Exclusive: Thibs speaks on the offseason

[Wildcat]

I will take a wait and see approach as far as Thibs and his willingness to play Randle at the 5. This is essentially the same roster as last January except iHart was swapped for Mitch and Grimes was swapped for Mikal. I don't know how these changes make it more likely for Randle to be able to play the 5 when he didn't do it last season. Did he even play Randle at the 5 when both Mitch and iHart were injured in January?

Circumstances may force his hand with Mitch's injury history and i'm not even sure if he will be 100% at the start of the season. Also Precious was basically out of the rotation by the end of the year so i'm not sure how highly Thibs values him over Randle at the 5. Thibs had to play plenty of smaller lineups last year but he is also the same guy that was still trying to make Sims work as the backup 4 last preseason.

I don't think Thibs has a choice. It's pretty clear as day OG and Bridges are what makes Randle at the 5 work. Those are pretty sufficient upgrades when you're throwing around the names like Grimes as the other wing.

There's also a pretty huge difference in a small ball lineup with Precious and a small ball lineup with Randle.

Is there really that big of a difference between Mikal and Grimes defensively that makes Randle more playable defensively as a 5? Mikal provides more length and probably more defensive versatility but Thibs also used Grimes as his primary defender for all the skilled big wings in the league such as Tatum prior to the arrival of OG instead of RJ or Randle.

If he wasn't comfortable playing a lineup of lets say Brunson, Grimes, Hart, OG and Randle why is he all of a sudden going to be comfortable playing Randle at the 5 now? He called up a 38 year Taj Gibson who was just relaxing at home and threw him into the lineup immediately at the 5 instead of Randle.

I'm not saying Thibs won't do it especially with the lack of quality depth at the 5 but I feel like he would much rather have his standard rim protecting 5 out there for as many minutes as possible.

Of course there's a difference. Defensively alone, Grimes wingspan is 6 1/2 FT. Bridges is 7 FT. Bridges is a bigger body with on par or better mobility than Grimes. And if you didn't read between the lines, Grimes didn't want to be pigeon holed into that role, as he wanted to do more out there. Randle at the 5 is less optimal prior to OG trade. After the OG trade, it was possible. With Bridges and no I-Hart, you have absolutely no choice but to experiment with that lineup. It's not one or the other, it's Bridges and OG that makes this possible.

I'm a Grimes fan, but I have no idea why anyone would consider Grimes and Bridges on par with one another. Bridges is flat out a better defender than Grimes. That's not even a question. And Taj was waived a few days after the OG trade. Then signed 2 10 day contracts after Randle went down. Taj came in to replace Robinson. A small ball lineup of Randle/Hart/RJ/DD/JB is like the opposite of what a small ball lineup should be because your source of range is coming from 2 guys. Randle/OG/Bridges/DD/JB is much more potent than what Thibs could experiment with.

[Handledatruth]

If Randle becomes more assertive on the defensive boards, he can play lots of minutes at center. He's capable of dominating the glass. He's just not a shotblocker or charge taker, but I can get over that if he can find his inner David Lee.

[Wildcat]

If Randle becomes more assertive on the defensive boards, he can play lots of minutes at center. He's capable of dominating the glass. He's just not a shotblocker or charge taker, but I can get over that if he can find his inner David Lee.

I mean, it's not like Randle is a weak rebounder. It seemed like last year he was on pace for career highs in rebounds. Last year the Knicks relied on second/third chance opportunities. This year, I think this team is better off on the offensive end where we're not so reliant on those second/third opportunities.

[JayTWill]

I don't think Thibs has a choice. It's pretty clear as day OG and Bridges are what makes Randle at the 5 work. Those are pretty sufficient upgrades when you're throwing around the names like Grimes as the other wing.

There's also a pretty huge difference in a small ball lineup with Precious and a small ball lineup with Randle.

Is there really that big of a difference between Mikal and Grimes defensively that makes Randle more playable defensively as a 5? Mikal provides more length and probably more defensive versatility but Thibs also used Grimes as his primary defender for all the skilled big wings in the league such as Tatum prior to the arrival of OG instead of RJ or Randle.

