Thibodeau: Idea that Knicks starters need time to gel is 'bullshit'
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau dismissed the notion that his starters need more time to gel after Wednesday's 112-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
"You know what they say: when it's 10 games, you say you need 20. When you get to 20, you say 30. And you get to 30, you say 40. And then before you know it, the season's over. So it's a bunch of bullshit," Thibodeau said postgame.
Julius Randle was the only Knicks starter to register double-digit points against the Bucks. The quartet of Mitchell Robinson, Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, and RJ Barrett managed a combined 16 points on 6-of-21 shooting.
New York trailed by as many as 24 points before the club's reserves rallied to tie the contest at 89-89 with 5:06 remaining. Milwaukee responded with a 23-11 scoring run to close the game.
Walker and Fournier joined the Knicks in free agency this past summer, while Robinson missed most of the 2020-21 campaign due to injury.
The five-man lineup of Randle, Robinson, Walker, Fournier, and Barrett has a net rating of minus-14.4 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com.