Longtime NBA coach and defensive guru Tom Thibodeau wants another job roaming the bench. Here’s an evaluation of potential landing spots for next season.
Tom Thibodeau wants to coach again in the NBA, and there is reported interest from front office executives that would consider him.
At this point in his coaching career, teams know what they’re getting in Thibodeau — a defensive-minded guru that is hard on his players. As the NBA becomes a more progressive league, it’s a wonder if Thibodeau can adapt to how he treats players or coaches.
His unceremonious divorce with the Minnesota Timberwolves was sloppy. He brought in a familiar player in Jimmy Butler, which led the Wolves in 2017-18 to their first playoff appearance since the 2003-04 season. It included 47 wins, the most since that 03-04 season when they set a franchise record with 58 wins.
But Butler asked for a trade and was harsh on the younger Wolves players for a lack of work ethic. Thibodeau’s hard practices and affinity for playing his starters large sums of minutes had worn off.
Karl-Anthony Towns was vocal against Thibodeau. So the franchise’s now-24-year-old superstar got his wish as Thibodeau was fired after starting the 18-19 season 19-21 and a messy breakup.
"“If you are going to heap blame on Tom, you have to give him credit as well,’’ Bernie Lee, Butler’s agent told the New York Post. “So often, NBA teams play it safe or stay on the fence and don’t want to be tied to actual results. Tom took a big risk that came with big results that ultimately proved to not be sustainable, but it’s what was required at that time.”"
Younger stars are taking over the league and becoming fan-favorites, which begs the question: Who wants to be coached hard?
The payoff is undoubtedly great. Minnesota, with a new face in Butler to boot, achieved a historic season given failure after failure. The Chicago Bulls were 259-139 (64.7%) in five seasons and advanced past the first round of the playoffs three times.
"“Obviously my record speaks for itself. Obviously my passion is with coaching,” he said on ESPN’s First Take. “Obviously (I’m) looking to get back into it if the right opportunity does come along.”"
Thibodeau can afford to be picky with one year left on his five-year, $40 million deal he signed to be Minnesota’s coach ahead of the 2016-17 season. But the coaching blood never leaves the system and several opportunities could be a good fit.
Let’s take a look at some longshot options before diving into the most realistic opportunities.