Quentin Grimes in and Evan Fournier out of Knicks' starting lineup
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
PHILADELPHIA — Tom Thibodeau was quick to point out before and after Friday night’s game that his shuffling of the lineup is not set in stone, but for a night, he had a new starting lineup with Quentin Grimes in place of Evan Fournier.
It was even quicker than when he pulled the plug on Kemba Walker 20 games into last season. This one, however, might not have been so hard to come to terms with, given that this might have been Thibodeau’s preference from opening night.
Thibodeau has praised Grimes effusively since his arrival as a draft pick whom he pushed hard for, a versatile defender with a three-point shot who fits well with the ball-dominant starters around him. But after excelling in the Las Vegas Summer League, Grimes arrived at training camp with a sore left foot, believed to be a product of overworking in the month heading into camp.
Grimes sat out three of the four preseason games and the first six games of the season before being cleared to play Wednesday against Atlanta. He appeared in the final 4:38 after sitting out until it was a blowout.
“Each season’s different,” Thibodeau said in his pregame media session. “Each situation’s different. So you just take it by, you’re looking at everything. You’re studying your team. You want to take a look at something. We didn’t have an opportunity to get a look at Quentin in the preseason. We were going to evaluate it then. So this gives us an opportunity to do it now.”
In camp, Grimes expressed his disappointment with not having a chance to compete for the starting job, unable to play and practice to prove himself.
“It’s something you can’t control,” he said before the game of the possibility of starting. “You’ve got to go out there and be focused on the game plan. I know what I can do. From my standpoint, I know what the team needs from whatever role I have — if they need me to come off the bench, that’s what I do.”
No complaints
Fournier said he got the word from Thibodeau in the morning with no explanation. He moved to the bench with no complaints.
“Nothing really changes for the approach of the game,” he said. “You have the same approach. You have to do the best with what’s given. That’s it. It is what it is. I’m in Year 11, so I know a lot of things can happen. We see it every year. Last year with Kemba. So I’m going to do the best with what I have. Try to impact winning and be a good teammate. That’s all you can ask for. Just do my best. Be a pro and take it from there.”
Thibs, Rivers have history
Thibodeau and 76ers coach Doc Rivers have three coach of the year awards between them, and Rivers was named by the NBA as one of the 15 best coaches in league history.
They also share a championship run. Rivers headed the Celtics squad that won the title in the 2007-08 season, with Thibodeau an assistant running the defense.
But those accolades haven’t eased the criticism aimed at either coach. Both, according to oddsmakers, are near the top of the list of the next NBA coaches to potentially be fired.
“Doc is one of my close friends in this league,” Thibodeau said. “Obviously, we won a championship together in Boston. He was instrumental in helping me become a head coach. He’s been around a long time. I had great respect for him as a player, having coached against him, and then having been a part of the staff. I think we learned from each other. He had been around a lot of great coaches. As a player, he was a fierce competitor, a fierce competitor as a coach, and I know his love of the game. He’s been through it all. So a great leader.”
Rivers on Brunson
Like Rick Brunson, Rivers was a Knicks guard in the 1990s. And he is not surprised to see Rick’s son, Jalen Brunson, commanding the point now for the Knicks.
“Leadership, toughness, big shot-maker, winner. Other than that,” Rivers said when asked what the younger Brunson brings to the Knicks. “No, really. I think all those things are what he’s good at. I don’t think you look at him and see the one thing that stands out other than all the intangibles that make him a really good player.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
