By now we are probably sick of hearing about who could potentially be coaching the Knicks and what they can bring to the locker room, but here is the definitive answer you want!
Please feel free to recap the Coaching Carousel series with Mark Jackson, Mike Miller, Thibs and Atkinson if you need a refresher)
At this point I don't think either option is the wrong choice and I would be happy to see either of these men coaching next season. Regardless, it will be interesting, especially given their very different approaches to coaching.
Thibs is the old school, rough and tumble, hard-nosed grinder. Working and overworking himself and his stars to hold the role players to a higher standard.
Atkinson is Moneyball. He will take the analytics and use every option presented to him to get the right fit of players and the right timing to make sure there is maximum impact during a players time on the court.
My assessment here might not make a ton of you happy, however, I believe we need a bit of both of these men on the sideline. The youth of the NBA know about metrics and analytics and they pay attention to it, they will respond to it. They also need some toughening up. I grew up on 90's era basketball. Hand checking, hard fouls and fist fights and frankly, I miss it. I want the starting 5 to walk out on to The Garden floor every night with some swagger and a sense of pride to protect The Mecca and bring playoff basketball back to NYC and not be afraid to mix it up a little bit. Remember how good you felt when Mario Hezonja blocked LeBron to win the game OR when he dunked on and did the Iverson step over to Giannis?
That's what I'm talking about and that is what New York basketball needs.
So, to whoever is going to coach this team: Figure out a way to get a nice blend of new school knowledge and old school ground and pound and bring back Knicks basketball, whoever you are.
PS. I think I am picking Atkinson for the job. It is probably easier for him to get tough on guys than it would be for Thibs to learn the analytics.
Comments