Why the Hell Hasn't Phil Jackson Reached Out to Tom Thibodeau Yet?
Tom Thibodeau had a successful run during his time as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, but he’s currently out of work and looking for a new gig. Lucky for him, one just opened that he is reportedly very interested in.
According to Mike Vaccaro, a close associate of Thobodeau claims his friend would do almost anything to be the next coach of the New York Knicks:
"He would kill for that job. There are some coaches who think the “New York basketball” stuff is so much overblown hype, but Tom saw what it was like there. He experienced it. He wants in."
With Derek Fisher now gone, you have to think Knicks president Phil Jackson will at least reach out to Thibodeau. There isn’t a more talented out-of-work basketball coach than the 58-year-old New Britain, Connecticut native. During his five years as the head coach of the Bulls, Thibodeau went 255-139 and won two Central Division titles. His resume is long and distinguished and he was even an assistant with the Knicks from 1996-2004 under Jeff Van Gundy.
Jackson is almost sure to kick the tires on former pupils Brian Shaw and Luke Walton (the latter seems like a massive longshot to consider it) before making a decision on who will succeed Fisher. Thibodeau should definitely be in that mix as well. Given the roster the Knicks currently have, Thibodeau’s defense-heavy philosophy could be a perfect fit. If nothing else, he would toughen up Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony, something that is paramount to the future of the franchise.
Jackson has to do what’s best for the franchise, and that may mean moving away from his beloved triangle offense. It also may mean handing the reins over to a coach with a strong personality, who will have his own ideas for how to run things.
It’s no secret that Jackson has very specific ideas as to how a team should function. Those ideas might just sink any potential coaching search. Adrian Wojnarowski had the following to say about a potential Thibodeau-Jackson marriage:
"Everyone can forget about Tom Thibodeau’s candidacy, because Jackson would never cede control – never mind to someone who sees basketball so diametrically different than him. Anyway, Jackson has never hid his disdain for the Jeff Van Gundy coaching tree; in truth, most everyone else’s coaching trees."
And there’s the rub. Jackson has to be able to see beyond his own inner circle and make a hire that most benefits the organization, not his own ego.
Thibodeau could be the perfect fit for the Knicks, but Jackson has to want him for that to happen.