Around The NBA : 2024-25 Season

[Jeffster81]

Thibs is 67. Like Torts of the NHL, Thibs should become a mercenary coach. Plus don't stay at any one spot for more than 2 years.

[2weekswithpay]

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Interesting, I've never seen a PM stat for coaches.

[jc23]

Thibs is my guy for life.

[MAQ]

Thibs is my guy for life.

The way Russel Westbrook plays basketball and the way Tom Thibodeau coaches basketball.

Hard.

That's how I'd like to approach everything.

[jc23]

Thibs is my guy for life.

The way Russel Westbrook plays basketball and the way Tom Thibodeau coaches basketball.

Hard.

That's how I'd like to approach everything.

Read on Twitter

this confrontation fired me up. i do get the criticisms. i still think about Korvers quote on how he would wait in his car 30 minutes because he did not want to go to practice lol.

[Ice Man]

The way Russel Westbrook plays basketball and the way Tom Thibodeau coaches basketball.

Hard.

Russ, eh? Well, he does play hard, that is true.

[Susan]

Since he got fired the Bulls are 3-8 in the postseason in a decade. Averaging just about a playoff game per year here. Give me Thibs' playoff record over whatever you call this last decade has been and whatever the dozen years were before he came to town.

Here's the reality - there's not a coach on this planet that's going to win a championship with Jalen Brunson as their best player. Sure he wears on players because he's pushing them to be their best - that's an uncomfortable relationship by definition but to use that as justification to fire him leads you to a decade of basketball impotence.

GMs have massive egos and rarely are they as great as they think they are. Citing a slightly below .500 playoff record as proof that he's bad when this bum ass franchise can't even get to the playoffs to get swept is top notch. Good work!

It's possible to be a hard ass and for players to never tune you out. Thibs has never found that balance.

No team is going to prioritize a coach like Thibs over a talented, albeit flawed roster of players who don't want to play for him. It's unreasonable.

Minny fired him because of Wiggins and KAT - then that franchise sucked so bad that they got saved and landed Antman. They missed the playoffs 13 years in a row before Thibs.

The Bulls fired him because of Gar - ain't no life preservers coming and we got Fred's dumbass, then the ultimate clown who shall not be named followed up by play-in Billy.

The Knicks fired him because of who? Bridges who's never made an all star team and soft ass KAT again?

The Bulls went from averaging 48.25 wins in the last 4 years of Thibs to 41.5 the following two years with Hoiberg and 22 the last year of the Hoiberg era. Minny won 22.5 games in the 2 years before Thibs, 31 then 47 then 19-21 with Thibs and then went on to win .405, .297 and .319 of their games following Thibs. The Knicks were hilariously bad from 2013-2020 then they reach the ECF with Thibs and think they're not completely inept.

Minny, Chicago and NYK are 3 of the 5 worst franchises in the sport and outside of this Antman run, they ALL have been wildly irrelevant for nearly 20+ years outside of their time with Thibs.

[MrSparkle]

I think history shows that (winning) coaching continuity works in the NBA.

It’s nonsensical seeing these 60+ win/championship coaches getting canned (Bud/Bucks, Vogel/Lakers, Carlisle/Mavs). Did the next coach do any better? No. Almost like having a powerful/demanding coach is the only remaining check and balance on these 9-figure players.

Now if your lead player hates the coach, that’s a different story. Those two need to be on the same page. But it seemed Brunson supported Thibs, and my observation’s been that scoring guards thrive in his systems. He puts them in position to succeed. There is really no reason why Brunson should even be in MVP conversations. He’s great, but let’s be serious; wrong team/situation and he can easily become half the player.

IMO, he’s gonna be the first guy to see his historical adv. metrics (for a tiny guard with average athleticism) drop to pedestrian starting guard numbers. They’re gonna double down on KAT’s presence, and that just screwed up their defensive string and being able to mask Brunson’s defensive shortcomings.

[Red Larrivee]

Minny fired him because of Wiggins and KAT - then that franchise sucked so bad that they got saved and landed Antman. They missed the playoffs 13 years in a row before Thibs.

The Bulls fired him because of Gar - ain't no life preservers coming and we got Fred's dumbass, then the ultimate clown who shall not be named followed up by play-in Billy.

The Knicks fired him because of who? Bridges who's never made an all star team and soft ass KAT again?

The Bulls went from averaging 48.25 wins in the last 4 years of Thibs to 41.5 the following two years with Hoiberg and 22 the last year of the Hoiberg era. Minny won 22.5 games in the 2 years before Thibs, 31 then 47 then 19-21 with Thibs and then went on to win .405, .297 and .319 of their games following Thibs. The Knicks were hilariously bad from 2013-2020 then they reach the ECF with Thibs and think they're not completely inept.

Minny, Chicago and NYK are 3 of the 5 worst franchises in the sport and outside of this Antman run, they ALL have been wildly irrelevant for nearly 20+ years outside of their time with Thibs.

Even Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have criticized him for the same reasons everyone else has from their time in Boston.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/17/sports/kevin-garnett-wants-knicks-stars-to-confront-tom-thibodeau/

Thibs is so bad at a crucial element of the NBA, that 3 different organizations and 3 different groups of core players decided that everything you just wrote wasn't enough to negate it and still fired him.

