Tom Thibodeau

Could New York Knick Fans Derail The Current Front Office And Head Coach Alignment?

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New York Knicks, James Dolan

The New York Knicks been probing the National Basketball Association for a head coach for roughly two decades. Even though the hiring of Tom Thibodeau dragged for seven weeks, the franchise been running through head coaches and assistant coaches since the resignation of Jeff Van Gundy nineteen games into the 2001-02 NBA season.

Current Knick President Leon Rose was a former agent with Creative Artists Agency, and Tom Thibodeau was one of his clients. Leon Rose hired long time acquaintance William Wesley as the Executive Vice President. William Wesley, also known as “World Wide Wes”, was called a goodwill ambassador by John Calipari in regards to the University of Kentucky’s basketball program.

William Wesley was a well-connected consultant for Creative Artists Agency before being hired as an executive for the Knicks. With all the strong connections between the front office and the head coach, could Knick fans derail this current front office and head coach alignment?

There’s an old saying that states “pressure busts pipes”. When the Knicks are losing, Madison Square Garden becomes a microwave to certain players who melt under MSG’s bright lights in the presence of displeased die-hard fans who spent their hard-earned money on a Knicks ticket.

James Dolan has a history of making changes based on negative press and displeasure from the fan base. Growing pains are expected during the process of relevancy, however, it would be in James Dolan’s best interest not to overreact to a few bumps along the way to become a good basketball team.

If Dolan learned anything from the past, one thing that’s crucial is the stability of an organization. A culture of stability can catapult the Knicks from decades of losing into decades of winning. Stabilization of a work atmosphere and franchise will allow the front office to make sound decisions. It will even trickle down to the Knick players on the basketball court in a positive way.

Overall, it’s a great hire by the New York Knicks. Coach Tom Thibodeau is a man who has no time for lack of effort especially on the defensive side of the ball. His prior head coaching tenures didn’t work partially due to lack of cohesion with prior front offices.

It appears now that Thibodeau, Leon Rose, and William Wesley are on the same page. Turnover is going to happen as it always does with a new president. However, the Knick front office and head coach seems to have some remanence of stability. New York Knick fans have every right to be optimistic about the direction of the franchise under the new regime.

New York Knicks: Gregg Popovich says exactly what we needed to hear about Tom Thibodeau

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks hired Tom Thibodeau last week to lead the franchise as their next head coach.

Thibodeau has a fantastic history in basketball, coaching the Chicago Bulls from 2010 to 2016 when he moved no to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, while in Chicago, he ranked no worse than second in the Central division. While his team never won a championship, he made it to the conference finals once and the semi-finals twice.

His time in Minnesota wasn’t as successful, as he earned a playoff appearance once in his first two seasons. He was fired last year, finishing with a .475 win percentage over 40 games. Historically, he has a fantastic track record and has a career winning percentage over .500.

The New York Knicks hired a coach with amazing comparisons:

He has been compared to legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick. Tom is known for his attention to detail and organization. His mannerisms mimic Belichick’s closely, which is a great thing.

Another legendary coach, Gregg Popovich, had only good things to say about Thibodeau joining the Knicks.

“Tommy’s a seasoned veteran who it goes without saying understands what wins what loses,” Popovich said Saturday on a Zoom call when asked by The Post about Thibodeau’s Knicks hiring. “He knows how to put a program together, create a culture, be demanding. At the same time, make people accountable. It’s easy to demand things, but making people accountable and wanting to play the right way is not something that’s easy for everybody to do. But Tom knows it inside and out.”

“He’ll be a great choice to organize the situation there, develop a plan, start a culture stick to it and be persistent and get after it,” Popovich said. “It’s a great choice.”

The Knicks got a good one with Thibodeau, and I would be surprised if he didn’t run the offense through RJ Barrett, their best young player. With another high draft pick upcoming, the team could look a little bit different next year. New general manager Leon Rose is also looking to expand on his connections and draw interest from some of the league stars.

Jason Kidd the frontrunner to be the New York Knicks head coach

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New York Knicks, Jason Kidd

According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Jason Kidd is the new frontrunner to be the New York Knicks’ next head coach.

Bondy says Kidd “is viewed by the Knicks as a conduit to attracting free agents” but adds “there are also people in the organization who are skeptical of his coaching ability following underwhelming stints in Brooklyn and Milwaukee.”

Kidd is an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers under head coach Frank Vogel. After retiring from the NBA in 2013 (Kidd’s last season was with the Knicks in the 2012-13 season) Kidd was named the Brooklyn Nets head coach. After a supposed power-play move within the organization, Brooklyn traded Kidd to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014.

