Knicks' Tom Thibodeau Wins Undesired Title in NBA Player Poll

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has helped put the New York Knicks back on track but that's apparently not enough to impress some on-court NBA outsiders.

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If a recent poll of NBA players conducted by The Athletic is any indication, hardwood outsiders don't want to be a part of it in New York, New York if Tom Thibodeau was around.

The New York Knicks' head coach topped a survey of 55 players when polled on the question of "Which current coach, aside from your own, would you least want to play for?." Thibodeau topped the list at over 43 percent, more than doubling the output toward Stephen Silas, the since-fired head coach of the Houston Rockets. Responses of "other" comes in third while Philadelphia's Doc Rivers rounds out the top four.

Thibodeau is in the midst of his third season coaching the Knicks and is working through his second blue and orange playoff berth (previously falling to Atlanta in 2021's opening round). Seeded fifth, the Knicks own a 1-0 lead on the fourth-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers with Game 2 of the best-of-seven set scheduled for Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).

While Thibodeau has built a lengthy coaching career (regularly residing on an NBA sideline since 1989), he has developed a bit of a negative reputation for reportedly clashing with players and preferring veterans over younger talents. This time around, respondents seemed to be concerned with the conception that Thibodeau overworks his top players.

"He plays his guys 44 minutes (a game) all year," one of the anonymously polled players said. "I’ve heard from guys like if he likes you, if you’re his guy, he’ll treat you great. He’ll play you a lot, talk to you, so you’ll f*** with him in that sense. But if you’re on the outside, it’s like you’re not getting back in.” 

There may be a point to the idea of Thibodeau maintaining an on-court inner circle of sorts, but it has worked to New York's advantage. The third-year Knicks boss has stuck to a nine-man rotation since early December, one that more or less exiled notable names like Evan Fournier (an opening night starter), imported first-round pick Cam Reddish (since traded to Portland), and tenured point guard Derrick Rose (a longtime Thibodeau protege in Chicago and Minnesota). 

Since Thibodeau enacted such a strategy, the Knicks have posted a 38-22 record (including the aforementioned playoff win on Saturday in Cleveland), good for the sixth-best win percentage in the NBA in that span. 

Pollsters Sam Amick and Josh Robbins seem to come to Thibodeau's defense, noting that no Knick ranked in the top 16 of minutes per game averages despite the supposed overload. In fact, beyond Julius Randle (17th) and Jalen Brunson (23rd), no other New Yorker appeared within the first 35 names in the category.  

"One of the reasons for his teams’ success is that he holds his players accountable for their efforts and attention to detail," the accompanying blurb declares. "That, coupled with his reputation for playing his guys heavy minutes, explains why he led this category by a wide margin."

Thibodeau's prescience in the unsavory department is part of a mixed back of New York-based responses: joining Thibodeau in infamy is Randle, named the third-most overrated player in the NBA behind "other" and Atlanta's Trae Young. But, in a packed poll of 97 responses, Jalen Brunson is among the league's most underrated players, gaining 4.1 percent of a vote paced by "other" and Milwaukee's Jrue Holiday. 

The Madison Square Garden faithful likewise gains some recognition, as The World's Most Famous Arena ties for having the third-best fans in basketball with Golden State Warrior supporters at Chase Center. That counters a lower finish in the mirroring section, where four percent of respondents mentioned that the Garden had the "worst" fans. 

Knicks fans will get a chance to flex their verbal muscles on Friday night when the series against the Cavaliers heads back east to MSG. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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