If it looks like Tom Thibodeau can’t coach a club unless Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose move around the locker room, so be it.
Gibson and Rose have a lot in common – the typical Thibodeau disciples.
They both played for Thibodeau in Chicago and in Minnesota. And this season, Thibodeau has made a big effort to get both of them to New York for the second time.
On Sunday, the Knicks agreed in principle to trade Rose in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and a second round of 2021 to add more offensive firepower.
‘I knew [Rose] my whole career – we got together, ” Gibson said after the Knicks lost to the Heat on Sunday. “He’s a competitor. He’s a great guy. ‘
Gibson is just a bit of a player these days and fills in as a rugby center when Nerlens Noel’s knee performs. With Noel playing a second straight game, the 35-year-old Brooklyn native has had his best game since signing last month – scoring nine points and shooting 4-for-4 from the floor in 16 minutes.
Rose will play a bigger role, but like Gibson, learning the system will be second nature.
“He’s one of the guys who’s been to the system – the same as me,” said Gibson, who did not play in his first eight games after joining the Knicks. “We know what Thibs basically wants. As long as you put in 100 percent every day, 110 percent on defense. At the same time just come in and vote and understand what you need to do. ”
It is unclear how serious Noel’s injury is. The knowledgeable shot blocker missed matches on and off to rest his knee. Gibson’s role may therefore become larger. Sunday was the fifth game Noel has missed this season.
“I thought he played very well and when Nerlens is back he will be ready for any role we have to play him,” Thibodeau said of Gibson. “It’s always been with him. Start him even early in his career, bring him off the bench. Whatever the team needed, he provided. He is a good teammate, a good leader. ‘
The addition of Rose will not help the chances of Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina return to the rotation. Knox did not play in his fifth consecutive game, while Ntilikina put out his eighth consecutive game.
The Pistons prefer Knox to be included in the Rose trade, but the Knicks may be saving him for another deal.
The Knicks complete the home-and-home game against the Heat on Tuesday in Miami.