The NBA gave out its two coaches of the month for April, and New York Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle is not pleased with the results.
The accolade for the Eastern Conference was awarded to Scott Brooks, who—along with Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal—helped lead the Washington Wizards (30-35) to a 12-5 record in April and into contention for the play-in tournament.
However, Randle believes his head coach, Tom Thibodeau, was snubbed. After all, Thibodeau led the Knicks to a better record than Washington in the month of April. At 37-28, the Knicks are now squarely solidified in the playoff bracket and have the inside track to host a first-round series at Madison Square Garden.
“Very surprised by that,” Randle said, via Marc Berman of the New York Post. “There’s no way in hell he shouldn’t have been Coach of the Month. No disrespect to Scott Brooks, he’s doing an amazing job over there with Washington. Just the body of work with what Thibs has had us to all year and throughout the month: nine-game winning streak, 11-4, the way our offense has gone and grown throughout the process of the season.”
Randle specifically cited Thibodeau's direct impact on the Knicks' defense, which has been elite all season thanks to a dedication to fundamentals and effort.
“Our defense, remaining one of the top defenses,” Julius Randle added. “We believe we have the best defense – but remaining one of the top defenses in the league.”
Despite the steady improvement of the young Knicks, Thibodeau, in his first year running the show in New York, has yet to receive a Coach of the Month honor. Fortunately, it's not the type of thing the veteran coach is too concerned with.
“It's fine. If you ask Thibs the most important thing is winning games, so that’s all he cares about – that’s all we care about,” Randle said.
Along with Thibodeau, the breakout play of Randle, which the Knick's coaching staff deserve plaudits for fostering, has been a driving force behind the team's strong run of play over the past few weeks.
In 17 games since the beginning of April, Randle is averaging 27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting over 44 percent from 3-point range and playing excellent defense. The 26-year old was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for his brilliant hooping.
“It’s a great honor,’” the Knicks star said of the award. “As an individual it’s a great honor. But it’s really a testament to everything we’ve done as a team. Same thing as All-Star or Player of the Week. You don’t reach those goals without all of our guys playing well and that’s having team success. It’s really a testament to our team.’’
The seventh-year pro is a shoo-in for the league's Most Improved Player of the Year award, and he has played himself onto MVP ballots. Surely, Randle is hoping his coach will be similarly recognized on the Coach of the Year voting.
On Wednesday, the Knicks will face the Denver Nuggets, led by head coach Michael Malone who earned Western Conference Coach of the Month honors for April.
Follow Us
Subscribe