Donte DiVincenzo had seen the poll.
Last April, as the playoffs approached and New York Knicks were well on their way to the franchise’s best season in a decade, Athleticism published an anonymous player survey in which their coach, Tom Thibodeau, was the first to get votes in a most unflattering category: the coach the players would choose less likes to play for.
It wasn’t even close either, as Thibodeau received 43.6 percent of the vote, then…Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas comes in a distant second with 14.5 percent. Add to that the fact that Thibodeau became a two-time winner of this unwelcome award, having also won the (dis)honor when this poll was last released. in 2019and it’s safe to say that his reputation as an old school leader in these new age times was alive and well.
But watching these Knicks (41-28) compete with that vintage Thibodeau style during their 3-1 West Coast road trip that ended in a loss at Denver on Thursday night, and marveling at their ability to stay among the best in the Eastern Conference (Boston despite a series of brutal injuries to key players, has been the realization that today’s players are completely wrong about the oft-criticized 66-year-old. Just ask DiVincenzo.
“This poll, to me — and excuse my language — but that doesn’t mean s–,” DiVincenzo, who played for Golden State last season and signed a four-year, $50 million contract with New York last summer, said Athleticism after the Knicks’ victory against the Warriors on Monday night. “I saw the survey, but I signed here.”
His ringing endorsement continued from there.
“I don’t care (Thibodeau’s reputation),” DiVincenzo continued. “I don’t care. The guys in the NBA now (are different) than before. Everyone wants the game on offense. Nobody wants to come and train. But me, being my first year here, I think he’s done a great job of balancing things out.
“From the outside world, there is always (a different point of view). But in our house – internally – we have a good dynamic and we enjoy it and everyone enjoys being together. To the outside world, you don’t really know. All you know is perception. All you know is the history of other teams (Thibodeau has been a coach) and his years with different organizations. But we had a lot of days off, a lot of days off.
And word has it, I shared with DiVincenzo, that Thibodeau’s workouts aren’t as hard as advertised these days.
“That’s not the case,” DiVincenzo confirmed. “I played for (Warriors’ Steve) Kerr and for Coach Bud (former Deer coach Mike Budenholzer). It’s not like you come here and all of a sudden you’re running track every day (in practice). I think what he does by far better than anyone I’ve been around is that he’s the most prepared. So this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stand and run for two hours. But when you’re in there, you’re going to lock in and you’re going to do the work and we’re going to get out of there.
In this “player participation policy“season where the NBA finally pushed back on the load management movement, and where there has been a public outcry for improved defensive play and increased physicality, there is something appropriate about a Thibodeau team presenting itself in this kind of manner . They are tough, with a next-man-up mentality that has helped them survive serious setbacks in Julius Randle (out since dislocating his right shoulder on Jan. 27), Mitchell Robinson (absent since his ankle operation in mid-December) and OG Anunoby (missed 20 of the last 23 games after having a loose bone fragment removed from his right elbow). They play hard on both ends of the court, with a seventh-ranked defense who has thrived despite the aforementioned absences (Robinson and Anunoby, in particular, are elite in this regard).
After victories in Portland (105-93), Sacramento (98-91) and the Warriors (119-112), these (severely) undermanned Knicks used this formula to almost upset the defending champion. Nuggets in their West Coast final (they trailed by five midway through the fourth and lost 113-100). It was another strong sign, among many of late, that the Knicks will be a handful for any team that makes the playoffs — no matter who is able to take the floor.
But whether Thibodeau’s Knicks can get healthy in time for the playoffs — and that’s a major question if – it’s not hard to imagine a world in which they make the kind of deep playoff run their franchise hasn’t had since falling to Reggie Miller. Pacers in the East final almost a quarter of a century ago. After all, they have nearly a month of compelling evidence (Jan. 1-Jan. 27) that they can play like title contenders when at full strength.