Kidd coached the Bucks for three and a half seasons, getting fired in 2018. During Kidd’s time in Milwaukee, he coached Giannis Antetokounmpo, a free agent in 2021. The 2019 NBA Most Valuable Player Award recipient reportedly had a sound relationship with Kidd. It has been reported that some NBA teams feel Kidd could be the “link” to Antetokounmpo.

Bondy says that potential assistants under Kidd include Kenny Payne, Rod Strickland and Mike Woodson, the Knicks head coach from 2012-14, and a reported candidate for the current coaching vacancy.

The New York Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale in December 2019 after going 4-18. They promoted assistant Mike Miller to interim head coach. The Knicks went 17-27 under Miller.

The team fired president Steve Mills in February, replacing him with former agent Leon Rose. Under Rose, the Knicks have retained Scott Perry as general manager, hired Walt Perrin as assistant general manager, and hired William Wesley as executive vice president/senior basketball advisor, among other moves.

Tom Thibodeau has been the long-standing favorite to be named the Knicks head coach given his relationship with Rose and Wesley by means of Creative Artists Agency. A source tells Bondy that owner James Dolan has been “unwilling” to meet Thibodeau’s contract requests and any deal between the two sides at this point would require a “concession.”

New York Knicks are heavily considering Kenny Atkinson as next head coach

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Brooklyn Nets, Kenny Atkinson

The New York Knicks are in the midst of finding their next head coach after the departure of David Fizdale in 2019. The rumors have been flowing, especially around Tom Thibodeau, who has reportedly already started watching Knicks film in preparation for his hiring.

Not so fast Tom, as the Knicks are still exploring other options, including former nets Coach, Kenny Atkinson.

Atkinson has been heavily considered, given his pedigree with the Nets and their surprise firing of him last season. The Knicks are considering a bevy of candidates, including interim coach Mike Miller, who took over after Fizdale was fired last season. Atkinson makes a lot of sense, considering his familiarity with the area and the fact that he just enjoyed his third interview with management.

The New York Knicks are doing their due diligence

While Thibodeau and Atkinson remain the favorites, former point guard Jason Kidd is also in the picture. These are three highly capable candidates who offer vastly different approaches to the game.

While it seems like Thibodeau leads the pack, Atkinson can’t be ruled out just yet. If he is garnering enough attention to receive multiple interviews, the Knicks must be intrigued by him. Of course, it all boils down to owner James Dolan and who he prefers. Despite hiring Leon Rose, former Super agent for CAA, Dolan has the final say in any hirings.

With the hiring expected by the end of the month, the final interview for Atkinson certainly raises a few questions. Are they completely sold on Thibodeau? Is Jason Kidd even in consideration anymore?

We will find out soon enough, but Atkinson isn’t only coming from the Nets. He served as the assistant coach for the Knicks from 2008-2012. He was with the organization under Mike D’Antoni.

Whoever is hired will have to continue rebuilding the roster around their current youth players. With the hope being the Knicks land LaMelo Ball in the draft, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson remain the focal points. Utilizing their strengths is a priority, and something Fizdale failed to do last year.

Tom Thibodeau is studying the New York Knicks roster

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

Tom Thibodeau has been the recurring favorite to land the New York Knicks head-coaching position. A source told Marc Berman of the New York Post that Thibodeau has been “passing away the time poring over Knicks game film as he awaits a possible job offer.”

Berman notes that Thibodeau is a fan of Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson.

It’s known one of the things that most intrigues Thibodeau about coaching the Knicks roster is molding young shot-blocking center Mitchell Robinson into an even better defensive player.

Thibodeau was an assistant for the New York Knicks from 1996-2003, including seven seasons under head coach Jeff Van Gundy. Thibodeau followed Van Gundy to the Houston Rockets in 2003, where he’d reside for four seasons. He was then an assistant for the Boston Celtics under head coach Doc Rivers, which led to him becoming the Chicago Bulls head coach in 2010.

Thibodeau won Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and coached Chicago from 2010-15; he was fired in May 2015. He became the Minnesota Timberwolves head coach in 2016, where he resided for two and a half seasons before being fired in January 2019.

Thibodeau feels his experience working with high-profile coaches has helped him build relationships with players.

“You go back to your past — being around people who have done great things. At Team USA. I’ve worked with Doc Rivers, Jeff Van Gundy, Brendan Malone, not just great head coaches but assistants and great college coaches.

“The thing that stood out being around [Mike Krzyzewski], Jim Boeheim and [Team USA managing director] Jerry Colangelo, these are Hall of Fame guys who still wanted to do great things and be driven and wanted to learn. They don’t want to stay the same.’’

Knicks president Leon Rose and executive vice president/senior basketball advisor William Wesley worked with Thibodeau at Creative Artists Agency.

