The New York Knicks had a hot start and their last move to hire a great man Taj Gibson it’s more of a smart decision by Leon rose.
Gibson, who was born and raised near Brooklyn, is a respected veterinarian who played for the Knicks last season. So the main members of the franchise like RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson are already familiar with Gibson, a trusted and familiar face for these players.
Most importantly, however, Gibson brings several years of experience playing under the command of the Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau – including excerpts from 2010 to 2015 on the Chicago Bulls and 2017 through 2017 on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For a team full of young players, a longtime “Thibs guy” like Gibson can lend a hand as a translator in the locker room for the famous intense coach. He can also serve as an extension of the coach when he is on the field, considering the experience he brings to know the philosophies and rhythms of a Thibodeau-style team.
Tom Thibodeau trained Taj Gibson for seven seasons combined with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Thibs has always praised Gibson as a professional on and off the court. https://t.co/BlHPkB1HF6
– Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 7, 2021
After injuries to Obi Toppin and Nerlens Noel, the Knicks have an incredibly thin attacking court. In answer, great man Julius Randle is currently the league leader in minutes per game and has played over 60 percent of the possible minutes for New York. Thibodeau is famous for tiring his players with too much playing time and Gibson can offer some relief to Randle throughout the season.
Realistically, although the vet may not add much value to the cast in the long run with his game, you still know what to expect when Gibson is on the court. Thibodeau will not have to train Gibson or teach him new skills, nor will he ever have to worry about his development.
Since coming to the league, he has brought tenacity, no matter where he played. Gibson is an obstinate glass cleaner whose teams have always had a better percentage of offensive rebound when he was on the court. This helps to give teammates a second chance after losing the field goals.
Some fans may be concerned about the possible launch Omari Spellman, who never played for the franchise, but was chosen in the first round just two years ago. But the truth is that the Knicks never added Spellman because of what was expected of him as a player.
Looking back, during the off-season, the Knicks used their space to acquire Ed Davis. The fascination of this change was never to play Davis, on the contrary, they were the two future choices of the second round that Jazz sent to terminate his contract.
Another cunning / smart move here by the Knicks.
Get a pair of second-round players to take the Ed Davis contract. Then turn Davis over for another runoff selection.
Good deals from Leon Rose and Brock Aller. Maximizing the maximum space https://t.co/9yUqOLwmtr
– Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) November 23, 2020
New York then passed Davis to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Spellman and Jacob Evans. Once again, however, this move was mainly inspired by the asset pool to add another future second round that Minnesota included in the deal. Evans, who was also chosen in the first round in 2018, was released before the start of the season.
It may have been a surprise that the Knicks did not hire Gibson again during the off-season, especially considering that Thibodeau was hired to lead the team. But if he had been in the roster all the time, they might not have had room in the roster to acquire Davis, Spellman and Evans – who had given their front line three future choices in the draft.
If they had just re-signed Gibson during the off-season, they would have had three fewer assets in their toolkit. With the wait, they will still have Gibson in their squad as a veteran presence for this exciting and very young team.