New Knicks coach reiterates he’s not a tanking type, and players will get time based on merit
Nothing in Tom Thibodeau’s history suggests he’s a tanking coach. He reinforced that reputation Tuesday. “Nothing will be given to anyone. You’re going to have to earn your minutes,” Thibodeau said. “Those decisions on rotation will be based on performance and what gives the team the best chance of winning. A player is not going to get minutes just to get minutes. You have to impact winning, you have to put the team first. There has to be sacrifices made. And that’s what we’re going to strive toward each and every day.”
David Fizdale made similar statements before his first Knicks training camp but soon adopted the position of tank commando. By the third month of his first season, Fizdale already conceded to giving young players more minutes for development and to Tim Hardaway Jr. because “(he’s earning) $18 million per year for two more years.” Thibodeau carries a long history of following through on his win-now decrees, and he’s unlikely to bend even if the Knicks reside at the bottom of the standings
In other words, contract status or draft position won’t influence playing time. That’s especially noteworthy at power forward with draft pick Obi Toppin and veteran expiring contract Julius Randle vying for minutes. On a roster devoid of stars, most of Thibodeau’s starting lineup is up for grabs.
Mitchell Robinson has competition at center with Nerlens Noel, and the point-guard rotation is a mystery with five potential options.
“There’s a lot of different ways to develop, but also understanding the importance of winning and how important that is. Things are going to be earned,” said Thibodeau, who only missed the playoffs once in seven full seasons as a head coach. “They’re not going to be given to players. That’s the way I think we have to approach it.”
Unfortunately for Thibodeau, winning will prove tough again following New York’s quiet free agency. The Knicks spent only about half of their $40 million in cap space while signing one-year deals. It maintains flexibility for the 2021 class, but also leaves t with a young roster that’s unlikely to break a seven-year playoff drought.
Thibodeau said he’s hopeful the patient approach will bear fruit in the future.
“I think you look at the four avenues (free agency, trade, draft, player development) and try to build your plan that way. I thought we had a well thought-out plan and we took advantage of some things we thought were good for us,” Thibodeau said. “But we wanted to be disciplined. And we were. There’ll be other opportunities moving forward. But we concentrate on the players we have here. Concentrate on our improvement. And hopefully good things will happen.”
The Hawks were the only team that carried as much cap space as the Knicks into free agency, and they splurged on upgrades with Danilo Gallinari (three years, $61.5 million), Rajon Rondo (two years, $15 million) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (four years, $72 million). The Knicks’ most expensive signing was Alec Burks (one year, $6 million).
A common theme to the Knicks’ roster construction was the acquisition of players either from the University of Kentucky — which is closely associated to top Knicks executive William Wesley — or represented by CAA — where Wesley and team
president Leon Rose served as agents before joining the Knicks.
Nine of the 12 players acquired by the Knicks since Rose took over are either CAA clients or former Kentucky players (or both). They have five Wildcats on the roster, which is more than any other NBA team. They have nine players represented by CAA, which is more than half the roster and way above the percentage of overall NBA players repped by the power agency.
Thibodeau, however, rejected the idea the Knicks were favoring those players.
“I think it’s more coincidental,” Thibodeau said. “I think obviously the Kentucky piece, they have one of the best programs in the country, whether we’re talking about a Kentucky or a Duke. And I know both coaches very well and often times will talk to them about the draft and get their thoughts and you know when you’re getting a player out of either one of those programs, they understand what the team is about, they understand what winning is about, so that part is coincidental.
“CAA is one of the biggest agencies out there, and there’s a lot of arms to CAA,” Thibodeau continued. “There’s a number of agents who work for the agency and so it just so happened that quite a few of the guys are represented by CAA, but I think that probably holds true for most teams. But we thought they fit us the best and we had the opportunity to get those players and we did. But there wasn’t anything said like, ‘Well, we got to have Kentucky players,’ or ‘We have to have CAA players.’ That’s just not the case.”
The Knicks still have over $18 million in cap space that it can use to facilitate a trade. The Knicks discussed absorbing Nic Batum’s contract, according to multiple sources, but apparently weren’t moved by the Hornets’ offer. Charlotte GM Mitch Kupchak said he resisted offering “draft capital” to take on Batum’s $27 million, and it’s unclear if he put any of Charlotte’s young prospects on the table. The Hornets ultimately waived and stretched Batum’s contract to create room for Gordon Hayward. Knicks president Leon Rose hasn’t spoken to the media since July. If the Knicks don’t use the cap space by the end of the season, the team will pay extra to the players already on the roster until it reaches the CBA-mandated salary floor.
Thibodeau is now preaching patience with the roster construction but also pushing for a winning rotation.