Thibodeau

girlygirl · Post #61 » by **girlygirl** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 3:07 am

The Bulls HAVE to at least interview Thibodeaux before hiring a head coach. This series will be over in another week. After 2 months of looking for a coach, what's another week or so?

theanimal23 · Post #62 » by **theanimal23** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 3:24 am

girlygirl wrote:The Bulls HAVE to at least interview Thibodeaux before hiring a head coach. This series will be over in another week. After 2 months of looking for a coach, what's another week or so?

+1000000000

DaBulls82 · Post #63 » by **DaBulls82** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 4:53 am

coldfish wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Quite frankly, I don't understand why Phoenix moved so fast to hire a reject like Porter.

There are two reasons I can come up with:

1) Thibo has let teams know he will be resigning with the Celtics or is not interested in pursuing their head coaching vacancies.

2) Phx needed a coach with some experience since their team is built to win now. However, if that was the case I figured Flip would have been given a call. Phx is in a really awkward situation. They've been a top team but haven't been able to get over the "hump" and get to the championship round. They have some talented young pieces (Amare, Barbosa) but their main man (Nash) is older. They just added an even older "star" that didn't seem like an ideal fit for the system they ran and then lost the coach that got the team to the elite of the west. Its going to be interesting watching them play defense next year.

Side note, I know Flip is #2 on your list, doesn't it bother you that it seemed prearranged that if he didn't get to the finals, an assistant of his would replace him? Add to that, one of his other assistants got a job before he has even been interviewed.

Hangtime84 · Post #64 » by **Hangtime84** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 5:11 am

I like the coaching plea that JVG sending to the Bulls

GJ

Bull Shak · Post #65 » by **Bull Shak** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 5:13 am

Hangtime84 wrote:I like the coaching plea that JVG sending to the Bulls

GJ

What'd he say?

DanTown8587 · Post #66 » by **DanTown8587** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 5:17 am

I think everyone has to cool the jets on the Thibadeau love. I mean, every year some great assistant coach is out there and they don't always hit. I think he would be a great hire, but I think here is the thing: I don't think Thibadaeu is the right coach to lead an incredibly young team. Its not a fault of his that he is such a good teacher and intense person, but he really hasn't been around young teams. Its one thing to take a risk on an assistant coach, its another to take a risk on a coach who has never really worked with non-veteran teams and ask him to coach a bunch of kids.

DanTown8587 · Post #67 » by **DanTown8587** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 5:19 am

Bull Shak wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

What'd he say?

Its not a direct plea to the Bulls, but everytime they bring him up as the defensive coach, JVG INSTANTLY mentions how good of an offensive coach he can be. Basically, fluffing Tom up (not anything new on that front or a reason to not hire him).

JeremyB0001 · Post #68 » by **JeremyB0001** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 5:47 am

DanTown8587 wrote:I think everyone has to cool the jets on the Thibadeau love. I mean, every year some great assistant coach is out there and they don't always hit.

As always, Thibo isn't the flash in the pan many assume that he is. While this season has substantially bolstered his resume, he received head coaching interviews prior to this season and he's been an NBA assistant for many, many years.

I think he would be a great hire, but I think here is the thing: I don't think Thibadaeu is the right coach to lead an incredibly young team. Its not a fault of his that he is such a good teacher and intense person, but he really hasn't been around young teams. Its one thing to take a risk on an assistant coach, its another to take a risk on a coach who has never really worked with non-veteran teams and ask him to coach a bunch of kids.

I don't really have any reason to think he's a poor fit for a young team. He allegedly has a strong reputation working with young players. He's worked with guys like Powe, Big Baby, and Rondo in Boston now. In the past he's worked with guys like Yao and Luther Head.

sporadiclee · Post #69 » by **sporadiclee** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 6:05 am

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mariotti/995622,jay060908.article

Why is this happening? Who slows down Bryant when no other opponent thinks about it? The name is Thibodeau. The title is associate head coach. You might have heard it in Chicago, back when the rush-hour traffic crawl that is the Bulls' coaching search included a handful of candidates that general manager John Paxson preferred. Now that the search has been ravaged by chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and dumbed-down into one of the ridiculous farces in franchise history, the Bulls may as well wait out the Finals and see if Thibodeau, in the end, makes more sense than My Cousin Vinny (Del Negro), Dwane Casey, Chuck Person and any other late whim.

Now there's an idea: If you couldn't get a deal done for Kobe, then hire the Kobe-stopper. With Reinsdorf trying to kill the franchise with cheapness -- he didn't want to exceed the luxury tax for Pau Gasol; he didn't want to pay $6 million a year for D'Antoni and Collins -- he has no such excuse with work-for-pennies Thibodeau. He has been a head coach only once, for one season in the mid-'80s at Salem State in Massachusetts, but you can't argue with his results as an NBA defensive specialist. In 15 of his 18 seasons as an assistant, his clubs have ranked in the top 10 in team defense.

Del Negro never has sat on a bench as a coach -- he's an assistant GM in Phoenix under Steve Kerr -- yet he's considered a leading candidate for the Bulls job. At least Casey has been a head coach, albeit briefly before the Minnesota Timberwolves fired him, making the 13-game "Dwane Ticket Plan" a tough sell at the United Center. Everyone is laughing at Reinsdorf and Paxson at the Finals, with some media asking why Reinsdorf doesn't get out of the sport and others wondering when Paxson resigns.

So why not wait for Thibodeau? "It's come down to someone willing to take a chance. And when they do, it will be a home run," said ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy, who never has been on Paxson's radar but had Thibodeau as an assistant in Houston. "He's an unbelievable basketball coach."

Never have we heard so much about a coach without hearing anything from him directly. That's because Celtics coach Doc Rivers has an immovable policy of not letting his assistants talk to the media, even during the Finals. He's the spirited sidekick to Rivers, passionate and barking instructions. He's dedicated, in the office at 7 a.m. after a road trip. He's a coaching lifer who has been taking notes on a legal pad for two decades. Most importantly, the players like him, nice to know after the Bulls turned on Scott Skiles and Jim Boylan last season. Center Kendrick Perkins referred to Thibodeau as "the best thing that has happened to us."

"Tom's great," Rivers said. "He's our defensive leader."

And if you don't believe them, ask Bryant. Years ago, when Kobe was a high-school legend in suburban Philadelphia, he'd make special trips to work out with 76ers personnel. That's where he met Thibodeau, who took a special interest in the phenom. "He has inside information on what I like to do, because he taught me most of the stuff," Bryant said. "I've been facing his defenses for some time, and they're very, very tough with great strategies and physical defense. He's awesome."

JeremyB0001 · Post #70 » by **JeremyB0001** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 6:27 am

One more thing - I think Thibo's defensive system alone is arguably a good enough reason to hire him.

kyrv · Post #71 » by **kyrv** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 7:24 am

girlygirl wrote:The Bulls HAVE to at least interview Thibodeaux before hiring a head coach. This series will be over in another week. After 2 months of looking for a coach, what's another week or so?

If he was actually on the short list, and not just a made up name by the media, I don't see any scenario in which they would NOT interview him.

So I somewhat agree, with the caveat, again, that he's actually a candidate.