Tom Thibodeau Rumors | Hoops Rumors

New York Notes: Ntilikina, Point Guards, Stoudemire, Thibs

December 24th, 2020 at 6:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ahead of the first game of the 2020/21 Knicks season, point guard Frank Ntilikina stated that the sore left Achilles that had limited his preseason availability had fully recovered, according to Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link). Ntilikina, the No. 8 pick in the 2017 draft, also noted that he and the Knicks did not discuss a potential contract extension ahead of Monday’s deadline, as we previously detailed.

The future of Ntilikina, the final lottery pick of former Knicks team president Phil Jackson, remains unclear, as Steve Popper of Newsday details. He will be eligible to become a restricted free agent in the 2021 offseason.

There’s more out of the City That Never Sleeps:

Reserve point guards Dennis Smith Jr. and Ntilikina would not have made the cut for the club’s 10-man rotation in the Knicks’ season opener, a 121-107 loss to the Pacers, had rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley not gotten injured in the second quarter with a hip pointer, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. Both guards are former top-10 2017 NBA draft picks. Head coach Tom Thibodeau opted to play shooting guard Alec Burks as his initial replacement before ultimately bringing in Ntilikina for five minutes of relatively ineffective play. “We wanted to keep as much shooting on the floor as we can to try to create the opportunities that we’re looking for factored into it,” Thibodeau explained.
New Nets player development assistant Amar’e Stoudemire was reticent to make the leap from player to coach this summer after another productive season with the Israeli Basketball Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv, per Marc Stein of the New York Times. A six-time All-Star with the Suns and Knicks, the 38-year-old Stoudemire is reuniting with former Phoenix running mate Steve Nash, now Brooklyn’s head coach, and former Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni, now another assistant on Nash’s bench. “We wanted him to come in and share all the things that he learned from his experiences — but also to learn about coaching, video analysis, analytics and the front office,” Nash said. “I get to learn from all departments,” Stoudemire said, “to see where I want my career to go.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is smartly prioritizing building good habits and player development rather than worrying about the club’s win-loss record, according to Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post. “You either win,” Thibodeau said, “or you learn.”

New York Notes: Ntilikina, Rivers, Thibs, Durant, Nets

December 22nd, 2020 at 11:45am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina was one of the 13 players who didn’t sign a rookie scale extension by Monday’s deadline despite being eligible for a new deal, and will now be on track for 2021 free agency.

While some of those 13 players engaged in contract negotiations with their respective teams, that wasn’t the case for Ntilikina, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who says there were no extension talks between the Knicks and the former lottery pick.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Knicks won’t attempt to re-sign Ntilikina when he becomes a free agent in 2021 or that they’ll try to trade him before then. But it appears as if the team is content to take a wait-and-see approach with the fourth-year guard, as Begley observes.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

New Knicks combo guard Austin Rivers, who has missed all four preseason games due to a right groin injury had yet to return to practice as of Monday and seems very likely to miss the start of the regular season, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
Ian O’Connor of ESPN takes an in-depth look at Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, examining Thibs’ popularity among players, his coaching style, and his outlook in New York.
Nets forward Kevin Durant will face his old team in Tuesday night’s opener, but doesn’t anticipate added emotions or higher stakes in the game against the Warriors, writes Malika Andrews of ESPN. “I feel like each game is important to me,” Durant said. “And it’s no more important to me because I am playing against my old teammates. I just feel like the game of basketball is going to have me on that level anyway and it’s going to be good to see some of my old teammates.”
The preseason gave us a preview of what the Nets‘ primary bench unit should look like, according to Mollie Walker of The New York Post, who says the group, led by Caris LeVert, should also feature Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Landry Shamet, and Jeff Green.

Atlantic Notes: LeVert, Bembry, Nets, Thibs

December 15th, 2020 at 10:07pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Though Nets wing Caris LeVert sat out Brooklyn’s preseason opener against the Wizards due to a patella contusion, he was set to partake in team practice today, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. His knee is not a long-term concern.

“Caris is great. He said his knee feels as good as it’s felt in a long time,” new Nets head coach Steve Nash commented in a Zoom conversation with reporters Monday.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Newly-added 26-year-old Raptors forward DeAndre’ Bembry could be an X-factor for the team this season, thanks especially to his multifaceted defense, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN. “I’ve always brought an edge to the game and just a hunger,” Bembry said. “And then I can guard one through three, I can play one through three, I can get in the paint, make some plays in the paint.”
Following four seasons spent as a Nets assistant coach, Bret Brielmaier has been hired as the head coach of club’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, according to a team press release. Before landing in Brooklyn, Brielmaier logged assistant coaching stints with the Cavaliers and Spurs.
New Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has weighed in on the importance of New York acquiring a star. “I think it’s critical,’’ Thibodeau said Tuesday on Zoom of having a star, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “There’s a lot of different paths to getting stars. Sometimes it’s the development phase,” he continued. “Sometimes there’s situations that arise whether it be through free agency or trade. But I think every day that has to be a priority for the organization to seek out those opportunities.”

