Thibodeau named Coach of the Year

[bestkeptsecret13]

Capping a wildly successful first year, the Chicago Bulls' Tom Thibodeau will be named the NBA's Coach of the Year on Sunday, sources told the Tribune.

A news conference with the Bulls and the NBA is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Berto Center.

Thibodeau guided the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record after 21 years as an assistant coach, establishing a defensive mindset and relentlessly pursuing the unattainable perfect game.

"I've never been around a coach who works as hard and wants to win as much as him," Derrick Rose said.

Thibodeau led the Bulls to the league's No. 1 seed despite major injuries to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. He won three Eastern Conference coach of the month awards along the way.

"I don't care about any of that stuff," Thibodeau said recently. "I just want to win."

It's the Bulls' first Coach of the Year winner since Phil Jackson for the 1995-96 season. Other Bulls coaches who were so honored include Dick Motta in 1971 and Johnny "Red" Kerr in 1967.

Thibodeau tied Paul Westphal's NBA record for most victories by a first-year head coach.

Thibodeau had been passed over for countless opportunities as he toiled as an assistant, including successful stints with Jeff Van Gundy at the Knicks and Doc Rivers with the Celtics. At the latter stop, Thibodeau served as an associate head coach responsible for game-planning defenses in two trips to the NBA Finals.

At his introductory news conference last summer, Thibodeau preached his desire to establish rebounding and defense as the foundation for team success. The Bulls led or were near the top of both categories all season.

Thibodeau also earned players' respect by working many of them out individually last summer.

"It's kind of annoying," Joakim Noah said playfully earlier this season. "He lives at the gym. You can't get away from him."

Thibodeau passed on more lucrative head coaching opportunities with the Nets and Hornets last summer to take the Bulls' job. He called it the best team and best franchise.

And at least for this season, the Bulls have the best coach.

Can't argue... Bulls had the best record in the entire NBA and were predicted to finish as low as 5th by some people (aka $tunna) in the East. Congrats Coach Thibs!

 

[buzzy]

deserving

 

[RipCity32]

Extremely well deserving.
However, I think a guy like Monty Williams may of deserved it more.

 

[SaintFan25]

No surprise there.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Very deserving.

 

[The Lone Granger]

Really thought that it should have been Doug Collins of Philadelphia, but congrats to Tibodeau. He was definitely the next best option.

 

[Pugz]

collins, monty, and maybe even hollins could have won. any of them would have been a good choice. thibs is a good choice, though too. congrats

 

[MR.ballin]

Glad he won well deserved.

 

[bestkeptsecret13]

I predicted the 76ers as the 8th seed in the East and the Bulls as the 4th, so the Bulls overachieved more this season IMO.