3 takeaways from Tom Thibodeau’s post All-Star address

Tom Thibodeau left much to interpretation in his final message before the All-Star break.

Did he endorse a rebuild and youth movement by saying “development” is the top “focus” while shouting out youngsters Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes, among others?

Or, was Thibodeau pushing hard for the play-in tournament, declaring, as the coach did that night after a sorrowful defeat to the Nets, that no minutes will be gifted to the undeserved?

Judging by his clarifications Wednesday, it’s more of the latter.

Here are three takeaways from a wide-ranging session with the coach, who also addressed the reports of team executive William Wesley blaming Thibodeau for the team’s downfall.

ALEC BURKS WILL PROBABLY START AT POINT GUARD

Kemba Walker’s abrupt departure created an open spot in the lineup, which theoretically could be filled by the returning Derrick Rose.

But Thibodeau indicated Wednesday that he’s more apt to start Alec Burks, who has intermittently served as the starting point guard this season.

“Digging into the numbers and stuff, Alec has been our best option so far,” Thibodeau said.

The coach has a point.

The five-man lineup of Burks, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson has logged 201 minutes together this season and boasts a +5.2 net rating. They’ve outscored the opposition by 27 points, which is more impressive when compared to that same group (when swapping Burks for Kemba Walker) getting outscored by 121 points over 428 minutes.

“When you look at the entire team, you can only base it on what’s actually transpired,” Thibodeau said. “So you gotta look at what you think the best options are to win. That’s it.”

Of course, Rose and Quentin Grimes – two other options to start at point guard – have been two of the Knicks’ most productive players.

NO CAM DO

Don’t count on a post All-Star Game showcase for Cam Reddish. At least not right away.

The impeding returns of RJ Barrett and Derrick Rose means a rotation crunch with Reddish on the outside, despite the Knicks giving up a first-round draft pick for his mid-season acquisition.

Thibodeau must be accustomed to the Reddish question because he recited his stock answer on the subject unprompted Wednesday.

“The priority is everyone’s development. It’s not just one particular guy,” Thibodeau said. “It’s easy to lock, ‘oh this guy’ — you can’t keep adding guys to the rotation without taking guys out. Where do the minutes come from? There’s a finite amount of minutes in a game.”

What does that mean?

The Knicks acquired Reddish for a first-round pick and Kevin Knox, who had no spot in the rotation. And Thibodeau is unwilling to take somebody else out of the mix for Reddish, who has struggled in his limited minutes.

WORLD WIDE MESS

William Wesley, a top ranking Knicks executive, has been blaming Thibodeau for the Knicks failures in conversations with people around the league, according to multiple sources. SNY reported that Wesley has thrown Thibodeau under the bus to team owner James Dolan.

Thibodeau was asked about the reports and didn’t say much.

“I talk to Wes all the time. I don’t respond to rumors or any of that stuff,” he said. “I know the drill here. I’ve been here before so I don’t worry about any of that stuff.”