Tom Thibodeau was never married – except to his team.
Thibodeau would rather dwell on a game movie than lie on a beach in Turks and Caicos. He spent a lot of time on the beach during a 1-and-a-half hiatus after his dismissal in Minnesota in January 2019. And he didn’t like it.
The 63-year-old treats each game – as Julius Randle said recently – “as if it were a playoff game.” A team executive overcame Randle: “Nah, he prepares as if every game is the Super Bowl. Unbelievable attention to detail. “
Thibodeau’s friends talked to him about finding more hobbies, but basketball is his life.
The Knicks franchise roaming the jungle for the past seven seasons has found an oasis – or at least a winning record after 35 games.
There is no Return Trainer of the Year award, but that’s okay. If that continues in the second half, Thibodeau deserves to be the coach of the year.
Thibodeau’s Knicks started at 18-17 and is fourth in the Eastern Conference, hitting the midpoint of the season on Tuesday in San Antonio.
“I think Tom would certainly be at the top of everyone’s list,” an NBA coach told The Post. “He’s doing an incredible job. ”
Doc Rivers did well in Philadelphia and Quin Snyder was always solid in Utah. Rivers and Snyder will train the All-Star Game as leaders for their respective conferences.
But the Jazz and Sixers won for a few years with a team of highlights (Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris in Philadelphia, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley with Utah).
There hasn’t been a cultural change as drastic as that found in the NBA’s most important franchise. Knicks players are telling their agents that they did not play for a coaching staff that worked so hard.
“Someone who believes that you can develop players and try to win at the same time, Tom is proving it, ” said a coach associated with The Post. “Everyone thought that management would be in tank mode, but someone was not accepting any of that. He’s proving that developing players and trying to win doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. ”
Defense is Thibodeau’s calling card and he has exceeded expectations. The Knicks fiercely defend the painting and vigorously contest the 3-point pitches.
With almost the same group as last season, Thibodeau has the defensive ranking of the Knicks in second place in the league behind Utah and ahead of third-placed Lakers. David Fizdale / Mike Miller Knicks from last season was in 25th place.
Leon Rose celebrated his one-year anniversary as president of the Knicks on Monday and the best thing he did was to attract Thibodeau, despite his reputation being tarnished in Minnesota. Load? Be very tough on the younger players.
These Knicks are relating to Thibodeau in a way that not even Rose and senior vice president William Wesley could have imagined. Sources told the Post that Wesley had small reservations. Rose had no doubts.
“He sets the tone and the guys follow his intensity and game plan,” said a person close to the Knicks.
Rose no longer speaks to the media – he has been silent for seven months. But the ex-agent made a poignant remark during his extensive search for coaching.
Rose said she was looking for a coach “that when you are in the huddle and are looking into that coach’s eyes, every player who is looking at him knows that this person is directing the ship and will do the job.”
This is what is happening here. Even with the recent wave of injuries to Mitchell Robinson, Elfrid Payton and Taj Gibson, that orange and blue ship continues to sail smoothly.
“Thibs is my dog,” said the Knicks defensive center, Nerlens Noel, an inner threat that has replaced Robinson. “He is an exceptional coach who gives you the energy you need to get out and do your job. He holds everyone accountable at a high level. Defensively, your track record speaks for itself. I knew that coming here would be a perfect wedding and I wanted to complement his coaching style. ”
Thibodeau took Julius Randle to new heights, made RJ Barrett more consistent and Robinson, before injury, a force that is out of trouble.
Thibodeau was not perfect. His habit of keeping Randle on the court in batting in the fourth quarter is still stupefying – as he did on Sunday in Detroit the second night in a row. Randle needs to rest after all the minutes he recorded this season.
How Randle, Barrett and Thibodeau-inspired addition, Derrick Rose, hold out physically still needs to happen in March, April and May. Thibodeau has yet to fight the reputation of using his best weapons.
Former Knicks president Phil Jackson and Steve Mills have never been able to find the right coach – their respective takedowns. Rose got it right. Boy, he always.