Morning Knicks 7/31: Knicks May Thibodeau Hire Official, Add Mike Woodson to Coaching Staff, and More
-The Knicks have made it official: Tom Thibodeau is the next head coach of the franchise. New York held an introductory press conference about the major hire, with Thibodeau, Leon Rose, and Scott Perry all speaking. You can read more about Thibodeau officially becoming a Knick from our own Kris Pusiainen.
During the press conference, Thibodeau spoke about a variety of topics, with two of the more notable ones being style of play and minutes allocation. Both of these have brought criticism on Thibodeau, as he would often employ too many big men for the modern day NBA and play his star players a ton of minutes. Thibodeau said all the right things in the press conference, but can he evolve? Our own Howard Megdal wrote a great piece on Thibodeau's opportunity with the Knicks and how he can show he's grown as a head coach.
If you missed the press conference, our own Jonathan Macri has you covered. Jonathan wrote about five way-to-early conclusions from Thibodeau's presser, which includes takeaways about what resources Thibs will use, if he will change his coaching style, and the timeline he expects the Knicks to be successful again.
-Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the Knicks will hire Mike Woodson as an assistant coach. The former Knicks' head coach was expected to get this role, and he's arguably the most successful Knicks' head coach in nearly 20 years. While the move is not yet official, this shows that Rose will indeed have an influence in who will be on Thibodeau's staff. Kris has more on the return of Woodson to New York.
-There was a report that the Knicks and other teams left out of the NBA restart will be able practice soon. SNY's Ian Begley added another layer, saying these workouts could include G League players. If this comes to fruition, it could give Thibodeau the chance to get a long look at every player in the Knicks' organization, which is not something that head coaches don't often get.
-Thibodeau has long been known as a strong defensive minded coach. Knicks fans who want to learn more about what's given Thibodeau success can read Marc Berman's article in the New York Post about Thibodeau's defensive philosophies and what New York can expect. Berman's piece is deep and detailed with quotes from Jeff Van Gundy and Steve Clifford.
-The NBA season officially returned last night. While New York is nowhere to be found, there's still plenty Knicks fans can watch for. The Clippers' record will affect where the Knicks' second first round pick falls. Kristaps Porzingis will play, as will several potential free agents for the Knicks to analyze. Marc Berman of The New York Post wrote about his top five things to watch for in the NBA bubble if you're a Knicks' fan.