During this time period following their trade with Toronto for Anunoby, and Randle included, the Knicks went 12-2 while boasting the league’s No. 1 defensive rating, ninth-best offensive rating and second-best net rating. This was some of the best basketball any team has played this season – including the Celtics.
Yet the uncertainty that accompanies all of these woes makes it harder to handicap New York’s playoff prospects. It is not yet known when or if Randle will return. And like our Fred Katz wrote ThursdayThe Knicks learned the hard way before Randle rushing back from an injury isn’t a wise plan.
Julius Randle has been out of action since late January. (Brad Penner / USA Today)
Anunoby’s timetable is also unclear, as he recently returned for three games and once again needs to sit out due to pain from lingering inflammation. Robinson, meanwhile, was a full participant in the Knicks’ practice on Wednesday but, according to Thibodeau, it will still take “some time” for him to return to form and must also be cleared to return by the Knicks’ medical staff. team. Even a big man Isaiah Hartensteinwho played so well while helping fill the void left by Robinson, remains limited to minutes due to an Achilles issue that has dogged him all season.
Which brings us back to Thibodeau.
As is the case for any coach whose contractual situation is in question, the outcome of the playoffs will surely matter going forward. His current contract runs through the 2024-25 season, but league sources say he hopes to secure his future with the Knicks when the two sides consider revisiting the subject this summer. At this rate, the Knicks might end up hoping they’ve decided to do something with Thibodeau. Before the recent explosion in coaching salaries.
For those who might have missed the economic boom on this front, take a look at this list of recent deals that dramatically changed the market:
League sources say Thibodeau, by comparison, earns an annual salary of around $7 million. All signs point to a well-deserved raise likely coming.
This also makes perfect sense. This roster, which was largely constructed by the Leon Rose-led front office with Thibodeau’s gritty mentality in mind, is full of players like DiVincenzo who thrive in a demanding, professional environment. In this sense, it is a much better solution than Thibodeau’s mess in Minnesota this has happened before (the fact that Jimmy Butler was the only lead actor cut from the Thibodeau cloth was… problematic).
Centerpiece of the franchise Jalen Brunson is known for being one of his biggest supporters, as is his father and Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson. Randle is also his type of player, a bruiser who is probably trying to come running back right now. Ditto for Anunoby, who suffered some obvious elbow pain while recovering before the decision was made to give him more time to heal.
For a more specific example of their simpatico ways, consider this 29-year-old Josh Hart played all 48 minutes of the Knicks’ win over the Warriors (achieving his fifth triple-double) and seemed excited to do so. He signed for the 2026-27 campaign. And as an intriguing and relevant aside, third-year point guard Miles McBride (a 2021 second-rounder out of West Virginia) has shown the kind of developmental strides as of late (including a career-high 29 points against the Warriors) that only adds to their depth.
In other words, even with all these injuries, the Knicks have no shortage of reasons to be optimistic about what lies ahead. As Katz reported after the Anunoby trade in mid-January, the search for another star to pair with Brunson will continue this summer – whoever that may be. New York has all of its own first-round picks, as well as top picks from Dallas (2024), Detroit (2024), Washington (2024) and Milwaukee (2025). Those kinds of assets help greatly, of course, in this kind of star player quest.
Here and now, though, Thibodeau’s focus is on these Knicks battling through all this adversity and hoisting as many hoops as possible when it matters most. And the coach so many players would least like to play for, it seems, has the full buy-in of those who couldn’t be happier that he’s their coach.
“It’s a team, and that’s what we prioritize,” Thibodeau said before the Warriors game. “That’s why we want guys to sacrifice and put the team first. But there has to be this belief. And I think when your best players have that belief, your whole team ends up having that belief. We know we have a great group that we work with. It’s great to be there every day. They give you everything they have. So we know we’re lucky, but we know we still have a lot of work to do.
“And I think the confidence comes from demonstrated ability, like the fact that we won with players out (that means) there’s a belief that we can do it. If we stay disciplined and do the things we need to do, we will have a chance to win.
(Top photo of Tom Thibodeau and Jalen Brunson: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
