Jan 22, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a play against the Toronto Raptors in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / © Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA recently surprised many by acknowledging load management does not show any correlation in reducing injuries.
For Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who has never quite bought into load management, this may feel like vindication. But instead of taking a victory lap, Thibodeau reiterated his feelings on the matter, pointing to past experiences and conversations with basketball greats.
“My thing is just being around good teams, watching what they did to prepare,” Thibodeau said. “One time I had talked to Michael Jordan about it at length, the things that he did to prepare for a season. He had the belief – and the whole organization did – about the way you should work.
“Same thing in Boston. In ’08 when we won the championship, those guys were phenomenal. They didn’t miss practice. Great practice team. The ’90s, the Knicks were a great practice team. And it served them well. If you’re playing pro sports there’s always the possibility of getting injured. I think you look at everything. But you have to prepare yourself to play a long season.”
Thibodeau, who has received criticism of his own for not buying into load management, also said the new data does not necessarily change anything in his approach in handling players who may be injured or playing through something.
“Every team is different, every player is different,” Thibodeau said. “So you have to choose what you think is best for you team and sometimes no one wants to see an injured player play.
“So if a guy’s injured, he doesn’t play. But if he’s a young guy and he’s growing and learning and then that’s different. I think if you look at each situation individual and you do what you think is best for your team. … It’s a long season and you have to condition yourself for that season.”
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