Tom Thibodeau was asked who would start when goalkeeper Elfrid Payton (hamstring) returned from his hamstring injury. This is now the least of his problems.
Following their media availability before Tuesday’s game in San Antonio, the Knicks announced that recent incumbent Derrick Rose is out of COVID-19 safety and health protocols. It was not immediately clear if he had tested positive or if he had come into close contact with a person with COVID-19.
That could mean Rose is out until after the All-Star break. The Knicks finish the first half Thursday against Detroit.
Rose would begin her fourth straight game on Tuesday, but usually all protocols take a week, especially if she was in contact with a person with COVID-19.
“I basically decide what’s best for the team,” Thibodeau said when asked who the future starter would be when everyone is healthy.
Frank Ntilikina got the start against the Spurs, and Austin Rivers, who had been banished from the rotation, was about to finally get into a game as a backup.
Thibodeau finally wondered why he often refuses to treat garbage time as garbage time and stays with his best players in the fourth quarter of explosions.
“That’s just a reading of the game, what’s going on,” Thibodeau said. “The way people can regain ground with 3s, there’s no lead that’s safe.”
Star star Julius Randle played twelve minutes into 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 back.
The Knicks led 19 or more points throughout the quarter in Detroit, except when they fell to 17 with 55 seconds left.
When told that the lead seemed very secure against the worst team in the East, Thibodeau said, “I have a lot of confidence on our bench, but we also try to find a rhythm with the guys we have outside and we have different groups playing “There are a lot of things they do and those are just coaching decisions.”
First-year coach Steve Nash won the NBA Coach of the Month for February by leading the Nets to a 9-4 record. Erik Spoelstra and Mike Budenholzer got votes. Thibodeau was shut down after going 9-5 last month to turn around a franchise that had been horrible for seven seasons in a row.
“I never look at these things, so for me the focus should be on the team,” Thibodeau said. “Steve has done a fantastic job, happy for him. A fantastic coach, great person. And they have one more year. So congratulations to him. I want my focus to be on what we have to do the next day. “
In August, legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told The Post that Thibodeau was “an experienced veteran who, of course, understands what he wins, what he loses. He knows how to combine a program, create a culture, be demanding “.
Popovich has proven to be accurate with the Knicks ’18-17 record coming in on Tuesday.
“At the same time, no surprises,” Popovich said before facing the Knicks. “It has standards, it makes everyone respond and stick to it. And see the results. He’s doing a good job. “