Coming off of his 200th career win in four years against the Atlanta Hawks a few nights ago, Chicago Bulls head coach, Tom Thibodeau is headed for greatness, and the majority of the NBA world doesn't know it as he is one of the most underrated coaches in the league today. Named the 18th Chicago Bulls head coach in franchise history on June 23, 2010, the Connecticut native has done nothing but steer this franchise into the right direction. In his first season with the Bulls after the termination of Vinny Del Negro, Thibodeau led the Bulls to a 62 win season along with an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals which was their first since the 1997-98 season. Not only did he exceed above and beyond expectations, but he broke the legendary Zen Master, Phil Jackson's record for 55 wins in the first year as head coach with the Chicago Bulls. He joins the likes of Bill Russell and Paul Westphal as one of only three coaches who have won 60 or more games in their first year as head coach. Thibodeau has a very long list of accolades such as being named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month three times in the 2010-11 season and also winning Coach of the Year. Keep in mind that all of these accolades were accomplished within his first year!
Including his current stint with the Bulls, Thibodeau has advanced to the postseason a total of 15 times and looks as though he will add one more to that total at the close of the 2013-14 season. Three of those times, he appeared in the NBA Finals as an assistant and head coach (1999. 2008, 2010). Not only does he know how to win, but he is a defensive guru and has proven that defense wins games. While under former Boston Celtics, and current Los Angeles Clippers coach, Doc Rivers he oversaw and implemented defensive principles that gave Boston their stellar defense which only allowed an average of 90 ppg. Not only that, but he held the Celtics opponents to a FG percentage of .419 which was a turnaround from the previous year where opponents had a .468 FG percentage. 17 times in his illustrious career has he helped teams become one of the Top 10 defenses in the NBA.
Successful fortification is definitely key for the 53 year old's much earned success in Chicago. This season, the Bulls have had the #1 ranked defense in the NBA allowing only 91.6 ppg, and #9 in rebounds averaging 44.4 rpg. Losing Small Forward, Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers worried some fans, but there was one guy who put all fear and anxiety away. Bulls Center, Joakim Noah definitely has made his presence known defensively, leading the 45-32 team in assists, rebounds and blocks. Shooting guard, Jimmy Butler leads the team in steals. Most believe that Noah is the Chicago Bulls defense.
Offense is not really Thibodeau's strong suit this season as the Chicago Bulls have struggled offensively and currently have the #30th ranked offense in the league averaging 93.4 ppg. This is where Derrick Rose is supposed to come in and help save the day, but unfortunately he cannot do that due to his injury early this season. D.J. Augustin is no Derrick Rose, but he definitely gets the job done. In his last five games, Augustin has struggled from 3 point range, but has managed to average at least 20 points. His production is not consistent, but his minutes are. There is no secret that Thibodeau needs help with his struggling offense. Despite having a troubling offense, the Bulls rank 11th in the league with assists averaging 22.5 assists per game.
Notwithstanding losing two prominent and key players in Luol Deng and Derrick Rose, Tom Thibodeau has found ways to win. He knows how to effectively strategize and come up with a gameplan. The Chicago Bulls team thrive off of the talents of their coach who is vital in moving them forward and turning them into NBA champions. Chicago remains competitive because of this man's grand philosophy on overall and defensive structure. ESPN's Beckley Mason stated in January that Thibodeau "... is often credited with being the first coach to fully leverage the abolition of illegal defense by loading up the strong side box while having the weakside defenders zone the back side of the defense. In effect, Thibodeau's defenses force ball handlers -- whether in isolation or in side pick-and-rolls -- to the baseline and then send a second defender from the weakside over to the strong side block to cut off dribble penetration." That spells out defensive genius!
The Chicago Bulls have won five in a row and are 8-2 in their last ten games. They currently hold the third seed in the subpar Eastern Conference. It is my belief that Tom Thibodeau should win the 2014 NBA Coach of the Year Award for the simple fact that this man is a proven leader and has one of the most elite and defenses in the NBA. He is dangerously overlooked and as I had stated previously overrated when you throw his name in the mix of candidates along with San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich, Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra, Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle, Toronto Raptors Dwane Casey, Portland Trail Blazers Terry Stotts, Indiana Pacers Frank Vogel, Los Angeles Clippers Doc Rivers, and Golden State Warriors Mark Jackson and even Phoenix Suns Jeff Hornacek, just to name a few.
The NBA Coach of the Year Award belongs to a coach that has turned their team around and made them a lot better than they were in the previous year. The NBA focuses more on popularity than they do statistics which is why in my belief that Gregg Popovich will probably win this year's award. My favorite, of course would be Tom Thibodeau because he actually deserves it; and if not Thibodeau, Dwane Casey, Jeff Hornacek, should definitely be the recipient of the 2013-14 NBA Coach of the Year Award.
Briyant Hines
CST_SportSnitch
Cleveland Sports Talk National Writer & Site Manager
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