Controversy Surrounds Coach Thibodeau: Overloading Players or Building Resilience?

After the seventh and decisive game of the NBA playoff series between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, a quick look at social networks was enough to capture the mood of the Knicks supporters.

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Tom Thibodeau, head coach of the New York franchise, is “a sick man,” it said, among other things. The specific accusation: “He has a history of driving his players into injuries. He’s done it in Chicago, Minnesota and now New York.” The events are “shocking”.

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Criticism of overloading the Knicks players

Not only did the franchise lose the game 109-130 and thus miss out on a place in the Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics – superstar Jalen Brunson also broke his hand late in the game.

A fact that fits seamlessly into the previous experiences surrounding the coach. In 2015, when Thibodeau was still on the sidelines as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, he was exposed to similar accusations.

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The starters were completely overloaded, while rookies and role players were hardly used. “The only way you can guarantee someone won’t get hurt is if you don’t let them play. Don’t let him train. Don’t let him play in the preseason and don’t let him play in the regular season. “Then he won’t get hurt,” he said, saying he was annoyed by the criticism at the time.

Many players get injured again and again

That was nine years ago, but not much has changed. On the contrary: Injuries are the order of the day for the Knicks, including German Isaiah Hartenstein. In game six, Josh Hart substituted himself because of an abdominal muscle injury – and this was not the first time.

He averaged 42 minutes on the floor in the playoffs, even though he was supposed to rest. He was largely uninvolved in the decisive game. And he’s not the only one.

OG Anunoby suffered a hamstring injury in the second game against the Pacers, subsequently had to sit out four games and was only able to play five minutes in the decisive seventh game. He had previously walked around the field limping.

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Tom Thibodeau faces harsh criticism

In addition: Julius Randle (shoulder), Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitch Robinson (ankle) had already been injured during the season, which meant that other players were used even more often in the playoffs. And then there’s superstar Jalen Brunson’s broken hand.

Thibodeau praises his players’ fighting spirit

“I think the guys gave it their all and that’s all you can ask for,” Thibodeau said after the game. “It was a struggle all year and we had nothing left to give.”

Thibodeau then went on to list the Knicks’ injuries. He explained that the fighting spirit that his players showed despite the misery gave him “peace of mind. The only thing you can ask for is that everyone does their best. And that’s what we got from these guys all year long. And the other thing that comes with it is the certainty that you did your best. That’s all you could ask for.”

And further: “We took the hit with Mitch and then Julius and OG are added, i.e. the front line. Then Bogdanovic is also out. It was one blow after another, but these guys never gave up. They kept fighting.”

Support from Brunson and Hart

For countless fans and media representatives, looking at the Knicks’ injury misery – and the recurring pattern of player overload under Thibodeau – it is clear that the 66-year-old bears a not insignificant amount of blame.

But that doesn’t necessarily seem to be the case with the players. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, two important players plagued by injuries, spoke out and defended their coach.

“I think Thibs has the same mindset that we have as a team. Thibs is the reason we have that mentality. Thibs is the reason we play our best night in and night out, even when things aren’t going in our favor as far as results go. He makes sure we keep that mentality night in and night out,” Brunson explained.

And further: “I think he has developed further, he sees everything that everyone says. When it comes to us, we don’t care what people outside think of us. We don’t care what people say, positive or negative. We continue to do what we think is the best course of action within this building, within the organization. I think he’s developed to the point where his players are behind him in the locker room no matter what.”

Contract extension with the Knicks?

Meanwhile, Josh Hart explained: “At the end of the day, in year seven of my career, I’ve probably had more days off than before. Everyone thinks we train for three hours and have them train. It’s idiotic to blame him for that. He’s not going to comment on it. He’s just going to take it and move on.”

Incidentally, he could even continue beyond his contract, which runs until 2025. The New York Post reports that the club and coach are working on a contract extension.

It is doubtful whether the disappointed fans would like this.

2024-05-22 10:31:15
#coach #risking #health #players