After a strong offseason, and an even stronger start to the regular season, the New York Knicks are feeling the effects of a shallow bench. They aren’t getting a lot of production from their second unit, and that has caused them to lose quite a few games. In fact, they’re 5-5 over their last 10 games. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett discussed the New York Knicks’ depth issues on their podcast. The conversation shifted slightly when the Boston Celtics legend remembered Garnett’s fiery clash with Tom Thibodeau during a practice session years ago.
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Pierce began the conversation by disclosing the tension at the Celtics camp between KG and then-assistant coach Thibodeau. “You argued with Thibs every day. Man, him and Thibs used to be shouting in matches every day,” Pierce revealed.
Pierce then pinpointed at one particular practice session during which the altercation between the two escalated. After Thibs expected his team to practice “harder”, KG disrespected him by claiming that he’d never be a head coach in the NBA.
“We going over a shoot around and we doing something and we going hard… Ticket was like ‘Man, how hard you want us to do this sh*t? You want us to kill each other?’… You know what Ticket told him? I’ll never forget it. He said, Ticket it’s some bullsh*t. You’ll never be a head coach in the league,” Pierce said.
“I did. ‘Motherf**ker, you don’t know what the f*k you’re doing,” KG admitted.
Paul Pierce "Knicks starters…tired"
KG "Who tells Thibs?"
PP "Nobody"
KG "F*k that"
PP "You argued everyday…Thibs like 'Do it again'…You like 'You gone never be head coach'…Great coach…stubborn"
KG: "If I'm KAT or Big Body I pull Thibs in a room" pic.twitter.com/vNGXVYBTdx
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 17, 2025
Looking back, KG might want to take back his words. Shortly after his time with the Celtics, Thibodeau was hired as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, where he went on to win the Coach of the Year award in his first season.
Despite their clashing fiery personalities, Garnett insists there’s no bad blood between them. However, that doesn’t mean Garnett fully agrees with Thibodeau’s current coaching strategy.
Garnett and Pierce reveal their concerns with the Knicks
The Knicks were knocked out of the 2024 postseason after several key players suffered injuries. According to Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, with Thibodeau continuing to play his starters with heavy minutes, the team is at risk of facing a similar issue as last season.
Both emphasized the importance of bench strength and a deep lineup to succeed in the NBA.
“You can’t go up against the Bostons, the Clevelands, and not have a bench… When you play these better teams, they gonna steamroll you,” Garnett claimed.
Despite sitting at #3 in the Eastern Conference with a solid 27-15 record, Pierce predicts the Knicks will struggle in the second half of the season as fatigue kicks in for their star players.
“I said this from day one, they don’t have no depth. So now you got to depend on all your starters to play. 40 minutes, this shit gonna get to you. Now, now we at the halfway mark. Everybody’s been playing almost about 40, 41 games. They getting tired,” Pierce said.
To prevent the starters from being overburdened, players like Precious Achiuwa, Cameron Payne, Miles McBride, and other reserves must step up and elevate their performance.
