Tag: Tom Thibodeau

Hey, he knows our plays … Doc Rivers, …

Hey, he knows our plays … Doc Rivers, LA Clippers coach, past and current rival coach: I guess my favorite thing that I notice about him is I always thought he was a great player, but I didn’t think he was astute defensively. And then the first (playoff) game we played when he was in Miami, every play I called he was calling out the sets. And I turned to Thibs (Tom Thibodeau) and said, “Uh-oh, LeBron’s been doing his homework.” And he’s never stopped since then. I thought those losses to Boston and him probably listening to KG (Kevin Garnett) every night, hearing him call out every set and Paul (Pierce) call out every set, you give him credit. We beat him twice and he came back and used what we were doing against us, and that became very difficult. I think that changed to the better.

Colangelo is still powerful in the NBA …

Colangelo is still powerful in the NBA as the director of USA basketball and chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame. On Friday, he endorsed two Team USA coaches — Jeff Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau — for the Knicks job. “Those are great basketball guys. They’re terrific coaches. I have great respect for both of them,” Colangelo said. “They’re different. They’re alike in some ways. But they’re born to coach. And the fact that they’re not — there are teams out there that could use those guys, for sure.”

According to NBA insiders, ex-Knicks …

According to NBA insiders, ex-Knicks assistant Tom Thibodeau and former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy are expected on Rose’s short list. Neither Thibodeau nor Van Gundy have gained so much as an interview across the years. Owner James Dolan was said to hold a grudge against Van Gundy for quitting during the 2001-02 campaign.

Thibodeau is a Creative Artist Agency …

Thibodeau is a Creative Artist Agency client and has worked with Rose, who will leave his position as head of CAA’s basketball department. According to a source, Van Gundy likes Rose and the feeling is mutual. Van Gundy and Thibodeau are still tight. Thibodeau was Van Gundy’s assistant during their Knicks days. “If Leon ever hired Jeff, the fans would love him,’’ one insider said.

Tom Thibodeau, Andrew Wiggins’ former coach, attends Warriors practice

Tom Thibodeau coached Andrew Wiggins for three seasons in Minneapolis before being fired last year. He was on hand on Monday.

With D’Angelo Russell having been moved on to the Minnesota Timberwolves last week, newly acquired Andrew Wiggins got the first game of his Warriors career under his belt on Saturday night when he turned in a 25-point effort.

For good measure, Wiggins also chipped in two rebounds, three assists and five steals. Unfortunately, the Dubs fell LeBron James and the Lakers by a final score of 125-120, though.

That wasn’t really due to any fault of Wiggins.

Interestingly enough, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Connor Letourneau, Tom Thibodeau was a guest at Warriors practice on Monday.

Thibodeau coached Wiggins for three years — the entirety of the young Canadian’s career in Minneapolis — and obviously has a relationship with him. It stands to reason that the Warriors organization sought out coach Thibs to get some input on how to best utilize Wiggins’ talents.

To this point in his career, Wiggins has struggled to find consistency, but Thibodeau’s experience with him could help Steve Kerr assist Wiggins with what has been a very productive season. Thibodeau was fired by the Timberwolves in January 2019, but has been somewhat of a fixture around the NBA since then.

As the Warriors prepare to welcome Stephen Curry back into the fold, whether Wiggins will fit with the former MVP and Klay Thompson is the burning question in San Francisco at the moment.

Golden State will next be in action on Monday night when they host Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. It will be a good test for the Warriors, as the Heat are one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams but have gotten off to an 0-3 start on their current six-game Western Conference road swing.

One of the weaker teams in the league, Miami is likely headed to Chase Center with a victory in mind, so the Warriors are likely to get a good shot from Erik Spoelstra’s team.

You last coached a game on Jan. 6, …

You last coached a game on Jan. 6, 2019. What have you’ve been doing to stay busy during the last 11 months? Tom Thibodeau: “I’ve been doing a lot of different things. I’ve been really trying to take advantage of not having a schedule. I’ve done a fair bit of traveling, visiting New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando and Miami. I bought a beach house in coastal Connecticut and have been renovating it. I pretty much gutted the property, so it’s been really interesting. I’ve been involved – some would say overly involved – in every step of the process. I’ve also done some TV work for ESPN & NBA TV and been able to visit with some teams, coaches and executives. I’ve been able to do several of the things that I enjoy, like reading a good book and relaxing.”