Atlantic Notes: Thibodeau, Robinson, Noel, Lowry, Davis

December 12th, 2020 at 1:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tom Thibodeau‘s impact on the Knicks was apparent in their preseason opener at Detroit on Friday, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. They were energetic on defense, forcing 22 turnovers and contesting shooters on the 3-point line. They also controlled the boards, out-rebounding the Pistons 54-41. The Knicks were relatively quiet in free agency, so their biggest upgrade is seemingly at head coach, Berman adds.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Free agent addition Nerlens Noel started ahead of Mitchell Robinson at center for the Knicks and the early returns were promising, Berman writes in a separate story. The two big men combined for 15 rebounds and four blocks, and Robinson also made four steals. “When you have two bigs that are like that, it’s a big bonus,” Thibodeau said. “And they’re very similar. I’m not sure who I’m going to start, but I like both of those guys, and I’m going to need them to play well to play well as a team.’’ Noel joined the Knicks on a one-year, $5MM contract.
Raptors guard Kyle Lowry will remain in the team’s temporary home in Tampa this weekend and miss games in Charlotte on Saturday and Monday, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star relays. The team didn’t give a reason for Lowry’s absence, so it’s unclear whether it’s related to the COVID-19 protocols. Lowry, who will make $30.5MM in the upcoming season, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Terence Davis‘ lawyer is seeking a dismissal of the criminal case against him, Rick Westhead of The Sports Network tweets. The Raptors guard was arrested in New York City in late October and faces seven charges. Davis allegedly hit his girlfriend in the face, then grabbed the victim’s phone and broke it during the incident. The woman’s son also allegedly got knocked down during the altercation. Davis made a court appearance remotely on Friday and was told he must “stay away” from his alleged victim but that he can have contact with his son.

Knicks Notes: Rose, Thibodeau, Brunson, Draft

November 14th, 2020 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

The upcoming week will mark the first chance for new president of basketball operations Leon Rose to put his stamp on the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The trade moratorium ends Monday, followed by the draft on Wednesday and the start of free agency on Friday. New York has a chance to play a significant role in all three events.

Bondy notes that Rose could opt for a win-now approach by trading for an expensive veteran such as Russell Westbrook. Or he could keep the team’s draft picks, target young free agents and accumulate assets to build for the future. Rose may also avoid adding significant payroll to set up a run at an elite free agent next summer, possibly Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Two sources in contact with the Knicks about their personnel tell Bondy that new coach Tom Thibodeau is advocating moves to turn the team into an immediate playoff contender. Thibodeau expects to have a say in roster moves, but Rose’s direction for the franchise won’t become clear for a few more days.

There’s more from New York:

There’s speculation that former NBA guard Rick Brunson, who served as an assistant to Thibodeau with the Bulls and Timberwolves, could be joining the Knicks in some capacity, Bondy adds in the same story. Brunson recently resigned as head coach at Camden High School. He was Rose’s first NBA client and had been working out Kevin Knox and other players while the league was shut down.
The Knicks are considered candidates to move up in the draft, but they haven’t been overly impressed with either LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Tyrese Haliburton also doesn’t appear to be a target, Popper adds, so New York may trade down to acquire more assets. He mentions Kira Lewis Jr. or Killian Hayes as possibilities, along with wing players Isaac Okoro, Patrick Williams and Devin Vassell.
Okoro and Haliburton are the best fits for Thibodeau’s coaching style, Paul Biancardi, ESPN’s national basketball recruiting director, tells Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Biancardi, who played for Thibodeau in college, likes Okoro’s mindset and commitment to defense, while Haliburton would be a “high-IQ” leader at point guard. Biancardi points to Texas Tech’s Jahmi’us Ramsey and Washington’s Isaiah Stewart as players to watch at No. 27.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Thibodeau, Bane, Nets

October 4th, 2020 at 5:16pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra believes his assistants rightfully deserve consideration for head coaching vacancies around the league, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.

Both Dan Craig and Chris Quinn have seen their names linked to various teams this year, with Spoelstra backing the idea as a whole.

