Fansided

Tom Thibodeau eager to land Knicks head coach job

By Jabari LeGendre

May 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau speaks to the media prior to game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
May 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau speaks to the media prior to game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Derek Fisher relieved of his duty as the head coach of the New York Knicks, one of the names being associated with the vacancy is Tom Thibodeau.

Today the New York Knicks parted ways with head coach Derek Fisher, and former 2011 coach of the year Tom Thibodeau is being linked with the job. Fisher was brought in by Knicks President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson with no prior coaching experience. For a few months, rumblings of Fisher’s imminent demise were gaining momentum, and now after a piteous stretch of games where the Knicks went 1-9, Fisher’s time in New York has come to an end. The Knicks currently sit in 12th place in the east at 23-31.

ESPN NBA insider Ian O’Connor has reported that a source close to Thibodeau revealed the former head coach’s desire to land the new job opening:

In his final season with the Bulls Thibodeau went 50-32, yet still lost his job due to a messy internal struggle with the Chicago front office. Thibodeau’s prowess as a play caller is well documented, and his success in Chicago should speak for itself. Even with an often injured Derrick Rose and offensively limited roster, Thibodeau never notched fewer than 45 wins in his five years with the Bulls.

It should be noted however, that Thibodeau’s grating personality could have been his death knell in the Windy City. With a penchant for pushing his players extremely hard and coming to blows with ownership, he has a reputation for being a difficult personality in the locker room. In New York, Thibodeau will be forced to find a common ground with superstar Carmelo Anthony who has also been known to have rocky relationships with coaches in the past.

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