If he wasn't comfortable playing a lineup of lets say Brunson, Grimes, Hart, OG and Randle why is he all of a sudden going to be comfortable playing Randle at the 5 now? He called up a 38 year Taj Gibson who was just relaxing at home and threw him into the lineup immediately at the 5 instead of Randle.

I'm not saying Thibs won't do it especially with the lack of quality depth at the 5 but I feel like he would much rather have his standard rim protecting 5 out there for as many minutes as possible.

Of course there's a difference. Defensively alone, Grimes wingspan is 6 1/2 FT. Bridges is 7 FT. Bridges is a bigger body with on par or better mobility than Grimes. And if you didn't read between the lines, Grimes didn't want to be pigeon holed into that role, as he wanted to do more out there. Randle at the 5 is less optimal prior to OG trade. After the OG trade, it was possible. With Bridges and no I-Hart, you have absolutely no choice but to experiment with that lineup. It's not one or the other, it's Bridges and OG that makes this possible.

I'm a Grimes fan, but I have no idea why anyone would consider Grimes and Bridges on par with one another. Bridges is flat out a better defender than Grimes. That's not even a question. And Taj was waived a few days after the OG trade. Then signed 2 10 day contracts after Randle went down. Taj came in to replace Robinson. A small ball lineup of Randle/Hart/RJ/DD/JB is like the opposite of what a small ball lineup should be because your source of range is coming from 2 guys. Randle/OG/Bridges/DD/JB is much more potent than what Thibs could experiment with.

Thibs had multiple opportunities to give minutes to Randle at the 5 before and after the OG trade yet he rarely did. Mitch went down. He gave minutes to a fringe rotation player in Sims as the starting 5. Sims went down. He called up a 38 year old Taj to play minutes at the 5. Taj Gibson at 38 years old with no training camp measuring 6'9 and 230 lbs got 10-15 minutes at the 5 for a couple weeks before the OG trade.

After the OG trade iHart was still playing on a bum achilles. Thibs continued to extend his minutes up into the 40's. He even played him the entire second half against the Grizzlies G-League team until he broke down. Then in the next few days without Mitch or iHart against a struggling Nets team with 1 healthy center on the roster and DFS and Royce O'Neale as the backup 5's Thibs still didn't play Randle a single minute at the 5.

With or without OG Thibs clearly wasn't comfortable playing Randle at the 5. I don't think the difference in Randle at the 5 this year is Grimes' 6'8 wingspan versus Bridges 7'0+ wingspan or their defensive potential. The only reason I can see Thibs playing Randle at the 5 this year is because he knows iHart is gone. He knows his starting center is injury prone. He knows his backup depth at the 5 is questionable.

He has an entire training camp to prepare for it and potentially get Randle ready for minutes at the 5 but I also expect the organization to exhaust every avenue possible to get Thibs another more traditional rim protector so he can continue to play the style he is comfortable with.

I can't see the guy who was willing to do this (24:50-26:10)
https://youtu.be/7wpLWzBXDpY?t=1488

Watch on YouTube

but was never willing to play Randle at the 5 being super excited to do it now.

[Clyde_Style]

If Randle becomes more assertive on the defensive boards, he can play lots of minutes at center. He's capable of dominating the glass. He's just not a shotblocker or charge taker, but I can get over that if he can find his inner David Lee.

David Lee was ambidextrous

Julius Randle is ambidubious

[Jalen Bluntson]

I believe him.

[Wildcat]

Thibs had multiple opportunities to give minutes to Randle at the 5 before and after the OG trade yet he rarely did. Mitch went down. He gave minutes to a fringe rotation player in Sims as the starting 5. Sims went down. He called up a 38 year old Taj to play minutes at the 5. Taj Gibson at 38 years old with no training camp measuring 6'9 and 230 lbs got 10-15 minutes at the 5 for a couple weeks before the OG trade.