“I think on our staff we have several future head coaches,” Spoelstra said, as relayed by Winderman. “I don’t want them to just be assistant coaches their whole career. I want them to be able to grow and have opportunities to be head coaches at some point.”

The Heat have previously lost coaches such as Juwan Howard, who left for Michigan, and David Fizdale, who left to become head coach of the Grizzlies and Knicks. Spoelstra credits the coaching tree to team president Pat Riley, a former coach himself.

“I think it’s just the whole Heat program, and that started with Pat,” Spoelstra said. “I think he’s taught us all how to become basketball coaches, at all levels, where you have to learn scouting, offense, defense, tendencies in the league, learning how to coach on the floor and teach.

“That was all demanded from Pat. And then growing, that culture of growing you.”

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

For the Knicks, it won’t be business as usual with Tom Thibodeau now at the helm, Steve Popper of Newsday opines. Thibodeau is looking to ramp up the team’s offseason workload and work closely with the players, though he’ll have to adhere to the league’s COVID-19 guidelines first. “Obviously, we’d have to follow the protocol that’s set forth by the league, but we will have an opportunity to do the individual stuff with guys that are in the bubble up until October 6,” Thibodeau said. “Then we’re waiting on what we’ll be able to do with the guys that are out of the market. So whatever the league tells us we can do, we will certainly do. And if not we’ll find other ways to get to our development piece whether it’s through film, communications with the players. But we‘re planning on spending a lot of time with our players this offseason.”
TCU forward Desmond Bane could be the perfect 3-and-D player for the Nets to draft, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Bane credits current Nets forward Joe Harris for a key part of his game, explaining how he’s studied Harris’ ability to work off screens and make shots off different movements. The Nets have the No. 19 pick in this year’s draft, while Harris is set to reach unrestricted free agency.
NetsDaily.com examines the Nets‘ draft situation and which player could be selected, suggesting that Bane, Maryland big man Jalen Smith and others could fit nicely with Brooklyn, a team that’s expected to be at the forefront of contention next season. The draft will take place on Wednesday, November 18.

Knicks Notes: Thibodeau, Draft, Point Guards, Robinson

September 26th, 2020 at 8:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Five coaching vacancies have been created since Tom Thibodeau agreed to terms with the Knicks on July 25, but he has no reason to regret his decision, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Thibodeau might have been a candidate to join the Nets, Sixers, Pacers, Rockets or Thunder, but a source tells Berman the coach is happy to be reunited with team president Leon Rose, his former agent with CAA.

“He took the job because he trusted Leon,’’ the source said.

Trust means Thibodeau will have input on important decisions such as the upcoming draft, where the Knicks own picks No. 8, 27 and 38. Thibodeau served as both coach and team president in Minnesota and is used to being involved in personnel moves.

“I think, as a head coach, the only thing you want is a voice,’’ Thibodeau told reporters Friday on a Zoom call. “I think a lot was made of a president’s title, but also, I had a GM and assistant GMs that did a lot of the day-to-day stuff that a normal general manager would do.”

There’s more from New York:

Finding a point guard will be the priority heading into the draft, but the Knicks are also taking a long look at Auburn’s Isaac Okoro, Berman adds in the same story. Okoro’s defensive skills could be a perfect fit for Thibodeau’s system.
Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. are both attending the Knicks’ mini-camp to show the new coaching staff what they can do, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Neither of the former lottery picks has been able to seize control of the starting point guard job. “We’re three days in, so I’m getting to know both guys,” Thibodeau said Friday. “I like what they’ve done so far. They got to continue to work. There’s oftentimes ups and downs for young players. There’s a learning curve they have to go through. Some experiences will be better than others.”
Mitchell Robinson isn’t participating in the mini-camp, but he impressed Thibodeau during individual workouts last week, Popper writes in a separate story. Robinson pulled out of the team sessions at the last minute due to “personal reasons” that the Knicks say aren’t related to COVID-19. “He’s an incredible athlete, Thibodeau said. “But we don’t want to put a ceiling on him. We want to continue to work on all aspects of his game and develop. He spent some time here earlier in the summer and we’re hopeful that we can get him back in and get to work with him so he can build on those skills, but obviously he’s a very important part of this team.”

Thibodeau: Knicks To Hire More Assistant Coaches

September 26th, 2020 at 11:57am CST by marksuleymanov

New Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau indicated on Friday that the organization will be adding more assistant coaches in the coming months, tweets Mike Vornukov of The Athletic.

Since New York agreed to terms with Thibodeau to a five-year deal in July, the Knicks have hired several assistants for his staff. Among the additions have been former Knicks head coach Mike Woodson, Johnnie Bryant, Kenny Payne, and Andy Greer.

