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New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau looked back on his time with the Chicago Bulls. He is set to face former player Jimmy Butler when the Knickerbockers host the Miami Heat on Sunday night.
The veteran tactician admitted that he didn't exactly envision Jimmy Butler to emerge as a star in the league, several years after their stint in the Windy City, per Marc Berman.
Thibodeau gearing up to face his old friend, Miami's Jimmy Butler, today at MSG – start of a home-and-home: "To say we saw him as a superstar, we didn’t see that. That’s why you can never measure what’s inside a person’s heart or head or his drive."
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) February 7, 2021
Thibodeau already served as the head coach of the Bulls when Jimmy Butler first came to the league back in 2011. However, the Marquette alum only recorded 2.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 42 appearances during his rookie season in Chicago.
Jimmy Butler eventually carved out a bigger role in the team's offense in the following years and bannered the Bulls alongside Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. He even led the league in minutes played per game with 38.7 for two straight seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Under Thibodeau's leadership, the Bulls went to five straight postseason runs from 2010 to 2015 but were always hurdled by LeBron James and his Heat squad. Jimmy Butler tried to help Chicago climb the mountain, but couldn't complete the climb. Successive losses in the playoffs eventually led to Thibodeau's dismissal from the Bulls by the end of the 2015 season.
Jimmy Butler still stayed in Chicago until the 2016-17 season where he generated a career-best tally of 23.9 points per game as the main man of the Bulls. A year later, the two individuals were reunited in Minnesota during the 2017-18 season but their short stint with the Timberwolves didn't go as expected.
As Thibodeau claimed, Jimmy Butler did show his heart and leadership on the floor, most especially when he led the Heat to a Finals appearance only to fall short against the dominant Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019-20 season. From then on, Jimmy Butler certainly gained the respect of the league, including Tom Thibodeau's.
After going on their separate paths, the two personalities will now aim to effectuate their respective teams in the best way that they can moving forward.
