NBA Agent Shuts Down Concerns About Knicks Free Agents
You only get one chance to make a good first impression ... unless you're Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks, apparently.
Thibodeau and the Knicks seemed to be a perfect match for all the wrong reasons: Thibodeau continues to top the poll of the NBA's so-called scariest coach ... the one players would least like to play for ... while the Knicks seem to frequently miss out on prime free agent talents.
One of the most inspiring stretches of Manhattan basketball in quite some time, however, appears to be changing the perception of the Knickerbockers, at least according to The Ringer's Howard Beck.
“I think there is a higher trust level (in Thibodeau),” a "veteran agent who’s represented multiple All-NBA players" said in Beck's heartfelt, inspiring obituary to the Knicks' 2023-24 season. “They’re winning; everyone sees the passion of the fans. Guys who flourish under Thibs love him. I don’t have any reservations about putting anyone there.”
Thibodeau and Co. have effectively flipped the script on the memes and one-liners that hardwood comedians would use to turn the Knicks into a punchline. Instead, the Knicks have one of the brightest futures along their NBA brethren.
Under Thibodeau's watch, backcourt talents like Donte DiVincenzo and newly-minted All-NBA rep Jalen Brunson have posted the finest numbers of their professional careers. New York is also one of only three teams (joined by Boston and Denver) to win at least one playoff round in each of the last two seasons.
Thibodeau perhaps officially chnged his perception with his work in year four at the Manhattan helm: despite dealing with injury reports that could've resembled starting lineups, Thibodeau guided the Knicks to 50 wins and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, reaching both landmarks for the first time since 2013.
The decision over whether to "run it back" will certainly linger on the minds of professional and amateur observers alike. But Beck's analysis hints that the Knicks are destined to go star fishing, claiming that it's part of a promise that the Leon Rose-William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley made to team owner James Dolan.
"The Knicks now, as ever, are in a perpetual hunt for another glitzy star—and Dolan, as ever, expects one," Beck wrote. "'That is factual,' said a source with ties to the Garden. 'The Rose-Wesley team “promised him stars,' the source said. 'He didn’t hire them for their (experience) running a basketball team.'"
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks