Tom Thibodeau, top unemployed candidate in the NBA coaching circuit, is making the rounds on the west coast. He’s visiting his coaching buddies and reportedly exchanging some Zero Dark Thirty levels of intelligence.
Recently, he was in Sacramento with George Karl and the Kings. According to Karl’s interview with CSN Bay Area, Thibodeau could also be sharing his strong-side wisdom with a team who is near the top of the league in defensive rating this season.
Karl let slip that Thibodeau is headed to Golden State after his consultancy with the Kings comes to an end. The Kings — who rank No. 26 in the league in points allowed per possession — really need help shoring up their defense. The Warriors, who are on pace to finish with the greatest record in NBA history, are No. 6 in the NBA in defensive rating. What the hell, how could they possibly improve?
Enter Thibodeau, the defensive God of the East who is hoping to help make an already great team even better on the defensive side of the floor. Let’s not forget Thibs could also be picking up some offensive tips for his next job, wherever that might be.
The former Bulls coach might even finally learn how to properly distribute his players’ minutes. As we know, Thibodeau struggled with overplaying his team to the point of exhaustion, which was particularly harmful after the long slog of the regular season ends and the real season begins in April. The Warriors, like the Spurs, have seemed to master the art of rest during their amazing regular-season run this season. Then again, it’s a lot easier to rest your starters when you’ve got a 20-point lead to start the fourth quarter.
It’s likely Golden State has chosen now for Thibodeau to stop in because they want to strengthen their defense right before defending their title in the playoffs. We’ll have to wait and see if there are any notable changes to their defensive alignments moving forward. As the old cliché goes, offense wins games, but defense wins championships. That’s why an already all-time team is still trying to get better.
(CSN Bay Area; H/T: CBSsports.com)
