Brooklyn Nets and Tom Thibodeau should stay away from each other

The Brooklyn Nets just fired Kenny Atkinson largely because his tendencies just didn’t work for their stars. Now, Tom Thibodeau is rumored to be a candidate for the job.

The Brooklyn Nets pulled off a shocking move just a few weeks ago when they fired their head coach Kenny Atkinson. The man who built their culture and helped pull them from the rubble was dismissed as it became clear that he and the team’s newly-signed stars simply weren’t going to be able to work together.

Atkinson is known as a hard-driving coach, one that can develop young raw players but clearly not one who can reach and motivate stars like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Without a doubt, it does require different coaching skillsets for both classes of players and both the Nets and Atkinson appear to have realized this was simply not going to work in the long run.

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Any time you can fire one task-master who doesn’t jibe well with your stars, apparently, you should quickly consider replacing him with yet another one. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tom Thibodeau may be a candidate to replace Atkinson as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

Thibodeau is known to ride his best players hard and more than a few players have been physically grinded to a pulp under his stewardship, primarily in his tenure with the Chicago Bulls. With Irving’s season hampered by injuries and Durant’s own season being completely wiped out from a ruptured Achilles in last season’s NBA Finals, it’s safe to say that the days of this duo playing heavy minutes nightly in full 82 game seasons is probably a thing of the past.

Unless Tom Thibodeau has undergone a major renaissance in his methods, the match between him and this Nets roster might be the worst of any available head coach. That’s not to say that Thibodeau can’t coach or that he shouldn’t be in the league, because there most definitely should be a place for him. The Brooklyn Nets just aren’t that place.

On the other hand, the New York Knicks are sure to come calling as well, according to Windhorst. A younger and unproven roster just waiting to be molded by a coach who demands their best on a nightly basis could be ideal for both Thibodeau and the Knicks.

From a fit perspective, the Knicks may be the best bet possible for him especially if the Nets are able to see the folly of their ways and practice some avoidance.

Fortunately, it’s likely that Irving and Durant will be as heavily involved in the process of hiring a new coach as they were in the process of moving on from the last one. They know what Thibodeau brings to the table but they should also be aware of the risks involved with bringing him on.

For the sake of all parties, the Brooklyn Nets and Tom Thibodeau should stay away from each other.