Some have associated Tom Thibodeau's NBA coaching style with one of the greatest coaches in NFL history in Bill Belichick. There have recently been more testimonials pertaining to this, with one of them coming from none other than another renowned name in the world of professional coaching: Rick Pitino.
Speaking to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Pitino described the similarities he has seen in their approach to coaching:
“He was meticulously organized, almost scary organized, and he reminded me of Bill Belichick,” Pitino said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Belichick and Thibodeau’s got a lot of the same mannerisms, the same attention to detail that Belichick has. And that’s about the highest compliment I could give someone.”
As Pitino mentioned, being mentioned in the same sentence as the legendary New England Patriots coach is an honor in itself — even for an esteemed personality such as Thibodeau.
For his part, retired NBA big man Brian Scalabrine, who himself played under Thibodeau with the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls, echoed the thoughts of Pitino:
“Very similar to Bill Belichick if you ever to go to a Bill Belichick practice,” Scalabrine said. “Every smallest detail of his practice is talked about. Every pass has to be seamed. Every shot has to be quick and balanced. Every pick-and-roll you have to come off shoulder-to-hip.”
To date, Thibodeau still remains without a team in the NBA. However, with how so many individuals have been talking him up of late, the 62-year-old should not be unemployed for long. He's reportedly the leading candidate of the New York Knicks, so he might have a new job very soon.
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