Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters Monday that Kemba Walker is “out of the rotation” for now and that Alec Burks will start at point guard starting Tuesday against the Nets.
“We’re going to make a change. I like the way we played like that. I don’t like the way we’ve been trending,” Thibodeau said. “The inconsistency of our team and we’re going to try and make a change. I want to get bigger, I want our defense to get more in tact. We have to do something different.”
The news comes after a point guard “controversy” occurred after the newly acquired guard, who played in nine straight, missed Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks when Derrick Rose was out with an injury.
Burks started and scored 23 points in 39 minutes against the Hawks.
When asked if Kemba would be a part of the second unit, Thibodeau says he liked the way the team “functioned” against the Hawks and the team will rotate similarly to that game. To clarify, Thibs confirmed that Kemba would be out of the rotation “as of right now.”
“It’s a tough decision to make. You always have to do what you think is best for the team,” Thibodeau explained. “I view Kemba as a starter. It’ll be tough to play three small guards together. I gave it consideration and I’ve got great respect for who Kemba is as a person, number one, and all he’s accomplished in this league but I have to do what I think is best for the team.”
So far this season, Walker is averaging 11.7 ppg and shooting 42.9 percent from the field (41 percent from 3).
Coach Thibs also confirmed Rose (ankle), Nerlens Noel (knee) and Taj Gibson (groin) are all questionable for Tuesday’s game.