If it looks like Tom Thibodeau can’t coach a club unless he has both Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose looking for the locker room, so be it.
Gibson and Rose have much in common – Thibodeau’s disciples par excellence.
They both played for Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota. And this season, Thibodeau made a big push to take them both to New York for the second stage.
On Sunday, the Knicks agreed in principle to trade for Rose in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round pick to add more offensive firepower.
“I know [Rose] my whole career – we came together, “Gibson said after the Knicks lost to the Heat on Sunday. “He is a competitor. He’s a great guy. ”
Gibson is just a little player nowadays, acting as a backup center when Nerlens Noel’s knee acts. With Noel a second straight game, the 35-year-old Brooklyn native had the best game since signing last month – scoring nine points, throwing 4 to 4 from the floor in 16 minutes.
Rose will have a bigger role, but like Gibson, learning the system will be second nature.
“He’s one of those guys who has been around the system – just like me,” said Gibson, who did not play in his first eight games after joining the Knicks. “We know what Thibs wants in principle. As long as you make 100% effort every day, 110% in defense. At the same time, come in and be vocal and understand what you need to do. ”
The severity of Noel’s injury is unclear. The expert shot blocker missed the games on and off to rest his knee. So Gibson’s role could increase. Sunday marked the fifth game Noel has missed this season.
“I thought he played really well and when Nerlens comes back, he will be ready in any role we ask him to play,” Thibodeau said of Gibson. “She was always with him. Even at the beginning of his career, start him, get him off the bench. No matter what the team needed, he offered it. He is a great teammate, a great leader. ”
The addition of Rose will not help Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina’s chances of returning to the rotation. Knox did not play in the fifth consecutive game, while Ntilikina distributed his eighth in a row.
The Pistons preferred Knox to be included in the Rose trade, but Knicks could save him for another deal.
The Knicks complete home and home games against the Heat on Tuesday in Miami.