If there's one thing we know about a Tom Thibodeau-coached team it's that he's going to play his starters a ton of minutes. He's been known to run with short rotations, relying heavily upon his starters to the point where there tends to be criticism about overworking his stars.

After Mikal Bridges claimed he asked Tom Thibodeau to reduce his minutes, the coach denied such a conversation took place as controversy emerged Wednesday in Knicks world over playing time.

Bridges told reporters in Portland ahead of tipoff against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday he asked Tom Thibodeau to reduce the Knicks starters’ minutes, citing a bench he believes can help the team win games if trusted with a greater workload.