The New York Knicks and Kemba Walker just made the mutual decision for him to sit for the remainder of the season. What does this mean for the point guard position and the Knicks' strategy after the All-Star break?

The way Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was talking on Wednesday, it seems like veteran Alec Burks will be the starter at point guard, even though Derrick Rose is on the verge of returning from a long-term absence. Via SNY's Ian Begley:

“We’ll see. I think just looking, digging into the numbers and stuff, Alec (Burks) has been our best option so far.”

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Begley notes that the Knicks' lineup of Burks, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson has been very good this season. However, it's also worth pointing out that Burks has been awful for a couple of months now, and many Knicks fans want to see the team go younger as this season has gone off the rails. New York is 25-34 and 3.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot, with the Washington Wizards also ahead of them.

But in typical Thibs fashion, it seems there's no interest in a youth movement as his team tries to make a push for the play-in tournament. Perhaps the strategy changes if New York continues to struggle, but Thibs is likely banking on Rose's return (and Barrett's return) to help turn things around. Even if Rose doesn't start, he'll likely play a big role and close games. His presence has undoubtedly been missed as the Knicks have choked away numerous leads this season.

Things have certainly not gone as planned in New York. The Kemba Walker situation is perfectly emblematic of this now that he's getting benched for a second time, and this time for good. We'll see if the Knicks can salvage this 2021-22 campaign.