This might be the New York Knicks most alarming issue
By Adam Kester
![Tom Thibodeau New York Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) Tom Thibodeau New York Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/6b5b22f3dd66cd6d39d9415ed39ddd1267606690755c0e11fb2325317c79e3c4.jpg)
New York Knicks: Does Tom Thibodeau have a long-term future?
Tom Thibodeau isn’t going anywhere… right now.
I am certainly not a proponent of firing Tom Thibodeau midseason, I’m not sure that does anything but cause more chaos. We’ve had enough 1 1/2 year coaches on this team.
Thibs certainly has had some questionable rotations, but Tom Thibodeau seems to have great relationships with the New York Knicks younger players, despite some fans thinking that he’s allergic to them.
Last season’s success has led to this accelerated rebuild.
There are conversations that take place between Tom Thibodeau and the front office that we just don’t know about.
In terms of the general long-term approach, I think everyone is on the same page. Develop a young team, but do so by playing winning basketball and establishing a winning culture. We can’t afford to just be “young and tanking”. We’ve done that song and dance so many times already.
The formula was right on track last season, but this year, that culture has vanished. It’s not just about being better than last season, it’s the fact that they look like a completely different team.
What happens next? I have no idea… Does anyone?
The team just signed Julius Randle. Are they going to try and trade him? They just locked up Evan Fournier for 3 years.
Now, the team just traded for Cam Reddish.
I don’t think a single soul on this earth has any idea what’s going to happen when Reddish is healthy. Clearly, they signed him because they believed in his potential, but where is going to fit in this rotation? Is he going to have a bench role? Part of his wanting out of Atlanta was seeking a larger role.
Did they spend a first-round pick for a young player so he could play behind Evan Fournier? A player who they will have to re-sign soon?
I’m not even saying this in a negative connotation — I loved the Cam Reddish trade and what he could possibly bring. I’m saying this all in a confused connotation.
I think everyone is just confused. That chip-on-your-shoulder, underdog mentality from last season is completely gone and no one knows what to expect from this team on any given night.
Forget about individual player performances for right now, — The whole “culture building”, making New York an attractive destination, building long-term success, that is what is in question right now.
There is something off about the chemistry of the team right now from top to bottom, and I’m not sure anyone knows what the formula is to get back on track.
Next. What do the Knicks have in Evan Fournier?. dark