Tom Thibodeau is the perfect fit.

[KnicksManiac]

-18 years of coaching in the NBA

-27 years of coaching overall (college level+)

-In his now 18 NBA seasons, Thibodeau has helped his team finish in the NBA's Top 10 in team defense 15 times.

-He has also coached in 87 NBA playoff games in his career, including New York's appearance in the 1999 NBA Finals.

-Thibodeau spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks. During his tenurewith the Knicks, NewYork set a then-NBA record by holding 33 consecutive opponents under 100 points in the 2000-01 season. Thibodeau and the Knicks coaching staff also helped Jeff Van Gundy coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2000 NBA All-Star Game.



Interview with Thibodeau from earlier this season:
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-2 ... odeau.html

GREAT article about Thibodeau, the defensive wizard:
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball ... f_defense/


Some quotes from that article:
-Jeff Van Gundy said that "He has a talent for player development, and by that I mean development on the court, off the court, film, friendship, those types of things. The work he did with Yao Ming was the epitome of player development."

-Doc Rivers said that "Veterans listen," Rivers went on. "And the talent here is better. And that's all Tom wants to do, every day - coach defense. He lives it, breathes it. He has an energy. We haven't changed a lot of our coverages, but we have more detail to them. Tom pays a greater attention to detail. And it was needed."

-Another Rivers quote: "[When I knew we needed an assistant,] I was thinking Tom all the way because of defense, defense, defense."

-"A lot of coaches do defense because they're assigned to it, even though they like the whole game," Rivers went on. "Tom likes the whole game, too. He's a good basketball mind. But his passion is defense. He asks me what I want, I tell him, and he runs with it."



It's the perfect fit.

[Tahirou Sani]

Yes but, if the celts get ousted won't Rivers be removed instead while Thibodeau promoted?

[Bill Bradley]

I have no idea why he's not being talked about as our primary target. He is exactly what this team needs right now. A defensive-minded, experienced guy who will try to bring the old Knick mentality back. Can anyone honestly say that Mark Jackson is a better fit?

[adjacent2bench]

Donnie better interview this guy hours after the Celts give him chance...shoulda been our coach years ago!

[Deeeez Knicks]

Yeah, he is my first choice. I'm all for giving him a chance.

[KOA]

Larry Brown was supposed to make our team better defensively, but he failed miserably. What makes you guys think Thibodeau can do any better?

The reason I prefer D'Antoni is because if anything he will at least raise the trade value of our current roster since they will put up inflated stats in his offensive system.

[JohnStarksTheDunk]

I have no idea why he's not being talked about as our primary target. He is exactly what this team needs right now. A defensive-minded, experienced guy who will try to bring the old Knick mentality back. Can anyone honestly say that Mark Jackson is a better fit?

Agreed.

[pwayknicks]

Larry Brown was supposed to make our team better defensively, but he failed miserably. What makes you guys think Thibodeau can do any better?

The reason I prefer D'Antoni is because if anything he will at least raise the trade value of our current roster since they will put up inflated stats in his offensive system.

Ding, Ding, Ding....Winner Winner Chicken Dinner....


Look I would love Thibadeu but fact of the matter is todays game is so much different then the game of the 80's and 90's, todays players are so much different, unless we have a boat load of vetrans Thibedau is not the right guy....Tom would be good on teams like the Spurs(if pop quit), Rockets, Mavs....but he is a terrible fit for this Knick team...

When the plan is rebuild for 3 years in playing young kids and ridding vets, Tom is a terrible fit....he like Van Gundy will not play his young kids, do you see how Rileys young heat team responded to him? He is a defensive guru, but with a young team they dont listen....get a group of vets and he will do a fantastic job....

Larry Brown was the guy who harped defense more then anyone else and at the same time knew a bit of offense but todays young kids just didnt listen to him, you think people are going to listen to Tom when we are winning 15 games to keep playing defense...lets be real here...

Get the team that Van Gundy left Layden/Isiah with and then you hire Tom, have the team we currently have with our current plan of building youth and Tom is the absolute WORST fit...

[KnicksManiac]

Have some faith pway. Would you really rather get a coach who doesn't give a **** about defense? I can't believe people are complaining about Thibodeau because he preaches defense. Who cares if our team is not full of All NBA defenders??? Our team needs to get that defensive mindset and I am confident that Donnie Walsh would get rid of some waste and give Thibodeau a good group of hardworkers to coach.

[Balkman32]

I would rather Jeff Van Gundy, But I would settle for Tom. He is better than the other 3!

[randomhero423]

agreed 100%

[KnicksManiac]

I would rather Jeff Van Gundy, But I would settle for Tom. He is better than the other 3!

I agree. Once I heard that Van Gundy was out of the running, Thibodeau became my first choice.

[kosmovitelli]

-18 years of coaching in the NBA

-27 years of coaching overall (college level+)

-In his now 18 NBA seasons, Thibodeau has helped his team finish in the NBA's Top 10 in team defense 15 times.

-He has also coached in 87 NBA playoff games in his career, including New York's appearance in the 1999 NBA Finals.

-Thibodeau spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks. During his tenure with the Knicks, NewYork set a then-NBA record by holding 33 consecutive opponents under 100 points in the 2000-01 season. Thibodeau and the Knicks coaching staff also helped Jeff Van Gundy coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2000 NBA All-Star Game.

Tom Thibodeau has experience as an assistant coach and a defensive specialist, it doesn't mean he's the perfect fit for this team and he'll be succesful.

As I already said a few times, Kevin O'Neil was considered 5 years ago the best defensive specialist in the NBA and one of the best assistant coaches in the NBA and he failed in Toronto as head coach.

And for what it's worth, the 2000-2001 record is credited to both Kevin O'Neil and Tom Thibodeau. It's not a coincidence the Knicks set a record and improved their defense the only season Kevin O'Neil spent in NY. When he left for Detroit, our defense started going downhill and it was before Van Gundy decided to quit. It's kinda easy to see the impact of Kevin O'Neil on this team. Before he joined the Knicks, the team allowed 90.7 points per game during the season 1999-2000 and 95.6ppg in 2001-2002 after he left. Inbetween, when O'Neal was here, the team only allowed an average of 86.1pts. It's not a coincidence we had our best defensive statistical season that year. It's the main reason Rick Carlisle lured him to Detroit as soon as he was named head coach of the Pistons.


Thibodeau is a good assistant but he only helped coaching veteran teams like the Knicks, the Rockets or the Celtics who had good defensive players. Some claims this or that coach (d'Antoni for example) would need changes on the roster but it's the same for Thibodeau or any other defensive specialist. This team doesn't have real defensive players he can rely on, especially considering he values interior defense and he will have to work with Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph. Not Kevin Garnett !
After working with Pat Ewing, Larry Johnson, Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas, Yao Ming and Kevin Garnett, it would be funny as hell to see Thibodeau teach defense to Curry and Randolph ! LOL

Thibodeau isn't the perfect fit for this team. There is no perfect fit for this team anyway. Otherwise Donnie Walsh would have signed him already !

Thibodeau isn't a better candidate than Mike d'Antoni, Avery Johnson or Mark Jackson. Wether they are proven or unproven, all available candidates have pros and cons. None of them is the perfect fit.

[Slimpack]

I'm not sure exactly what kind of coach Thibodeau is all in all, but I'd be willing to give him a try. If the players don't like him harping about defense than trade them for players that won't mind it. Hopefully if the Celts go deep this year he'll have enough credibility to convince some of the bigger egos that the Knicks have. Actually come to think of it, if a defense minded coach is hired I think Marbury should be bought or traded this off season. I don't want him sabotaging another Knicks season because doesn't get along with the coach.

I Also wouldn't mind giving Randy Ayers a look as well. possibly. Some people say he's the reason for the improved defense in Washington, and I remember that he worked under Larry Brown. But I also remember something about Eric Snow not understanding his system when he took over in philly or something like that. I'm not sure what that was about.

[boomann21]

Out of all the candiates this is the one I want. He turned Houston and then Boston into defensive power houses.

[pwayknicks]

Have some faith pway. Would you really rather get a coach who doesn't give a **** about defense? I can't believe people are complaining about Thibodeau because he preaches defense. Who cares if our team is not full of All NBA defenders??? Our team needs to get that defensive mindset and I am confident that Donnie Walsh would get rid of some waste and give Thibodeau a good group of hardworkers to coach.

Why Tom and not Carlisle? You guys act as if Mike D'Antoni doesnt care about defense, have you ever been in a huddle with him or in practice, my guess is no and neither have any of us. Everyone cares about defense, if you dont have players who are willing to put in the work or have defensive skillsets, your defense is going to stink. The Suns defensive defencies are way overblown anyway, do they give up a lot of points, yes they do but thats because of the tempo they play at....Suns are always right in the middle of the pack in field goal percentage against, and that is despite having a point gaurd who lets everyone blow right by him and no true interior presence to contest shots....that right there is a bad combo....

Tom like any other coach wouldnt do wonders for this team until the players are changed, if Tom comes in and this group is still intact, are you going to be patient as we have one of the worst defensive teams in the league still despite having a defensive guru for a coach or are you going to call for his head? If you plan on brining him and having patience with him regardless of how much or how little our defense improves, then ok give him a shot. Like Larry Brown, dont fire him in 1 year because the team didnt respond to him, because like we learned with Larry, its always been the players and has NEVER been about the coach with this team...

[mjhp911]

Ding, Ding, Ding....Winner Winner Chicken Dinner....


Look I would love Thibadeu but fact of the matter is todays game is so much different then the game of the 80's and 90's, todays players are so much different, unless we have a boat load of vetrans Thibedau is not the right guy....Tom would be good on teams like the Spurs(if pop quit), Rockets, Mavs....but he is a terrible fit for this Knick team...

When the plan is rebuild for 3 years in playing young kids and ridding vets, Tom is a terrible fit....he like Van Gundy will not play his young kids, do you see how Rileys young heat team responded to him? He is a defensive guru, but with a young team they dont listen....get a group of vets and he will do a fantastic job....

Larry Brown was the guy who harped defense more then anyone else and at the same time knew a bit of offense but todays young kids just didnt listen to him, you think people are going to listen to Tom when we are winning 15 games to keep playing defense...lets be real here...

Get the team that Van Gundy left Layden/Isiah with and then you hire Tom, have the team we currently have with our current plan of building youth and Tom is the absolute WORST fit...

I think the student always takes the best traits from his master, and then incorporates some of his own thinking into the craft. Tibby has seen what works, and what doesn't. He sees where Jeff is now, and where Doc is now. I think he has more sense to be more flexible than Jeff ever was with young players and an offense. Maybe I'm being naive about that. But I'd be willing to give him a shot. I know he'll stress defense, and that's something we sorely need. Even if we don't have the right players, he'll communicate that to Donnie, and Walsh will try to correct that. Zeke is no longer looking over anyone's shoulders, and I doubt Tibby would have designs on Donnie's position. The President/GM - coach relationship will be healthier with us, this time around.

[pwayknicks]

-= original quote snipped =-



I think the student always takes the best traits from his master, and then incorporates some of his own thinking into the craft. Tibby has seen what works, and what doesn't. He sees where Jeff is now, and where Doc is now. I think he has more sense to be more flexible than Jeff ever was with young players and an offense. Maybe I'm being naive about that. But I'd be willing to give him a shot. I know he'll stress defense, and that's something we sorely need. Even if we don't have the right players, he'll communicate that to Donnie, and Walsh will try to correct that. Zeke is no longer looking over anyone's shoulders, and I doubt Tibby would have designs on Donnie's position. The President/GM - coach relationship will be healthier with us, this time around.

As mentioned in my previous post, if your going to be patient with Tom, I have no problem bringing him here. If the thought for Tom is the same thought it was for Larry, then its pointless. This team has to many defensive deficenies that are way beyond coaching that Tom isnt going to make a difference in 1 or even 2 years. If the thought with Tom is we bring him in and we get immediate results in terms of defense then everyone will be dissapointed. Bring him in, and let him sit here for 3 years, then sure I have no problem with it, but frankly we all know the media, and many of our fickle fans will go crazy when they see a BORING half court team, mixed with Vetrans playing(like Malik Rose) and very little defensive change and a 22 win team, everyone is going to call for his head. Because of this I favor Mark Jackson, who will come in with no expectations, will be given time by the fans(who will not like the signing from the beginning) and Donnie(who would know Mark is a long-term solution, not a short-term). Mark is an excellent basketball mind who had a great nba career off of pure work ethic and intelligence.....I want a coach who is going to study game film and knows the game of basketball from the point of view of a person who always looked out of shape...

Jackson with some good assistants is my preference, but I do not mind Tom if given a fair shot(unlike Brown).

[KnicksManiac]

Finally!!!

[GONYK]

This is hilarious. I am genuinely happy you got to see your vision for the Knicks actually happen. I'll freeze this as is for posterity.

See you in the Thibs thread