You can't be a keeper as a coach if players are tuning you out. Point blank. Good coach, but he's too stubborn and never grasped player management and relationships well despite ample opportunity to do so.

[Rose2Boozer]

I wouldn't mind seeing Thibs coach in college. The starting rate is 10 million per, or he can sit on his ass and collect 30 million for the next three years. The Knicks organization are bozos for firing dude.

[kodo]

Now if your lead player hates the coach, that’s a different story. Those two need to be on the same page. But it seemed Brunson supported Thibs, and my observation’s been that scoring guards thrive in his systems. He puts them in position to succeed. There is really no reason why Brunson should even be in MVP conversations. He’s great, but let’s be serious; wrong team/situation and he can easily become half the player.

IMO, he’s gonna be the first guy to see his historical adv. metrics (for a tiny guard with average athleticism) drop to pedestrian starting guard numbers. They’re gonna double down on KAT’s presence, and that just screwed up their defensive string and being able to mask Brunson’s defensive shortcomings.

It seems that there is a clique within the Knicks made up of Thibs-Brunson-Brunson (Rick), and the other players were getting PO'd by that. It looks Leon/Dolan felt they had to do something and they felt it was easier to fire Thibs than risk alienating Jalen by getting rid of his dad.

multiple Knicks players have been unhappy with the presence of assistant coach Rick Brunson, the father of star guard Jalen Brunson. What that issue is, exactly, has not been determined, though sources suggested that Rick has had too big a say in things.

One source called Rick the person with the most power in the entire organization. His status is uncertain following Thibodeau’s dismissal, though considering he’s Jalen’s dad, many assume Rick will remain with the team in some capacity.

Rick and Jalen were said to be Thibodeau supporters, with Jalen strongly indicating as much when asked about Thibodeau after the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Knicks in six games.

Some Knicks players’ unease with Rick’s presence on the sideline was also reported by Brian Geltzeiler of Sirius XM NBA radio.

[Ice Man]

Setting aside all other things, I do think it's strange -- and a bad personnel decision by Thibs -- that Rick Brunson had a role in an organization where his son plays. That feels like youth sports, not the professional variety.

[sco]

The main reason to fire Thibs is because he overplays his starters during the regular season, which risks injury during the playoffs. I could see that being a legit reason. But if so, the time to fire Thibs was after the 2024 season, where the Knicks were hobbled with injury during the post-season. Not now, when the Knicks were as healthy as a team can be during the playoffs, and oh they also outperformed their seeding. Just weird.

And he definitely overplays his starters, and it works (often, barrring injury), but the playoffs are a different story. Indiana, plays more guys, and got more rest going into the series, and gameplanned well for that situation. I don't think most in NY felt it was a disappointing season, but the NY owner is quirky, to put it nicely, and often acts irrationally.

[Susan]

Minny fired him because of Wiggins and KAT - then that franchise sucked so bad that they got saved and landed Antman. They missed the playoffs 13 years in a row before Thibs.

The Bulls fired him because of Gar - ain't no life preservers coming and we got Fred's dumbass, then the ultimate clown who shall not be named followed up by play-in Billy.

The Knicks fired him because of who? Bridges who's never made an all star team and soft ass KAT again?

The Bulls went from averaging 48.25 wins in the last 4 years of Thibs to 41.5 the following two years with Hoiberg and 22 the last year of the Hoiberg era. Minny won 22.5 games in the 2 years before Thibs, 31 then 47 then 19-21 with Thibs and then went on to win .405, .297 and .319 of their games following Thibs. The Knicks were hilariously bad from 2013-2020 then they reach the ECF with Thibs and think they're not completely inept.

Minny, Chicago and NYK are 3 of the 5 worst franchises in the sport and outside of this Antman run, they ALL have been wildly irrelevant for nearly 20+ years outside of their time with Thibs.

Even Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have criticized him for the same reasons everyone else has from their time in Boston.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/17/sports/kevin-garnett-wants-knicks-stars-to-confront-tom-thibodeau/

Thibs is so bad at a crucial element of the NBA, that 3 different organizations and 3 different groups of core players decided that everything you just wrote wasn't enough to negate it and still fired him.

You can't be a keeper as a coach if players are tuning you out. Point blank. Good coach, but he's too stubborn and never grasped player management and relationships well despite ample opportunity to do so.

They just made it to the ECF, they were dialed the hell in.

Dumbass organizations are going to do dumbass things.

This is a dumbass move that will bring back the Knicks to their proper lot in life. What's your favorite Chicago Bulls memory from the last decade?

[nomorezorro]

early thought watching game 1: for all the guard depth we have, we don't really have much in the way of guys who can play aggressive point of attack defense, which seems to be a very valuable skill these days

[GuardianEnzo]

3 steals and 2 blocks for Caruso in the 1st half of game 1, +14 in 13 minutes.

[League Circles]

Wow, can't believe that great finish for the Pacers to take it! I want them to win.

[The Box Office]

TYRESE HALIBURTON. My dude!

[Dan Z]

Everyone seems to count Indiana out throughout the playoffs and yet here we are....they just took game one.

[DuckIII]

Setting aside all other things, I do think it's strange -- and a bad personnel decision by Thibs -- that Rick Brunson had a role in an organization where his son plays. That feels like youth sports, not the professional variety.

It was a package deal all along. It’s not really a decision as much as it was a condition.