The Knicks would get first crack at Tom Thibodeau for their head coaching job if new president Leon Rose decides to replace Mike Miller, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
The Rockets and Nets are also expected to pursue Thibodeau but the Knicks could get the jump on those franchises because they won’t make the playoffs, Berman continues.
Thibodeau would have an apparent interest in all three jobs, Berman continues, but there’s a connection between him and Rose. As a Creative Artists Agency client, Thibodeau has worked with the former agent.
There has been widespread speculation about potential coaching candidates for the Knicks, and a report surfaced last week that Thibodeau would be Rose’s top choice if a change is made. That report also stated Spurs assistant Becky Hammon and former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy would get consideration.
The Rockets and Nets have been previously noted as other possible destinations for the former Bulls and Timberwolves coach. Nets superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving like and respect Thibodeau, who coached them as a Team USA assistant, Berman adds. Still, it’s worth noting that one April report suggested that Thibodeau was thought to be “solely a Knicks candidate.”
Thibs would be the absolute right choice for NYK to build a culture.
See the T-Wolves as example
Ya I mean how many chances does Thibs get.
Yeah it amazes how many chances he gets.
Lol what? He’s had two previous jobs and was great in Chicago
He won a championship with the Celtics as a top assistant coach too
If you still hope to get KAT you can’t sign Thibs
becky hammon would be very interesting for the knicks
This move would take the “heat” off of Jim Dolan and give the Knicks good press. But if the Knicks get off to bad start they will dump on her real bad and quickly
Thibs with the rockets would be terrible I think.
He is a high minutes and high usage rate coach and Russ and Harden are already both top 10 in usage rate. So either they would continue to play at this level, which would result in not an upgrade for the team. Or they would be playing at a higher level and burning out even quicker, also which isn’t a good thing.
Thibs is also a coach that’s high on defence and Russ and Harden both aren’t great defenders and they don’t have a centre, completely disregarding rim protection.
Thibs seems like a coach with to much ego to take a bad position, ie a non playoff team in a small market. But he isn’t good enough for a big market team or a playoff team.
He just tires out his players to much, seems like a coach suited to the 90’s where everyone plays hard and plays defence and drives and are dogs, not today’s game of pace and spacing and shooting and load management.
I was thinking the exact same thing. That team is perfect for Mike D’Antoni. High octane offense and let them go.
Not a huge D’Antoni fan but that is 100% his style team, if someone else comes in to coach it’s going to need some big changes
i dont get the love for tibs there a reason he keep getting push out of jobs time and time again. who really wants to play for a guy who over works you and at best plays 9 guys. for get about 12 guys. if you arent his top 8-9 guys you will hardly see playing time. his style fit more ncca. where there 8 less min and less games
He brings a reputation for defense. He expects players to put effort into defense.
Not many players want to these days.
He’s a college style coach or a 80’s/90’a style.
Can play 9 man rotation, likes very hard working defensive type players, just a physical type coach, demands the respect and stuff.
He’s not a good modern day coach
You have to guard the entire floor now. Thibs asking his best players to get down and guard at full intensity for 40 minutes a game is just not sustainable.
Agreed don’t understand why he is so high on list. Now if a team needs a coach who is completely overrated, upsets his players constantly, and never won a thing he is at the top of the list.
This was well liked by his players in Chicago, and well-respected. He also got huge gains out of middling guards whose careers he saved and many of whom are still playing in the league.
His failing in Minnesota was more a factor of his terrible decisions as GM, and inheriting a few players who definitely were not suited to his style.
Knicks would benefit from a higher standard required to get minutes, they have been playing guys who shouldn’t even be in the league any more. Thibs could clearly help figure out which if any of their guards can cut it. He needs a good offensive coordinator – he is not oblivious to offensive innovation, remember he is the one who frequently had to deal with injuries with the Bulls and found ways to reconfigure the offense around the non-injured players. Most brilliant was his use of Noah as a “point center” at a time when Noah was arguable the best passer on the team and the best guards were all out.
So stop with the Thibs hate, he is no more one-dimensional than the fraud D’Antoni who has never won anything despite having some of the greatest stars on all his teams. Thibodeaux is a decent developmental coach, and a facile mind.