New York Knicks Newly Hired Head Coach Tom Thibodeau Could Run The Offense Through RJ Barrett

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New York Knicks, RJ Barrett

The New York Knicks have a new franchise head coach and he’s no stranger to the organization. Tom Thibodeau has signed a five year deal to become the head coach for the New York Knicks after rumors circulated that former Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets Head Coach, Jason Kidd became the front runner for the vacant position on July 25th 2020. It is official. Now it may be possible that Tom Thibodeau runs the Knick offense through RJ Barrett. Will the former Maple Mamba’s basketball stock price rise drastically under ahead Coach Tom Thibodeau? Will the new coach run the offense through RJ Barrett?

Tom Thibodeau loves extremely competitive natured guys playing for him. We’ve seen certain players under Coach Thibs tutelage in the past who had that ultra-competitive characteristic, such as the Jimmy Butlers’ of the world along with Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and even Joakim Noah.

Tom Thibodeau even had his imprint as a Knicks assistant during the Knicks 1999 NBA Championship push which also consisted of silent shooting assassin Allan Houston, scoring assassin Latrell Sprewell, Marcus Camby, Chris Childs, Larry Johnson, Charlie Ward, and Kurt Thomas just to name a few tough competitors. Every name I’ve just mentioned spent time under Tom Thibodeau and none of them backed down or feared anybody. Tom Thibodeau was under the tutelage of former Knick coach Jeff Van Gundy from 1996 until Jeff Van Gundy’s resignation in 2001. However, Thibodeau maintained his assistant position with the Knicks until 2004. The two have been in the trenches and have great respect for one another.

RJ Barrett fits that mold of toughness and grit. The former Duke Blue Devil doesn’t need a motor mentor, he’s already got it within and it shows on the court nightly. RJ Barrett proudly stated he’s built for New York City in an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith before he got drafted. Furthermore, if Tom Thibodeau can run an offense through former Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng and get positive results, what will happen if he decides to do the same with Barrett in his prime in two years from now.

RJ’s basketball growth may even be sooner depending upon Barrett’s pace of improvement going into his second year in the league. No worries there due to RJ’s tenacious work ethic. Tom Thibodeau got the most out of Jimmy Butler as well. Jimmy Butler’s upside was even lower than Barrett’s upon entering the league as a late first round draft pick by the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2011. RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson are the cornerstones that’ll benefit greatly under the Knicks new coach.

Overall, RJ Barrett’s potential compatibility with Tom Thibodeau looks very promising. The former Canadian star may not be the only one on the roster benefitting with Thibs being hired, however, the 20 year old seems like an obvious candidate for swift improvement under the tutelage of Coach Thibodeau who is basically a well prepared NBA coach on a nightly basis. Tom Thibodeau will have the New York Knicks representing the blue-collar city properly and competing on a nightly basis by any means necessary.

New York Knicks to have their new head coach by July 31st

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New York Knicks, Leon Rose

The New York Knicks are expected to have their next head coach by July 31st.  This comes from SNY’s Ian Begley.  As of right now, it appears that Tom Thibodeau remains the leader in the clubhouse for the position.

The Knicks and their new team president Leon Rose will interview 11 candidates for the job.  Some of the other interviewees include, Kenny Atkinson, Mike Miller and Mike Woodson.  Other applicants Mike Brown, Jamahl Mosley, Chris Fleming, etc.  And one more name you can throw in, Jason Kidd?  However, there’s no official word that he’ll interview.

While all those other candidates are fine coaches, it’s Tibbs as the front runner for the Knicks gig.

Sports fan these days don’t look at the past.  It’s all about ‘what have you done for me lately’.  In Tibb’s case, his last coaching job didn’t end well.  However, he did take Minnesota to the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.  The Knicks are running on a, current, 8 yer drought.

While his last gig had it’s ups and downs, fans like to look at the developmental aspect of Tibbs’ tenure in Minnesota.  While that didn’t go as expected, people forget that he did develop a young Chicago Bulls team.  Rose, Noah and company were in their early 20’s and looking to win a title.  That couldn’t have happened with Thibodeau developing them into winners.  It couldn’t have happened if Tibbs didn’t know how to get the most out of those young players and push them.

A lot of Knicks fans will want Atkinson due to his ability to develop players as well.  He was able to take a Brooklyn Nets team, with a lot of average players, and turn them into a playoff team.  Atkinson also knows how to get the best out of his players.

Whoever the Knicks decide on for their next coach, fans won’t agree.  It comes with the territory of being a Knicks fan, we don’t agree on anything.  But for those fans that don’t want Tibbs, he had a second interview for the New York Knicks job and it’s his to lose.