After the OG trade iHart was still playing on a bum achilles. Thibs continued to extend his minutes up into the 40's. He even played him the entire second half against the Grizzlies G-League team until he broke down. Then in the next few days without Mitch or iHart against a struggling Nets team with 1 healthy center on the roster and DFS and Royce O'Neale as the backup 5's Thibs still didn't play Randle a single minute at the 5.

With or without OG Thibs clearly wasn't comfortable playing Randle at the 5. I don't think the difference in Randle at the 5 this year is Grimes' 6'8 wingspan versus Bridges 7'0+ wingspan or their defensive potential. The only reason I can see Thibs playing Randle at the 5 this year is because he knows iHart is gone. He knows his starting center is injury prone. He knows his backup depth at the 5 is questionable.

He has an entire training camp to prepare for it and potentially get Randle ready for minutes at the 5 but I also expect the organization to exhaust every avenue possible to get Thibs another more traditional rim protector so he can continue to play the style he is comfortable with.

I can't see the guy who was willing to do this (24:50-26:10)
https://youtu.be/7wpLWzBXDpY?t=1488

Watch on YouTube

but was never willing to play Randle at the 5 being super excited to do it now.

All righty, mate, if you're still not accepting Bridge and OG's defensive versatility that's enabling Thibs to feel comfortable with Randle at t he 5, that's your mole hill. And at the end of day, we're squabbling over 5/10/15 minutes.

[DaGawd]

not sure where the skepticism about things making these adjustments are coming from.. for one he wouldn’t have even voiced it if he wouldn’t seriously consider it, secondly so far thibs has tried/experimented with just about every adjustment that fans have clamored for. he’s considered a great coach for a reason, time y’all start trusting this man

[thebuzzardman]

Is there really that big of a difference between Mikal and Grimes defensively that makes Randle more playable defensively as a 5? Mikal provides more length and probably more defensive versatility but Thibs also used Grimes as his primary defender for all the skilled big wings in the league such as Tatum prior to the arrival of OG instead of RJ or Randle.

If he wasn't comfortable playing a lineup of lets say Brunson, Grimes, Hart, OG and Randle why is he all of a sudden going to be comfortable playing Randle at the 5 now? He called up a 38 year Taj Gibson who was just relaxing at home and threw him into the lineup immediately at the 5 instead of Randle.

I'm not saying Thibs won't do it especially with the lack of quality depth at the 5 but I feel like he would much rather have his standard rim protecting 5 out there for as many minutes as possible.

Of course there's a difference. Defensively alone, Grimes wingspan is 6 1/2 FT. Bridges is 7 FT. Bridges is a bigger body with on par or better mobility than Grimes. And if you didn't read between the lines, Grimes didn't want to be pigeon holed into that role, as he wanted to do more out there. Randle at the 5 is less optimal prior to OG trade. After the OG trade, it was possible. With Bridges and no I-Hart, you have absolutely no choice but to experiment with that lineup. It's not one or the other, it's Bridges and OG that makes this possible.

I'm a Grimes fan, but I have no idea why anyone would consider Grimes and Bridges on par with one another. Bridges is flat out a better defender than Grimes. That's not even a question. And Taj was waived a few days after the OG trade. Then signed 2 10 day contracts after Randle went down. Taj came in to replace Robinson. A small ball lineup of Randle/Hart/RJ/DD/JB is like the opposite of what a small ball lineup should be because your source of range is coming from 2 guys. Randle/OG/Bridges/DD/JB is much more potent than what Thibs could experiment with.

Thibs had multiple opportunities to give minutes to Randle at the 5 before and after the OG trade yet he rarely did. Mitch went down. He gave minutes to a fringe rotation player in Sims as the starting 5. Sims went down. He called up a 38 year old Taj to play minutes at the 5. Taj Gibson at 38 years old with no training camp measuring 6'9 and 230 lbs got 10-15 minutes at the 5 for a couple weeks before the OG trade.