“We do have a few other guys that we will be adding along the way,” Thibodeau said.

Thibodeau joins the Knicks knowing full well the impact assistant coaches have on an organization. The former Bulls and Timberwolves head coach served as an assistant with the Knicks from 1996-2004 under Jeff Van Gundy.

The Knicks will enter the 2020/21 campaign — whenever it starts — hoping their ex-assistant can lead the organization back to prominence. Thibodeau has a career .589 winning percentage (352-246) compiled during head coaching stints in Chicago and Minnesota.

With a young core spearheaded by Mitchell Robinson and RJ Barrett, the Knicks will enter the offseason looking to build a roster that can keep pace with Thibodeau’s notoriously demanding offense.

Atlantic Notes: VanVleet, Nurse, Knicks, Celtics

September 24th, 2020 at 9:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Making an appearance today on Sportsnet program Tim and Sid in Canada, Raptors head coach (and 2020 Coach of the Year) Nick Nurse said that he expects free agent starting guard Fred VanVleet to re-sign with Toronto, per Sportsnet’s Steven Loung (Twitter link).

As we discussed previously, VanVleet, the premiere unrestricted free agent guard of this offseason, could command something close to the four-year, $85MM contract guard Malcolm Brogdon agreed to in a sign-and-trade with the Pacers last season. VanVleet proved a key contributor for the Raptors, who enjoyed a strong season after losing Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in free agency.

VanVleet had his best year during the 2019/20 season, as he became a full-time starter for the first time with the Raptors. Brogdon was a similarly high-level starting creator for an East contender at the same junction in his career as VanVleet finds himself in now, his age-26 season.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

In a conference call today, Nick Nurse talked about his new extension with the Raptors, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I don’t know if it’s a load off my mind or anything,” Nurse said. “Obviously, man, I love being here and love the job, and there’s nothing not to love, man.”
New Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau will need to shore up the shooters on his roster for his preferred style of play, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News suggests.
With the Celtics in a 3-1 hole in the Eastern Conference Finals, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe explores the steps the team can take to win the series and advance to its first Finals appearance since 2010. Beyond this season, front office decisions loom on two playoff rotation Celtics: Brad Wanamaker, a restricted free agent with a cheap $1.8MM qualifying offer, and Daniel Theis, whose $5MM contract for next season becomes fully guaranteed in October. Fellow rotation players Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter both have player options for 2020/21.

Brand: Sixers “Not Looking To Trade” Embiid Or Simmons

August 25th, 2020 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Confirming multiple reports that have surfaced since the team was eliminated from the postseason on Sunday, Sixers general manager Elton Brand said today that there are no plans to shake up the roster by moving either Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons this offseason.

“I’m not looking to trade Ben or Joel,” Brand said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). “I’m looking to complement them better.”

While the 76ers have faced questions about how to maximize the Embiid/Simmons duo on the offensive end of the court, the team sounds committed to giving its next head coach a chance to solve that puzzle. As Brand suggests, finding the right complementary pieces to share the floor with the two All-Stars will be part of the equation too.

In his comments to reporters today, Brand also spoke in general terms about changes that might be coming to Philadelphia’s front office. Following the departure of former head of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo in 2018, the Sixers’ front office took a collaborative approach to decision-making, but Brand said on Tuesday that “we feel the collaboration days didn’t work” (Twitter link via Bontemps).

Brand, who is expected to retain decision-making control in the front office, added that he’ll be leading the coaching search and will present his choice to ownership. He also addressed what sort of executives the club may be looking to add to its basketball operations department, as Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets.

“We’re strong in the strategic and analytic standpoint,” Brand said. “Get some more basketball minds in here. But all options are open.”

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Some of the executives and coaches who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about the Sixers believe that trading either Embiid or Simmons might be the right move for the franchise. One Eastern Conference GM said he’d trade Embiid because it’s easier to build a roster around Simmons, but multiple executives suggested that Simmons’ shooting woes would make him the more logical trade candidate. Of the respondents who made the case for keeping both players, most argued that it would be difficult to get fair value for either one in a trade, Scotto writes.
Noting that managing the Sixers’ stars will be the primary challenge facing the team’s new head coach, Rich Hofmann of The Athletic weighs the pros and cons of Tyronn Lue, Jay Wright, Ime Udoka, and Dave Joerger, four candidates who have been linked to the position so far.
The timing of the Knicks‘ head coaching search allowed them to secure Tom Thibodeau before other teams got a chance to pursue him, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who hears from a source that the Sixers held some appeal to Thibodeau (Twitter link).