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Knicks' Josh Hart Rips Coach of Year Voters
Josh Hart took to X to bemoan the lack of recognition for the job Tom Thibodeau has done at the helm of the New York Knicks.
New York Knicks' Tom Thibodeau may not have enough votes to land the NBA's Coach of the Year Award, but he does have one local superdelegate in his corner.
The Knicks were drastically underrepresented in the list of NBA individual award finalists released on Sunday, as they were completely eschewed from seven major honors. That included Thibodeau, whose potential magnum opus went by the wayside in favor of Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City), Chris Finch (Minnesota), and Jamahl Mosley (Orlando).
That didn't sit well with current Thibodeau protege Josh Hart, who voiced his displeasure on X shortly after the announcements were made.
Jan 23, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) talks to head coach Tom
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"50 wins, 2nd seed with an injuried roster for half the season and not a Coach Of The Year candidate….[sic]" Hart remarked on X.
Thibodeau previously won the Coach of the Year Award, his second, with the Knicks after the shortened 2020-21 season. This time around, Thibodeau won 50 games for the first time since his final season with the Chicago Bulls (2014-15) and guided the Knicks to their finest season since 2012-13.
As Hart referenced, Thibodeau did so while dealing with major injuries in his rotation: three-time All-Star Julius Randle is done for the year, impactful newcomer OG Anunoby had two separate lengthy medical departures, and starting center Mitchell Robinson missed about three months with ankle woes. All that and more, apparently, wasn't enough to afford Thibodeau consideration for his third title, which would've tied him for the most all-time with Don Nelson, Gregg Popovich, and Pat Riley.
Like several other postseason rejections, Thibodeau and Co. will likely take the denial in stride and let their play do the talking. The next opportunity to do so lands on Monday night when the Knicks face the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).