Personally, though, I would rather see Hammon finally get her shot – would love to see her replace Coach Boyboy in Chicago.
Van Gundy never coaching again. He would be doing it already. He’s too comfortable and content doing TV
The three stooges
Thibs is a elite coach. But a HC only matters so much, and any long term impact (which is all the Knicks should be thinking about) a HC might have will be dependent on him being on the same page with the FO personnel-wise. I don’t think it serves a purpose to just hire Thibs and hope he can get more from the current roster or future ones that reflect the same lack of identity or FO vision. It might if the FO is intent on building a team with an identity reflected by his coaching style.
Well said.
Elite HC? Seemed pretty incompetent in Minnesota.
Really? He got them to the playoffs. His predecessors and successor have done nothing but get them in position to compete for the league’s worst record. Like with his Bulls teams, the consensus among NBA people is that his consistently overachieved. But what do they know?
Your saying he’s elite cause he made the playoffs in Chicago and Minny where they now such.
Firstly in Chicago he had MVP Derrick Rose, he had Jimmy Butler a scrub turned all star, he had Noah a defensive player of the year, he had Taj Gibson a solid defender and Loul Deng a solid defender.
In Minny again he had all star Jimmy Butler, all star KAT, Wiggins, DRose, Gibson, Teague and Crawford.
In Chicago he could’ve built a dynasty but he burnt out DRose. And im Minny he just recruited all his old players to play with the young Minny player plus some vets to make them a playoff team. They made the playoffs but they would have never won a playoff series they were going to go anywhere.
Thibs is a coach that thinks he’s to good for the bad teams but in reality isn’t good enough for the good teams
No, I didn’t say that merely making the playoffs made him elite. His overall body of work does that. His W/L record impact (before and after), from a career perspective, is historically good.
Your narratives purporting to explain his historic success as a product of the things he’s done wrong are comical. Who told you they had dynasty level talent? LOL. Teams with dynasty level talent don’t get stuck at .500 over years. Rose was the only AS level talent Thibs inherited, and he was a mess. He won the MVP because his team had the best record in the league, and the team had no other elite talents. After that year, he was an anchor the team had to tow. Burnt out? By Thibs (making him play hard for 1 year in his 20’s)? Seriously, learn the game.
Elite Coach?? Bahahaha. How many playoff games has he won. OMG I can’t believe you would post that. Elite no Spin Dr , great marketing for himself yes.
Look it up. His coaching record is consistent with how he’s viewed around the league. Meaning the NBA. Not NBA 2k, where apparently he’s not viewed as highly.
Can someone please explain why teams are still interested in Thibs? I legitimately don’t understand.
His teams always play good defense, but they can’t score at all. He has a very small rotation and gives guys way too many minutes, and over an 82 game season that just doesn’t work. Throw in the fact that he demands a lot of authority, and you’re getting a control freak that hasn’t shown that he deserves that kind of control.
He’s the NBA’s version of Adam Gase. I just don’t see the love.
KI & KD respect him, the relevant hurdles on that team. The Knicks, losers, don’t get a choice, but RJ Barrett has a similar personality to Thibs and Knox could use a boss to make him choose between sitting or playing.
Thibs is a decent choice for a team that has to play a bit rough, like the team the FO signed last offseason. It may not be too late though Thibs would have to be careful with Mitchell. Scheme a rotation.
He would be a terrible choice for the Nets, Irving LeVert KD all have Injury concerns and Thins would burn them out and have them injured more often.
On the Knicks I agree the style Knicks fans want to see is physical basketball but with success and in reality the Knicks team is a young rebuilding team with only 2 physical players in Gibson and Mitchell.
Rockets? Lol
Nets: NFW. Irving/KD and their mood swings with grouchy tibs…easier to mix oil and water.
Great choice if you are planning on a playing roster of 8 with all the others on the roster coming off the street and never seeing the court.
I’m sure he’s a better choice for the Knicks than Matta World Peace…I mean those of the types of people voicing interest in the Knicks
Agreed with some comments I am seeing on his fit in Houston, that just seems like it would be destined for disaster
Please Knicks, No!