After a magical season first season with the Knicks for Tom Thibodeau, it seems as though the clock has struck midnight in New York and everything is back to normal.

The Knicks find themselves in 12th place in a crowded Eastern Conference, almost 10 games out of a guaranteed playoff berth at sixth and 3.5 games back of the Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot.

Things went from bad to worse just as the Knicks were entering the All-Star break. After holding a 28-point lead against their crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets, who were without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving or Ben Simmons, they somehow blew it and lost the game by five.

That loss sparked a host of speculation last week, some of which centered around Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. There were rumblings that Knicks executive William Wesley was “at least in part” heaping some of the blame on coach Thibs.

Via Ian Begley of SNY:

And in conversations with Knicks owner James Dolan this month, Wesley has been laying the blame for the season – at least in part – on Thibodeau’s coaching, per SNY sources.

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Before the return from the All-Star break, the Knicks coach was asked about the alleged blame being directed towards him.

Via Greg Joyce of the New York Post:

“I talk to Wes all the time,” Thibodeau said Wednesday. “I don’t respond to rumors or any of that stuff. I know the drill here. I’ve been here before, so I don’t worry about any of that stuff.”

“I talk to Leon every day, talk to Wes every day,” said Thibodeau, who is in the second year of a five-year contract. “So that doesn’t change.”

At nine games under .500, the Knicks are running out of time to turn the season around. With their next five games coming out of the All-Star break set to be on national television, the spotlight will definitely be shone towards whichever direction they trend towards.