Derrick Rose has been close to Tom Thibodeau for significant parts of his NBA career, joining previous stops in Chicago and Minnesota before meeting again this month with the Knicks.
Rose claims that Thibodeau seems to be having more fun in his first season with the evolving Knicks than the former league MVP can remember his previous experience with the supposedly intense hoop trainer.
“I mean, in Chicago, it was the first time he had a team. So that was different, ”said Rose on Monday. “But in Minny, I could see that he was just catching up with the new league. There are children who are in the league now. They are young. They are trying to find out.
“And Thibs has more patience [now] than anything. Just being here, enjoying the situation, valuing it much more, it is a blessing to be here. But you can say that he is a totally different person now. He’s smiling. I’ve never seen him smile as much as I do now. So it passes to me. I am feeling your energy. “
Crescent Knicks (14-15) will seek to complete his first streak of four consecutive wins of the season on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida, where a win would also move his record to 0.500 for 30 games after finishing last season with 21 Mark -45 under David Fizdale and Mike Miller.
Thibodeau laughed on Monday when Rose’s phrase about smiling more was relayed to him, but he didn’t deny it either.
“When you have a team that is committed to playing for each other and doing the right things, I also want us to enjoy it,” said Thibodeau. “But the work component is important and mutual sacrifice is important. When these things happen, it is pleasant. It’s a great group to hang out with every day. “
Julius Randle, who made yet another attempt to compete for the All-Star with 44 points in his home win on Monday over Atlanta, said something similar about Thibodeau in a pre-game appearance on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN radio .
Randle laughed for several seconds when asked about Thibodeau, often giving the impression that he “is never happy with anything”.
“Oh man, he’s honestly, he’s probably going to kill me for saying that, but he’s soft on the inside, man. He’s not as difficult as the persona, ”said Randle. “He’s definitely a beast. He will train a lot, he will be tough on you.
“But honestly, man, the process, we’re all enjoying it. We are having fun with the process. We are enjoying being trained. Obviously, when you see the results of things and how things are working and how we are improving as a team, you have to have fun with the process. And we’re enjoying it. “
Randle added that “Thibodeau’s attention to detail is unbelievable”, especially at the defensive end of the court. He also called his coach “a complete culture changer, for sure”.
“All of us, when I talked to the guys in the summer and the guys in the office, it was mine. I wanted someone to come in and train us a lot, to hold everyone accountable, ”said Randle. “This is exactly what Thibs did.”
Rose, 32, added that returning to Thibodeau in New York was her priority when she wanted to leave Detroit, where the season began. Pistons coach Dwane Casey said last week that he believed Rose wanted to leave simply because the team was not committed to victory.
“No, that was not it. I just wanted to play for Thibs, basically, ”said Rose. “I had a conversation with [Casey], and he brought New York. And I was just praying that the deal would really close. “