Leon Rose’s official hiring as New York Knicks team president is imminent and Tom Thibodeau’s chances to coach next year are growing.
According to Jonathan Macri of SI.com, Leon Rose’s hiring as president of basketball operations will be finalized this week. However, the more intriguing news is that Tom Thibodeau is said to have a 90% chance of becoming head coach of the New York Knicks.
“One person with knowledge of their thinking put the odds at 90 percent that Thibs will get the job, with Miller staying on in some capacity,” wrote Macri.
This is an interesting development. It was reported earlier that the Knicks would have Thibs on the shortlist, plus the NBA lifer was said to be interested in the job. Thibodeau was an assistant coach in New York for years under Jeff Van Gundy, and later Don Chaney.
The native of New Britain, CT spent five seasons as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, leading his team to the playoffs in each season. Thibodeau took a year off after he was fired by the Bulls, but he didn’t wait long to jump back into coaching. He spent two-plus seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. His time in Minnesota ended shortly after Jimmy Butler forced a trade and left scorched earth in his wake.
Knicks interim head coach Mike Miller would be a welcome addition to Thibodeau’s staff. He’s acquitting himself well after taking over a 4-18 squad from David Fizdale. New York is 13-21 under Miller which is not a remarkable record by any stretch, but it’s a huge step forward considering how slow the season started.
Whether or not Miller agrees to stay on or looks for a head coaching gig elsewhere remains to be seen.
