Former Knicks Guard Defends Tom Thibodeau

Tom Thibodeau has drummed up some controversy with the New York Knicks.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 16, 2024

Nov 8, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau argues with referee Tre Maddox (23) during the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has built a reputation of running players into the ground, but ask people who have played for him, and they'll say it isn't the case.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo was recently asked about Thibodeau and his coaching style, and he came to his defense.

“Tibs gets his rap of ‘practice, practice, practice, practice’ but we’re playing, then a day off, playing, come and watch film, and playing. There’s only so much you can do," DiVincenzo said h/t Posting and Toasting. "I will say he tries to get the most out of you every single day but it’s not running up and down, and then go and play 40 (minutes). If we were doing that, I wouldn’t be able to, there’s no way you can.”

DiVincenzo played just one season under Thibodeau last year, where the team notoriously had a short rotation for the playoffs that found themselves injured by the end of the playoff run. However, DiVincenzo doesn't take issue with it.

“With Tibs, you trust in whatever his decision is and we were winning. You can’t knock it, we were winning," DiVincenzo said. “I think you get to the point where, like after the season, I felt that my body felt really good. It wasn’t at the end of the year where I was like ‘damn, I’ve got nothing left.’ I know a lot of guys got hurt and everything but me personally afterward, I was like ‘damn, we were one game away.’”

DiVincenzo was traded to the Wolves in a blockbuster deal just before the start of the season for Karl-Anthony Towns, but it appears he still has a positive outlook on his brief time in the Big Apple.

DiVincenzo and the Timberwolves will play the Knicks on Thu. Dec. 19 in Minneapolis at the Target Center.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Nov 16, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.