Karl-Anthony Towns posted an ellipsis on X. “…” That was all. Minutes later, his trade with the New York Knicks was announced. As per NBA reporter Jon Krawczynski, this might not be a sign of KAT being completely on board. “KAT did not request this trade. He never has requested a move in nine years here.” While the last-minute move before the commencement of the NBA season certainly brought the center’s nine-year journey with the Timberwolves to an end and removed Anthony Edwards’ right-hand man, it would reunite him with a figure from his past: head coach Tom Thibodeau. For a renowned NFL personality, that reunion may be the thing that is making Towns hesitate.

Shannon Sharpe & Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson recently returned to ‘Nightcap’ to discuss the Knicks-Timberwolves agreement. During the conversation, Johnson noted that Towns should be glad of this new opportunity. The former Cincinnati Bengals player believes that Minnesota is a good place.

However, not all fans can call Madison Square Garden, the “mecca of basketball,” their home base. Sharpe believes it wouldn’t matter if having someone like Tom Thibodeau came as part of the package deal. After all, the coach carries a certain reputation that not many players would be a fan of.

“That man don’t want to go with Thibs (Thibodeau) and have Thibs play his a-s 46 minutes a night, and then they be done by the end of the season,” Sharpe said. After being asked to elaborate, he added “He (Towns) just had Thibs. He was with Thibs when Thibs was in Minnesota, and Thibs grinded him to the…. grinded him down. That’s the only way Thibs know.”

According to Fox Sports, three traits characterize Thibodeau’s coaching style. It includes only a few days off, rigorous practices, and a short rotation with heavy minutes devoted to his core players. These traits reportedly led to issues with Jimmy Butler.  They were also believed to be the major reason behind his release from the Timberwolves. Thibodeau has largely stuck to his strategy and refused to consider new methods. As a result, the coach brought it with him when he joined the Knicks in 2020. Now, players in Thibodeau’s starting rotation are expected to be ready to play at least 40 minutes per game. No matter whether it is Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, or anyone else.

The rule is not up for debate, as Miles McBride highlighted, “He’s always about playing for 48 minutes. And when he says something, he means it. So, if he says we’re playing 48 minutes then we’re playing 48 minutes.” As a result, Julius Randle occupied the 3 rank when comparing players who played the most mpg during the 2023-24 season, while OG Anunoby was ranked 14.

The ordeal would be grueling for Knicks players. However, it is something that fans would certainly vote to keep going. According to the New York Post, Tom Thibodeau entered the 2024 Playoffs with “probably the highest approval for a Knicks coach in decades”. After all, the Knicks have advanced to the Conference Semifinals twice and made three trips to the playoffs during his four years as coach. Compared to when the Knicks only made five playoff appearances from 2001 to 2020, this is a significant improvement. On top of that, at 50-32, the franchise recently had their best win record since the 2012-13 season.

Stan Van Gundy, a former coach himself, famously came to Thibodeau’s defense when he stated “All the talk about Tom Thibodeau playing his guys too many minutes has been absurd. Everybody plays big minutes in the playoffs.”

No reports indicate that Thibodeau will adopt a different strategy. Therefore, Karl-Anthony Towns will dread working extra hard when arriving in New York. However, any form of mutual respect that the player and coach hold for each other might help ease things.

“Fully on board” – Shams Charania believes that Tom Thibodeau will welcome Karl-Anthony Town with open arms

Adrian Wojnarowski is no longer present as a competition. Therefore, Shams Charania faced no issues in breaking the news of Karl-Anthony Towns’ trade. Now, after a full day of contemplation, the reporter was ready to reveal his thoughts on whether things would be awkward for the player coming in. The answer turned out to be a resounding no.

“Tom Thibodeau, Karl-Anthony Towns, from everything I’ve heard over the last few years, I don’t think that’s a relationship that has been fractured. They’ve gotten on the same page over the last few years” said Charania during an interview with ‘Throwbacks’. “It always gets better when cooler heads prevail and you get a sense for them, I think the Knicks, their coaching staff, I think they were fully on board with, bringing Karl-Anthony Towns in.”

Towns referred to Thibodeau’s “player development strategy” as “a slap in the face” following his dismissal by the Timberwolves. The center believed that the coach focused on only developing basketball players, not human beings. Last year, however, Towns removed doubts of any animosity between him and his former coach. He did so by revealing “I got no problems with Thibs. We’ve been squashed that. I still look at Thibs as one of the best X’s and O’s coaches I’ve been able to play for. He breathes winning and I got nothing but respect for him.”

It is important to remember that these words were spoken years after Karl-Anthony Towns had put the experience of working under Thibodeau behind him. With a resurgence, however, the player may end up reverting to his old thought process.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.