New York Knicks: Patrick Ewing calls Tom Thibodeau a ‘great coach’

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New York Knicks, Patrick Ewing

Tom Thibodeau has been linked to the New York Knicks‘ head-coaching position from the moment Leon Rose took over as team president. Rose, the former head of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), has worked with Thibodeau in the past.

Knicks legend Patrick Ewing called Thibodeau a “great coach” in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Frank Isola and Sarah Kustok (quote by means of Forbes’ Adam Zagoria).

“I think Tom’s a great coach. I had the opportunity to him being on the staff when he played, and also work with him. He’s been around for a lot of years, he knows the game in and out. He’s gonna do everything that he needs to do in terms of having his team prepared to play every night. I think he’d be a great candidate for that job.”

Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Knicks from 1996-2003, which included four seasons of coaching Ewing. Thibodeau was previously an assistant for the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. He joined the Houston Rockets as an assistant for the 2003-04 NBA season and was present through 2007.

Thibodeau was hired by the Boston Celtics as an assistant in 2007, where he’d reside for three seasons before becoming head coach of the Chicago Bulls. He spent five seasons in Chicago, winning Coach of the Year honors in 2011. Thibodeau was fired after the 2014-15 season and named the Timberwolves head coach in 2016.

The former Knicks assistant spent two and a half seasons in Minnesota, making the playoffs in his second season. Prior to his 2019 termination, Thibodeau was also Minnesota’s president of basketball operations.

The Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale in December 2019, and named assistant Mike Miller as interim head coach. President Steve Mills was axed in February and replaced by Rose. New York has hired Brock Aller as a chief strategist, Walt Perrin as assistant general manager and William Wesley as executive vice president/senior basketball advisor among other front-office hires under Rose.

The Knicks are reportedly considering 11 people to be their head coach for the 2020-21 season.

Knicks interviewing Jason Kidd, making him 11th reported head-coaching candidate

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New York Knicks, Jason Kidd

The New York Knicks have received permission from the Los Angeles Lakers to interview Jason Kidd for their head-coaching vacancy per Marc Stein of the New York Times.

Kidd is currently in his first season as an assistant with the Lakers on head coach Frank Vogel’s coaching staff.

Steve Popper of Newsday says that Kidd would have “interest” in coaching the Knicks. Popper also says that some teams see the former point guard as a “link” to Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, a free agent after the 2020-21 NBA season.

Kidd rounded out his NBA career with the Knicks (the 2012-13 NBA season) and is a 2018 inductee into the Naismith Hall of Fame. Outside of the Knicks, he played for the New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks (twice).

Kidd was named the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in 2013 and had a reported power struggle with management after the 2013-14 season, leading Kidd to be traded to the Bucks. He coached the Bucks for three and a half seasons. Kidd was fired during the 2017-18 season and didn’t coach in the NBA the ensuing season.

Kidd is the 11th reported candidate for the Knicks’ head-coaching position. The others are interim head coach Mike Miller, former Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau, former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, former Knicks head coach Mike Woodson, Philadelphia 76ers assistant Ime Udoka, Orlando Magic assistant Pat Delany, Chicago Bulls assistant Chris Fleming, San Antonio Spurs assistant Will Hardy, Dallas Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley and Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown.

The Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale in December 2019 and promoted Mike Miller. President Steve Mills was fired in February and replaced by former agent Leon Rose.

Thibodeau, a former CAA client under Rose, has been considered the favorite for the job. The former Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls head coach was an assistant for the Knicks from 1996-2003. According to SNY‘s Ian Begley, Atkinson has “legitimate internal support within the organization” to get the job.

New York Knicks top coaching candidate does have other coaching options

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New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks top coaching candidate might have his sights set elsewhere.  Tom Thibodeau could have possible interest in going to Houston.

If Mike D’Antoni is relieved of his coaching duties, Thibs may want to go to the Rockets over the Knicks.  This is from New York Post, their sources and Marc Berman.

Honestly, would you blame Thibs?  The Rockets are competing for championship.  They have the tools, sort of, in place to win a title.  The Knicks are very far from that.

The Knicks are rebuilding and why it would be nice to have a winning coach, other places are more intriguing.  Houston is certainly one.

Everyone has been talking about how Thibs lost in Minnesota with developing those players.  That’s one of the concerns for Knicks fans, if they hire Thibs.  However, people forget the Thibs had a young team in Chicago.  Rose and company were in their early-to-mid 20’s and made a run for a title.  So Thibs does know how to develop young talent.  Sometimes it doesn’t work.

Word on the street is Mike Miller could return as coach.  That’s now a possibility.  Miller did the best he could with what he was dealt with after David Fizdale being fired.  He did what he could to retain his job for next season as well.  The New York Knicks need to figure out who is the best possible candidate to develop the players during this rebuild.