Former Knicks Guard Defends Tom Thibodeau

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has built a reputation of running players into the ground, but ask people who have played for him, and they’ll say it isn’t the case.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo was recently asked about Thibodeau and his coaching style, and he came to his defense.

“Tibs gets his rap of ‘practice, practice, practice, practice’ but we’re playing, then a day off, playing, come and watch film, and playing. There’s only so much you can do,” DiVincenzo said h/t Posting and Toasting. “I will say he tries to get the most out of you every single day but it’s not running up and down, and then go and play 40 (minutes). If we were doing that, I wouldn’t be able to, there’s no way you can.”

DiVincenzo played just one season under Thibodeau last year, where the team notoriously had a short rotation for the playoffs that found themselves injured by the end of the playoff run. However, DiVincenzo doesn’t take issue with it.

“With Tibs, you trust in whatever his decision is and we were winning. You can’t knock it, we were winning,” DiVincenzo said. “I think you get to the point where, like after the season, I felt that my body felt really good. It wasn’t at the end of the year where I was like ‘damn, I’ve got nothing left.’ I know a lot of guys got hurt and everything but me personally afterward, I was like ‘damn, we were one game away.’”

DiVincenzo was traded to the Wolves in a blockbuster deal just before the start of the season for Karl-Anthony Towns, but it appears he still has a positive outlook on his brief time in the Big Apple.

DiVincenzo and the Timberwolves will play the Knicks on Thu. Dec. 19 in Minneapolis at the Target Center.

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