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Tom Thibodeau was asked who he would start when point guard Elfrid Payton (hamstring) returns from his hamstring injury. This is now the least of his problems.
After his availability in the media ahead of Tuesday’s game in San Antonio, the Knicks announced that recent starter Derrick Rose was out on COVID-19 health and safety protocols. It was not immediately clear whether he had tested positive or had come into close contact with someone with COVID-19.
This could mean Rose is out until the All-Star hiatus. The Knicks finish the first half Thursday against Detroit.
Rose was due to start his fourth game in a row on Tuesday, but generally all protocols take a week, especially if he was in contact with someone with COVID-19.
“I basically decide what’s best for the team,” Thibodeau said when asked who would be the future starter when everyone is healthy.
Frank Ntilikina started against Spurs, and Austin Rivers, who had been banned from the rotation, was about to embark on a game as a substitute.
Thibodeau went on to explain why he often refused to treat garbage time as garbage time and stuck with his best players in the fourth quarter of the blowouts.
“It’s just a reading of the game, of what’s going on,” said Thibodeau. “The way people can catch up with 3s, there’s no sure lead.
First All-Star Julius Randle played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter in the Detroit explosion on Sunday.
Nerlens Noel, the Knicks’ only true center, played the final nine minutes on the second night in a row.
The Knicks led by 19 or more points throughout the fourth in Detroit – except when they fell to 17 with 55 seconds left.
When told the header looked very secure against the worst team in the East, Thibodeau said: “I have a lot of confidence in our bench, but we’re also trying to find a rhythm with the guys we have and we have different bands playing. There are a lot of things at stake and these are just coaching decisions.
Freshman coach Steve Nash won the NBA Coach of the Month for February by guiding the Nets to a 9-4 record. Erik Spoelstra and Mike Budenholzer got votes. Thibodeau was shut out after going 9-5 last month to sidestep a franchise that had been horrendous for seven consecutive seasons.
“I never watch that stuff so for me the focus has to be on the team,” said Thibodeau. “Steve did a wonderful, happy job for him. Great trainer, great person. And they have a hell of a year. So congratulations to him. I want me to focus on what we need to do the next day. ”
In August, legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told The Post Thibodeau was “a seasoned veteran who, needless to say, understands what wins and what loses. He knows how to set up a program, create a culture, be demanding. ”
Popovich was prescient with the Knicks’ 18-17 record coming in on Tuesday.
“Par for the course, no surprise,” Popovich said before facing the Knicks. “He has standards, holds everyone accountable, sticks to them. And you see the results. He’s doing a good job. ”
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