Despite being out of the NBA for over a year now, Tom Thibodeau may have multiple opportunities to choose from come the offseason.
Marc Berman of the New York Post reported Monday that both the Houston Rockets and the Brooklyn Nets will have “strong interest” in the former Coach of the Year. Berman notes that the Nets, who recently fired head coach Kenny Atkinson, have stars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant who each “like and respect” Thibodeau stemming from the days that he coached them as an assistant for Team USA. Incumbent Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni will also see his contract expire after the 2019-20 season and is soon turning 69.
Thibodeau has not coached since being fired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in Jan. 2019, but he holds a career record of 352-246 (.589) with six playoff appearances in eight seasons. His connection to both aforementioned teams runs a bit deeper too, as Thibodeau also coached Nets center DeAndre Jordan on Team USA as well as Rockets forward Robert Covington in Minnesota.
The 62-year-old had previously been linked to just the New York Knicks job. Berman reports too that new Knicks president Leon Rose likes the tough, old-school style of Thibodeau, a Creative Arts Agency client and former Knicks assistant. But should Thibodeau desire a job with a franchise that is closer to contention, he may have no shortage of options.
