Load management? That's not Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau's thing
Head coach of the Knicks Tom Thibodeau speaks at a press conference during media day at the MSG Training Center on Oct. 2, 2023 in Tarrytown, New York. Credit: Getty Images/Dustin Satloff
GREENBURGH — It raised eyebrows around NBA circles when Joe Dumars, the executive vice president of basketball operations for the league, was quoted in The Athletic saying that new data has shown that load management — long the bane of the NBA, mostly for its broadcast rights negotiations — does not prevent injuries.
For the Knicks, though, it was met with a shrug.
The Knicks, more than any other team, have resisted the practice, aiming to play their main players in every game and more than willing to pile up big minutes for those players. It wasn’t with a disregard for the health of their players, but just another approach and a long-held belief that working to condition the team for an 82-game grind is the best way through it.
“When you look at it over time and you see, OK, it’s a long season and you have to condition yourself for that season,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “If you’re preparing to play big minutes, then you should prepare to play big minutes all year long. There’s also the school of thought that a lot of these injuries are being caused by maybe not being conditioned well enough. But I think you’re always looking to get more information and then do what you think is best.
“My thing is just being around good teams, watching what they did to prepare. One time I talked to Michael Jordan about it at length, the things that he did to prepare for a season. He had the belief — and the whole organization did —about the way you should work.
"Same thing in Boston. In ’08 when we won the championship, those guys were phenomenal. They didn’t miss practice. Great practice team. The '90s Knicks were a great practice team and it served them well.
"If you’re playing pro sports, there’s always the possibility of getting injured. I think you look at everything. But you have to prepare yourself to play a long season.”
The practice began 11 years ago when San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich not only sat four of his top players in a nationally televised game but sent them home rather than keep them on hand for the fourth game in five nights. It has grown in years in almost every corner of the league — except the Knicks.
Julius Randle has regularly been among the NBA leaders in minutes played during his time with the Knicks — leading the league in minutes played per game and total minutes three seasons ago and finishing fifth in total minutes last season even though a sprained ankle cost him the final five games. RJ Barrett was second only to Randle in 2020-21 in total minutes.
“I don’t know much about [load management],” Randle said. “I’ve never done it. I’m always just going about how my body feels, preparing my body the best I can every night, and if I’m healthy to play, I’m going to play. I don’t really know much about the data. I’ve never participated in it.
“ . . . But I mean, every night I get the chance to go out there on that court, it’s a blessing and an honor. Going into year 10, I don’t take these moments for granted. Any time I can go out there and play, I will, and if I don’t, I’ll hear about it from my son.”
Despite what his critics may say, Thibodeau doesn’t have his players on the court for big minutes recklessly.
“The big thing I think is people tend to measure, OK, this guy played 36 minutes, therefore,” he said, fading out and leaving the criticism to the imagination. “They have no idea what’s being done in practice. They don’t have any idea that maybe you’re subbing him in practice. So there’s a lot that goes into it . . . Whatever suits your team, I guess that’s what you do. I don’t know. We’re getting more information. It’s interesting.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
