New coach prospects: breakdown strengths and weaknesses and your picks

[petecorcoran [enjin:6658618]]

Before we hire any coach for next year, Sam or otherwise, we need to establish who is running basketball operations, then let that person choose. Right now we have a GM who has never run a draft nor made a trade unless it was under Flip. He is not ready to run the operation, so we need to go outside and get that person first.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Before we hire any coach for next year, Sam or otherwise, we need to establish who is running basketball operations, then let that person choose. Right now we have a GM who has never run a draft nor made a trade unless it was under Flip. He is not ready to run the operation, so we need to go outside and get that person first.

Yes. And there's a chance that person also becomes the coach.

I don't prefer it that way, but I'm ok with it if it's the right guy. Could be worse.

[Monster]

I think Thibs should be in the mix, but my question is how will he adapt to the players? It appears to me that this team needs to play with pace - not SSOL gimmicky pace, but above average pace. We simply don't have the physicality to play a grind-it-out game of trench warfare. Can he combine his famed defensive acumen with an uptempo offense?

Will Thibs hire an offensive guy or evolve himself? Let's be perfectly honest here if we get Thibs it SHOULD be a win for this franchise. He is t a perfect fit but he is the best coach available and he has actually had young players develop while he was the coach. It would be sweet to see a Wolves team be a really awesome defensive team. We will see what happens.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I think Thibs should be in the mix, but my question is how will he adapt to the players? It appears to me that this team needs to play with pace - not SSOL gimmicky pace, but above average pace. We simply don't have the physicality to play a grind-it-out game of trench warfare. Can he combine his famed defensive acumen with an uptempo offense?

Been listening to bits and pieces of the Bill Simmons podcasts lately. Last week, he had Thibs on for an hour. I heard about 15 or 20 minutes of it.

He talked about limiting the corner 3s a couple times. Taking teams out of their comfort zones. I assume that means he knows the value of the corner 3 and would try to incorporate those into the offense.

Thibs' Bulls teams did play slower. Always in the bottom 1/3 of the league. Offensive ratings were a mixed bag... from a high of #5 to a couple of #11 ratings to low 20s.


[Note: In one from earlier this week, Simmons rips Mitchell... and Rambis... for being terrible coaches. They meet February 20th, right?!?!?!?!]

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

In that same podcast that Abe is referring to, Thibs talks about playing to your team's strengths and hiding its weaknesses over trying to copy what the rest of the league is doing. This was mainly in reference to the Warriors because you just can't replicate what they have in terms of Curry and Thompson, and the do-it-all glue guy in Green. He brought up how Pop pounded teams on offense when he had the personnel to do it (Robinson/Duncan), and then opened everything up when he had the roster for that as well (Duncan/Diaw/Leonard). And Pop's gone back to the inside game with the addition of Aldridge. Basically, he's going to coach based on strengths/weaknesses of the team instead of what the league says is working.

Thibs specifically talked about taking away layups/dunks and free throws, obviously, but also mentioned taking away corner threes, catch-and-shoot threes and how sometimes you have to pick something to take away from you're opponent, but also something you'd be okay with them doing. That's probably why he was so tough against LeBron James all those years. He used to have the Bulls wing defenders funnel him on drives right into Noah/Asik/Gibson in attempt to take away his drive ability.

Cool, and plenty of others, think Thibs rides his players too hard and that he's why his players got banged up. I disagree. I'd argue Thibs gets everything out of his players. He makes them play better than they are. He makes them play team basketball and gets on their ass when they make dumb mistakes. I appreciate that style of coaching. Also, the Bulls have had just as many injuries this year as they did last year. Guess what, Thibs isn't there anymore. Injuries are unpredictable. Shit happens.

To Thibs' credit, he always keeps his team competitive regardless of the circumstances. Oh, and for those that care, Thibs absolutely raved about KG on that same podcast. I think those two still have a good relationship.

[Monster]

In that same podcast that Abe is referring to, Thibs talks about playing to your team's strengths and hiding its weaknesses over trying to copy what the rest of the league is doing. This was mainly in reference to the Warriors because you just can't replicate what they have in terms of Curry and Thompson, and the do-it-all glue guy in Green. He brought up how Pop pounded teams on offense when he had the personnel to do it (Robinson/Duncan), and then opened everything up when he had the roster for that as well (Duncan/Diaw/Leonard). And Pop's gone back to the inside game with the addition of Aldridge. Basically, he's going to coach based on strengths/weaknesses of the team instead of what the league says is working.

