According to incoming new team president, Leon Rose, the New York Knicks are in the market for a new head coach. There are three candidates who have been linked to the job. Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Tom Thibodeau.
There have been reports that Thibodeau is a ‘serious candidate’ and he ‘can taste’ the Knicks job. But is Thibodeau the best person for the job?
There’s no getting around it that Thibodeau is an old school coach. He tends to lean towards veteran players over younger ones. This was apparent with his short-lived tenure as president and head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Thibs had plenty of young talent, Karl-Anthony Town Zach LaVine and Jimmy Butler, to work with and he greatly underachieved.
The Knicks are young as well, so what makes fans think that he’ll do better with this young group. Even when Thibodeau tried to adapt to the younger generation, he ran his young players into the ground. There was no happy medium to his coaching style and players ultimately got hurt.
Thibodeau’s style in Minnesota was more one-on-one ball than team orientated. The Knick have enough problems falling back into their old ways with one-on-one ball. However, with Mike Miller, there has been more offensive schemes and ball movement as compared to Tom Thibodeau and David Fizdale’s systems.
For Thibodeau to be a good hire for the Knicks, he’ll need to change his style and adapt with the game. It’ll be hard for him since his style seems to be embedded in stone.
The New York Knicks are rebuilding. They don’t need a old-school coach who doesn’t want to change his coaching style. Unless Thibs has changed it and is keeping it quite, the new front office has to consider all options.
As of yesterday, their are rumblings that Leon Rose’s could be introduced this week as new team president. As well, more rumblings of Thibs ‘90%’ likely to be the new head coach.