After the OG trade iHart was still playing on a bum achilles. Thibs continued to extend his minutes up into the 40's. He even played him the entire second half against the Grizzlies G-League team until he broke down. Then in the next few days without Mitch or iHart against a struggling Nets team with 1 healthy center on the roster and DFS and Royce O'Neale as the backup 5's Thibs still didn't play Randle a single minute at the 5.

With or without OG Thibs clearly wasn't comfortable playing Randle at the 5. I don't think the difference in Randle at the 5 this year is Grimes' 6'8 wingspan versus Bridges 7'0+ wingspan or their defensive potential. The only reason I can see Thibs playing Randle at the 5 this year is because he knows iHart is gone. He knows his starting center is injury prone. He knows his backup depth at the 5 is questionable.

He has an entire training camp to prepare for it and potentially get Randle ready for minutes at the 5 but I also expect the organization to exhaust every avenue possible to get Thibs another more traditional rim protector so he can continue to play the style he is comfortable with.

I can't see the guy who was willing to do this (24:50-26:10)
https://youtu.be/7wpLWzBXDpY?t=1488

Watch on YouTube

but was never willing to play Randle at the 5 being super excited to do it now.

This

[MrDollarBills]

So Thibs is gonna play 5 out.

Feels good man

[3toheadmelo]

really happy thibs is a massive randle fan. can't wait to see how thibs uses him again this year. randle was playing the best ball of his career right before he got hurt.

Although Brunson has always been in a different stratosphere as a playoff performer, Randle has been roughly his equal during the regular season. Last season, over the 30 games before he got injured, Randle averaged 26.3 points, 9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game on 61.2 percent True Shooting. And during the abbreviated, pre-injury, post-Anunoby trade stretch, Randle was even better, playing the best ball of his career. [/size]He moved quickly and decisively and rediscovered his previously truant jumper. When Randle and Anunoby shared the court, the Knicks outscored opponents by 24.6 points per 100 possessions.

[3toheadmelo]

Read on Twitter

[Handledatruth]

If Randle becomes more assertive on the defensive boards, he can play lots of minutes at center. He's capable of dominating the glass. He's just not a shotblocker or charge taker, but I can get over that if he can find his inner David Lee.

I mean, it's not like Randle is a weak rebounder. It seemed like last year he was on pace for career highs in rebounds. Last year the Knicks relied on second/third chance opportunities. This year, I think this team is better off on the offensive end where we're not so reliant on those second/third opportunities.

Late response, I know, but we need him to be a better defensive rebounder. No more SFs and guards flying in for offensive rebounds because Randle wasn't paying attention. He's not Obi Toppin bad at rebounding but he does have Obi Toppin moments. Usually at the wrong times too. He has the body of an elite rebounder and I've seen him scrape for boards. I just want to see more of it.

[Stannis]

I cant imagine pinning ur entire strategy on Julius randle.

We've already had prob 2 seasons of pinning our entire strategy on him lol.

[WaltFrazier]

He got an obligatory mention of Taj Gibson in there.

[Iron Mantis]

If Randle becomes more assertive on the defensive boards, he can play lots of minutes at center. He's capable of dominating the glass. He's just not a shotblocker or charge taker, but I can get over that if he can find his inner David Lee.

You sure you want that?

[Wildcat]

If Randle becomes more assertive on the defensive boards, he can play lots of minutes at center. He's capable of dominating the glass. He's just not a shotblocker or charge taker, but I can get over that if he can find his inner David Lee.

I mean, it's not like Randle is a weak rebounder. It seemed like last year he was on pace for career highs in rebounds. Last year the Knicks relied on second/third chance opportunities. This year, I think this team is better off on the offensive end where we're not so reliant on those second/third opportunities.

Late response, I know, but we need him to be a better defensive rebounder. No more SFs and guards flying in for offensive rebounds because Randle wasn't paying attention. He's not Obi Toppin bad at rebounding but he does have Obi Toppin moments. Usually at the wrong times too. He has the body of an elite rebounder and I've seen him scrape for boards. I just want to see more of it.

That kind of falls on Grimes and IQ not putting a body on their man, but fair enough. I never looked at Randle's rebounding game as a question mark. I'm off to the films.