ESPN Analyst Claims Knicks Coach Under Most Pressure

Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks have gotten off to a sputtering start after the former received a contract extension.

Oct 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau coaches against the Indiana Pacers during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

A young New Yorker was once told that with great power comes great responsibility. Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks are learning that the hard way.

The Knicks are blessed with a packed schedule in the early going, which serves as a blessing in the sense that it doesn't allow observers to linger on a sputtering start that places New York at 3-4 seven games into what has been indirectly billed as the most hopeful season in quite some time.

Such early woes have caused the faith of otherwise loyal media supporter Kendrick Perkins to waiver: the Boston Celtics champion-turned-ESPN analyst admitted that he had "REAL CONCERNS" about the team following Wednesday's loss in Atlanta and bestowed a scary title on Thibodeau during the Thursday edition of "NBA Today."

Apr 11, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins (21) reacts in the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

"Tom Thibodeau, in my eyes, is under the most pressure as far as coaches under pressure," Perkins said (h/t New York Basketball on X). "I would like to see the Knicks run a little bit more action for other people, not just Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson."

Fellow analyst and former WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike offered the notion that embattled Milwaukee Bucks coach and Perkins' former Boston boss Doc Rivers should carry that burden. But Perkins, a frequent defender of the Knicks on the national stage, brushed that notion aside, remarking that "the Knicks actually have expectations."

Perkins' thought was brought about by colleague Brian Windhorst, who compared this year's Knicks to last year's Phoenix Suns: Windhorst reasoned that while Phoenix's trades for Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant depleted depth en route to a disappointing sixth-place finish and immediate playoff elimination, reacquiring new second-rate stars put them back on the right track. As a result, Phoenix (7-1) is currently engaged in an early three-way tie atop the Western Conference.

While also offering critiques of players like Brunson (particularly his lack of scoring in the fourth quarter), Perkins noted that the Suns also swapped coaches, ditching Frank Vogel in favor of Mike Budenhozer. one of Rivers' recent predecessors in Milwaukee. While it's unlikely that Thibodeau, signer of a sizable contract extension over the offseason, would be cast away, this season's sour start will no doubt magnify his spotlight if the Knicks don't get it together.

Ironically enough, the Knicks' next chance to make things right comes against the equally beleaguered Bucks, who visit Madison Square Garden on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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