New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau made a difficult decision this week when he removed Kemba Walker out of the team’s rotation. The point guard landed in New York as the biggest addition of the offseason, but things didn’t click between the player and the team in the first month of competition.
Now Kemba is out, and rumors have surfaced suggesting he could be shipped way, with some saying he could be swapped for Houston Rockets’ John Wall. Meanwhile, reactions keep coming, and recently, a former player-turned-analyst gave his two pennies on this situation.
Kenny Smith recently reflected on this, criticizing Tom Thibodeau for benching Walker, saying the head coach just doesn’t know how to use the All-Star point guard.
Via TMZ Sports:
“The guy’s a great offensive player and you just don’t know how to use him,” Smith told us at LAX. “That’s really what you’re saying. You’re not saying that he can’t play.”
Smith says Thibs just flat-out doesn’t know how to use the baller … and can be of use for a team that knows what to do with his talents.
“It’s the coach and the organization just not understanding what value of a guy like this, what they paid for.”
To put it in simpler terms, Smith has an analogy.
“You can have a Ferrari, but you drive it 30 miles an hour … what’s the use?!”
Thibodeau touched on his decision recently, explaining that Kemba is still doing everything he used to. He’s just not on the rotation, but that could change if Thibs sees some improvements from the player.
“As I mentioned before when I made that decision; I view Kemba as a starter,” Thibodeau said via New York Daily News. “I do have respect for him, he’s part of the team. And right now we have a rotation, he’s not in the rotation but he’s working in practice, he’s doing all the things he should be doing.”
“If the intensity’s right and the execution’s not right and it’s not working, then you change [the rotation],” the coach explained. “So those are the two things, when you look at decision-making. And then you gather more information. Sometimes, if a decision’s not right, then you make another decision. You gather the information, study it and you look at it objectively. …If we’re not performing well, look, there may be more changes coming.”
Smith doesn’t understand why Tom made the decision, but the defensive specialist is confident this was the best for the team. Kemba has been out of the rotation for the past couple of games. Time will tell how this decision unfolds and if we see him back with the Knicks’ starters or playing on a different team.
