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Tom Thibodeau is widely considered one of the best coaches in the NBA especially because of his knowledge on the defensive aspects of the game.
During his days with the Chicago Bulls, the 58-year-old bench tactician gave a young team an identity which helped them reach the playoffs in each year he was at the helm. And now, even if he has gone separate ways with his former players, they still carry with them the focus they have on defense, which Thibodeau preached all the time.
Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose, who are both part of the New York Knicks now, plan to try and change the defensive sets their team has been used to doing, Rose raved about Thibodeau and admitted the Knicks have a lot of work to do to get to the level the Bulls were at a couple of years ago.
Per Marc Berman of the New York Post:
“I played on teams before Thibs got to Chicago. We didn't have an identity. He came and changed the culture there and changed our identity. We can do that here. We have to and we're going to. But it takes time.”
Noah on the other hand discussed their misses after a loss against the Detroit Pistons last week.
“We didn't come out with the right intensity. We can't give up baskets like that. It gives a team way too much confidence, especially in the beginning of the game, giving up layups and open shots. We got a lot of work to do.”
It's not surprising that the duo continues to focus on defense even if they are on a different team now. The learnings they've had in Chicago is something they can bring to the table now in New York and are hoping they can rub it off their teammates to help the Knicks become title contenders in the near future. They both understand the value of defense and how it translates to winning more games.
