Tom Thibodeau announced he’s benching Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish. Thibs looks to give Quentin Grimes and Deuce McBride more minutes instead.
This afternoon New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau announced guard Derrick Rose and forward Cam Reddish are out of the nine-man rotation, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Rose is averaging 6.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, while Reddish is averaging 8.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1 assist. Neither played in the Knicks’ win against the Cleveland Cavaliers at The Garden on Sunday. Thibodeau initially said he rested Rose on the second game of the back-to-back. It’s now evident his benching is part of a push by Thibodeau and the Knicks to their youth and potentially offload Rose, Reddish, and Evan Fournier in a future trade.
Reddish’s benching comes after his minutes began to dwindle with the return of Quentin Grimes from injury. This is despite the 23-year-old forward’s several promising games with New York.
Rose said in the press conference that Thibodeau wants to “give Deuce a look,” per Bondy. Deuce McBride was notably one of the first bench players to enter the game on Sunday alongside Immanuel Quickley, instead of Rose.
McBride has been dominant for the Knicks’ G-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. He has averaged 22.5 points and nine assists in his past two starts. The success has yet to translate for the Knicks of the NBA, but he has also lacked meaningful playing time. His defense is also a plus for Thibodeau and the Knicks, as they are sorely in need of backcourt reinforcements.
The removal of Reddish from the rotation has some fans scratching their heads. While Rose’s benching makes sense as the Knicks seem to be embracing a “youth movement,” Reddish is only 23 years of age. Given how much trust he was given by Thibodeau in Grimes’ absence, one would assume that the team finally found minutes for the forward. But, it seems he has found himself on the outs with the team and in Thibodeau’s notoriously tight rotation.
It also begs the question of what value the Knicks see in Reddish. He was traded for with a first round pick alongside Kevin Knox II last season, which would indicate that New York held him in fairly high regard. He has great upside – a savvy scorer who can play defense and provide a spark off the bench for any team – but it seems that his value has slid with Grimes’ return and the big minutes given to RJ Barrett.
If the Knicks move on from Reddish after a very small window of opportunity was given and taken away all within the same start to the season, it would be yet another indication of a failed transaction for this front office.
»Read: The Knicks Must Get More Out of Their Players
