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There are certain issues the New York Knicks must address if they want to become playoff contenders once again.
After a hot start, the Knicks eventually declined from great to good, to bad. Surely, there are a lot of contributing factors and New York has got to put an end to all of it.
As things stand, there have been 3 obvious issues needing immediate resolution.
End the Kemba Walker-Tom Thibodeau drama
It can be recalled that in late November, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to bench his All-Star point guard Kemba Walker. Clueless of what the heck was going on, the media began quizzing coach Thibs to divulge the truth behind it.
Unfortunately, Thibodeau chose not to elaborate Walker's situation. Instead, he just pointed out that he's basically working on rotations and “more changes” could happen in the future.
“I do have respect for him, he’s part of the team,” Thibodeau said of Walker's benching last month. “And right now we have a rotation, he’s not in the rotation but he’s working in practice, he’s doing all the things he should be doing.”
“If the intensity’s right and the execution’s not right and it’s not working, then you change [the rotation],” the coach explained. “So those are the two things, when you look at decision-making. And then you gather more information. Sometimes, if a decision’s not right, then you make another decision. You gather the information, study it and you look at it objectively. …If we’re not performing well, look, there may be more changes coming.”
The saga continued and Walker returned to Boston on Saturday coming off of a 10-game layoff. With a host of Knicks players in COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Thibodeau was prompted to put Walker back in the starting lineup against his former team.
To everybody's surprise, Walker played his heart out and exploded to a season-high 29 points. However, he admitted that he kind of feels that him starting for the Knicks may not happen again in the succeeding games.
“I hate it. I want to play. … I don't know what the future holds, you know? I do feel like I have a lot to give still. I don't know,” Walker said post game via NBC Sports. “That's up to these guys.”
“I know I should be playing, so no question. It feels great,” he stressed. “But whatever situation I'm in, I'm gonna stay locked in, stay prepared. Whatever the team needs from me, I'll be there for them.”
For sure, Walker's performance against the Celtics impressed Thibodeau. But that doesn't guarantee that Thibs will now end this tricky game he's been playing on the star point guard.
Nevertheless, the Knicks are now aware of what they could get when Walker is around.
Take some pressure off Julius Randle
After playing his All-Star season this past campaign, Julius Randle eventually became the new face of the Knicks.
Last season, Randle played the best basketball of his career, shooting 45.6% from the field while also being 41% efficient from beyond the arc. He finised the season, averaging a remarkable 24.1 points per game.
However, Randle seems to have lost his mojo this season, dipping down to 19.6 points per outing and shooting just 33.5% from three-point range. More often than not, the Knicks are sharing the basketball but it has been quite evident that Randle is still the focal point of the offense. Therefore, the drastic decline is really about his conversion.
At 27 years old, Randle indeed is in his prime and still has the potential to even reach the pinnacle of his career in the next few years. He has also been known as a shy type of person so issues with his teammates should be scratch off in the conversation.
Apparently, Randle's problem with something not foreign to the Knicks–the need to have a formidable co-star.
Since the offseason, New York already knew that Randle should not burden the pressure of being the sole leader of the group. Frankly, he's just not the type of player who can spearhead an entire group, at least for now.
“One source believes locker-room leadership has started to become an issue. Randle is not a born leader, self-admittedly the quiet type, as is Derrick Rose,” per Marc Berman of The New York Post.
If that's the case, Knick might want to consider plotting a swoop for another star if they really wanna build around Randle.
Fire Thibodeau
When everything has been said and done, most NBA franchises know what to do. At this point, it seems like firing Thibodeau is not yet necessary but when push comes to shove, New York must pull the plug.
