If all goes well, Drike Rose will make an official comeback in the Knicks and Heat on Feb. 26, ESPN reported. Knicks coach Thibodeau revealed that Rose has not yet conducted confrontation training, but will start soon. On December 17, 2021, Rose withdrew from the competition with an ankle injury and underwent surgery on his right ankle on December 23.
There are only 7 days left before Rose's comeback, but the Knicks are not optimistic about the situation now. With the team currently in 12th place in the East with 25 wins and 34 losses and 3.5 wins away from the 10th-place Hawks, the Knicks won't be so easy to make the playoffs. According to New York correspondent Ian Begley, Thibodeau was furious that the Knicks had not moved at the trade deadline.
According to reporter Mark Berman, Thibodeau's cooperation with management this season is not as close as last season. Knicks management is now in a mess, and many people are vying for the right to speak. Thibodeau didn't want Kemba Walker and Redish, but the team didn't listen to him and there were clear differences between the two sides!
And that's not all, Knicks management, in front of owner Dolan, put all the blame for the team's defeat this season on Thibodeau. It also means that Thibodeau is likely to be sidelined this season. If you think about it, the Knicks have played so badly over the years, not without reason. How can a chaotic management stabilize the team?
In the 2020 offseason, Thibodeau signed a five-year contract with the Knicks. In the 2020-21 season, the Knicks finished fourth in the East with 41 wins and 31 losses, returning to the playoffs after eight years. Thibodeau was instrumental in his election as Coach of the Year! At first, it was called Xiao Tiantian, but now it is called Lady Cow. After only one season, Thibodeau can't do it?
When you win, it is the credit of the boss and management, and when you lose, you throw the pot to the head coach? Thibodeau is responsible, but management has equal problems with reinforcements. Coupled with the decline in the performance of main players such as Randle, it is also reasonable that the Knicks' poor record is not good. It's just bitter Rose, and when he comes back, he has to face a mess.
In the 2021 offseason, Rose and Knicks completed their contract extensions for $43 million for three years, with the 2023-24 season as the team option. Once Thibodeau is out of class, it's unclear if the Knicks will keep Rose. In 2010-11, Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history (22 years and 191 days), and Thibodeau won the first best coach of his career.
Although many fans have questioned Thibodeau's excessive use of Rose, from Rose's performance over the years, he has indeed played more comfortably under Thibodeau. On November 1, 2018, Rose scored a career-high 50 points. In the final moments of the game, Thibodeau, then the Timberwolves coach, kept shouting at the other players to give the ball to Rose.
In this league, Thibodeau is the coach who trusts Rose the most, not one. Before joining the Timberwolves, Rose considered retiring, but he did not give up on himself. Rose said: "When I came here, Thibodeau believed in me enough and he gave me a chance. Years from now, the story of Rose and Thibodeau may become a good story.
What do you think is the biggest problem with the Knicks right now?