Blame it on Thibs?

This season has been a failure all around, including the coaching department. Should coach Tom Thibodeau get all of the heat for the Knick’s terrible season thus far?

Hard Times

It’s not a secret that coach Thibodeau has had his struggles while trying to steer this team in the right direction. The Knicks are likely to miss the playoffs which can cause the team to make some changes in the offseason. Recently, there has been a lot of chatter about the Knicks moving on from Thibodeau when the season ends. Now, is it fair for coach Thibodeau to receive some of the blame for the team’s failures? Well, Yes and No.

Thibs has had to deal with some things that even he can’t control. Especially when it comes to the issues at the point guard position. Kemba Walker hasn’t lived up to expectations. He has dealt with injuries himself but his lack of production has pushed him completely out of the rotation. According to sources, Walker is likely to be sidelined for the rest of the season and will find a new home in the offseason.

Also, Derrick Rose, who was a big part of last season’s success, has been out with an ankle injury since December. Plus, even Quentin Grimes is going to miss time with a right knee injury. Alec Burks has been starting at the point guard position, which is not really his natural position on the court. As a coach in today’s league, it is difficult to find success without any real offensive production from the point guard position.

Front Office Flops

Furthermore, besides trading for Cam Reddish before the trade deadline, The Knicks front office didn’t make any moves to try to better this roster and fill in the void. None of the off season acquisitions have worked out. Which has caused Thibodeau to put more of a load on Julius Randle and R.J Barrett on the offensive end. Everything shouldn’t be blamed on Thibodeau but he definitely deserves some of the heat that he is getting.

Tom Thibodeau has been known to be a great defensive coach. Last season, The Knicks were the number 1 ranked defensive in the NBA which was an ingredient to their success. This year, The Knicks have plummeted to being the 25th ranked defense in the league. Something that coach Thibodeau deserves some blame for. There has been to many occasions where the Knicks team has looked absolutely loss and disinterested on that end of the floor. If you’re Thibdoeau, that can’t be a constant issue for this team especially due to how gifted of a defensive coach he is. The message clearly has not gotten to this team, which is one of the reasons why they have struggled.

Back to Thibs

Also, Thibs has not shown any creativity when it comes to switching up the lineups. He continues to play with the same group of players that have not played well together throughout the season. Even though injuries are an obstacle, you have to at least try something different. In the past, Thibodeau has been known to be a coach that sticks with his same group of guys and does not make personnel changes on the fly. There is no reason why young players such as Mile McBride and Cam Reddish can’t receive more minutes to show their worth. Creativity is a must as a head coach and the more coach Thibodeau continues to tunnel vision with his lineups, the less effective the Knicks will be on the court.

In the end, Coach Thibdoeau has shown some of his flaws throughout the season. Some of it is his fault while other components are not, but considering everything that has transpired, it may be time for the Knicks to start looking at head coaching candidates if they are committed to making some big changes in the offseason.