Carmelo Anthony may have made his decision for the New York Knicks’ Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau. But, will President Phil Jackson oblige?
By Jeremy Fialkow
Amid an apparent disconnect between the wishes of New York Knicks President Phil Jackson, and his ‘superstar’ forward Carmelo Anthony, the latter has made his desire known for his next coach, and that man is Tom Thibodeau.
According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, a source close with Melo revealed that his ideal choice for the head coach position is Thibodeau.
Just a few days ago, reports from ESPN’s Ian Begley detailed that Melo wants his input to be heavily considered in the Knicks’ upcoming coaching decision.
Which, couldn’t be more reasonable considering the money the Zen Master gave him to become the face of this disaster of a franchise ($125 million).
The 58-year old Thibodeau is a highly sought pick for head coaching openings around the National Basketball League.
Still, there’s no doubt he would do a helluva a job leading this Knickerbockers squad, the team he has ties to as an assistant, and allegedly deems it his dream job.
Source close to Tom Thibodeau: "The #Knicks are the job he's always wanted. He would crawl to Madison Square Garden."
— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) February 8, 2016
The former Bulls Coach led his team to a 255-139 record in five seasons.
Don’t forget, this man brought his team to the playoffs in each season, despite an onslaught of key injuries throughout the struggle of an 82-game season.
Hey, Carmelo, just remember, there’s one more option you seriously need to consider:
Hey @PhilJackson11 @nyknicks, I have a pretty decent resume on the court and I can coach; and I'm available. Call me. @nba
— Dennis Rodman (@dennisrodman) February 8, 2016
Seriously, though, if Thibodeau is the man Melo wants for the job, and Thibodeau wants the Knicks job, he should be given serious consideration.
If Jackson sticks to his guns and chooses Kurt Rambis to permanently replace Derek Fisher at the helm of the Knickerbockers, I can guarantee you he won’t make it out of the Big Apple alive.
Bring us Thibs, or you can get lost, Zen Master.
Or else, it could be Melo who ends up moving on, for better or worse.