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The New York Knicks hosted the Atlanta Hawks at home for the first time since being eliminated by them in the playoffs.
As expected, a show was put on and Hawks point guard Trae Young finished with 45 points and a delivered a brutal crossover on veteran Taj Gibson that left him on the ground while Young knocked in a clutch bucket.
In a game without Julius Randle, it was expected the Knicks were going to give Obi Toppin a lot of minutes, but coach Tom Thibodeau decided to finish the game out with Gibson and Mitchell Robinson as the two big men.
This loss secured a losing season for the Knicks, so there are many questions about why a 36-year-old journeyman continues to get minutes over some of the young talent, and Thibodeau explained that it came down to the flow of the game.
“It was really the way the game was flowing,” he said. “That group that started the fourth, they had a pretty good run going. And then Taj, it’s his experience, his defense and also the matchup with Gallinari is something you’re concerned about. So, those were the reasons.”
While he gave an explanation, that wasn’t enough for some people, and there are some analysts now calling for his job.
Knicks Pressed to Make Change
This isn’t the first time people have been mad at Tom Thibodeau, and it certainly won’t be the last.
Fox Sports 1 analyst Nick Wright says this latest display should be enough for the Knicks to move on.
“Thibs INSISTING on playing Taj Gibson (Taj Gibson!) crunch time minutes, or any minutes, really, in 2022 for a team eliminated from playoff contention should be enough to not bring him back next year,” he said. “This is outrageous.”
One common critique of Thibodeau is his reliance on veterans, and that has been on full display the whole season. There are numerous times where fans called on the bench to be played more, but he always tended to stick with the starters.
Will Miles McBride Get a Chance?
With Kemba Walker gone from the team and Derrick Rose out with injury, the options for the Knicks at point guard are very limited, and Thibodeau has been going with Alec Burks at the position.
Something that’s been sitting right in front of him all season is Miles McBride, a player who dominates the G-League seemingly every game he plays in. Thibs seems very hesitant about giving him minutes in New York, and that’s becoming an even stranger decision considering the season is all but lost at this point.
With a losing record secured, there’s no reason the team shouldn’t give McBride some work, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything to indicate that will be the case. For the time being, Knicks fans will just have to continue watching him dominate the lesser competition in the G-League and hope Thibodeau gives him a chance or gets replaced in the offseason.
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