Thibs specifically talked about taking away layups/dunks and free throws, obviously, but also mentioned taking away corner threes, catch-and-shoot threes and how sometimes you have to pick something to take away from you're opponent, but also something you'd be okay with them doing. That's probably why he was so tough against LeBron James all those years. He used to have the Bulls wing defenders funnel him on drives right into Noah/Asik/Gibson in attempt to take away his drive ability.

Cool, and plenty of others, think Thibs rides his players too hard and that he's why his players got banged up. I disagree. I'd argue Thibs gets everything out of his players. He makes them play better than they are. He makes them play team basketball and gets on their ass when they make dumb mistakes. I appreciate that style of coaching. Also, the Bulls have had just as many injuries this year as they did last year. Guess what, Thibs isn't there anymore. Injuries are unpredictable. Shit happens.

To Thibs' credit, he always keeps his team competitive regardless of the circumstances. Oh, and for those that care, Thibs absolutely raved about KG on that same podcast. I think those two still have a good relationship.

Thanks Cam and Abe for sharing insights from that podcast.

Cam it feels like part of what would make Thibs be really successful wherever he goes especially long term is who he is working with in the front offfice. You can probably say that about a number of coaches but I think it's worth mentioning with Thibs. Look at the Vikings it seems clear Speilman and Zimmer are in the same page in pretty much every way. They both like certain types of players and they compliment each other because Spielman generally can talk in any situation and Zimmer will talk but it's no nonsense BS and he isn't always happy and all that. Any ideas of a good pairing with Thibs? I don't buy that he is gonna want both gigs but of course he would want significant input on the roster but he doesn't seem like a guy that wants to do all the stuff that comes with being the absolute face and decision maker of a franchise. It would seem you need someone he would respect and also someone willing to stand up to him at times. Sigh man I hope the Wolves can get this all right for once.

[AbeVigodaLive]

After the drama in Chicago... I assume Thibodeau would want to be on the same page as the GM.

So... unless they're asking him for both roles or input on the next GM... I can see where he'd be reluctant.

[Coolbreeze44]

I think Thibs should be in the mix, but my question is how will he adapt to the players? It appears to me that this team needs to play with pace - not SSOL gimmicky pace, but above average pace. We simply don't have the physicality to play a grind-it-out game of trench warfare. Can he combine his famed defensive acumen with an uptempo offense?

Yes, thank you for saying it better than I could

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

I think Thibs should be in the mix, but my question is how will he adapt to the players? It appears to me that this team needs to play with pace - not SSOL gimmicky pace, but above average pace. We simply don't have the physicality to play a grind-it-out game of trench warfare. Can he combine his famed defensive acumen with an uptempo offense?

Yes, thank you for saying it better than I could

But again, we are talking here like this team is done building pieces. The trio of Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka was light-years better than our core....but they haven't won yet. If everyone's goal is to win a championship, this team will need to evolve and change to make that happen. Right now, we have some athletic guys, and everyone thinks that because of this, you need to play with pace. Well, a guy like Wiggins, while supremely athletic, hasn't yet shown anything close to an interest in playing at a crazed pace. Quite the opposite actually.....he plays slow. And while Towns is also gifted, he is certainly equipped long term to play any style. Lavine certainly makes sense to play faster style. I think more often than not, people think we need to play fast to get the most out of Rubio. I just don't necessarily build the teams tempo from a guy that realistically could be replaced at some point in the not-so-distant future. And if this team will truly contend, we are going to need a couple other major pieces....and no one can predict what style they may play.

It reminds me of my kids 10 year old basketball team. They run the same offensive scheme taught at our HS level. The problem is that most of the kids don't have the fundamentals or smarts to pick it up at this age. They seem to forget that you can build off key components, like defense, and then worry about applying more complicated schemes down the road. Sam as made it very clear, and I believe him here, that many guys on this team are ill-equipped with many basic skills. Thibs seems like a guy that given his success in the past, can provide some of these building blocks.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Good read on Thibs' offense. http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2279949-turns-out-tom-thibodeau-can-coach-offense-too