The New York Knicks are the only team with a current vacancy in their head coaching spot after deciding to fire Tom Thibodeau earlier this week.

There is likely high interest in the position, given the success the Knicks’ roster achieved this season.

Knicks Coaching Rumors

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” the team said in a statement following Thibodeau’s departure.

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori interviewed for the role this week.

Many other names have been in the mix.

Former Villanova head coach Jay Wright has been frequently mentioned. Wright has been retired from coaching basketball following his decision to leave Villanova in 2022.

However, analyst Seth Davis, who works with Wright on CBS, posted on social media that Wright is unlikely to leap to the NBA.

Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has been another name floating around. Just two seasons ago, Malone helped lead the Denver Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA championship.

The New York Times also reported that Luke Walton and Mike Brown are two names floating around.

The team is reportedly “comfortable” not having a coach until the start of the Summer League, so there is time for the front office to pick the right candidate.

As it stands, Malone is the betting favorite at +125 to be the next head coach for the Knicks.

The New York Knicks’ decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau after the team’s most successful playoff run in 25 years came as a shock to people outside the organization, but according to a new report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, that might not have been the case inside the organization, where concerns regarding Thibodeau and his future leading the team had been allegedly percolating for some time.

One source told ESPN that the choice to replace Thibodeau “had been trending in that direction for months,” Shelburne wrote. “The team simply wasn’t maximizing its talent, despite having two All-NBA players in [Jalen] Brunson and [Karl-Anthony] Towns. And after meeting with the select group of players and coaches this week, sources said, it was clear to [Leon] Rose that the organization needed a new voice.”

“He got outcoached,” a source said. “The Game 1 collapse was insane. If they don’t have that collapse, who knows what happens.”

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon described members of the Knicks’ front office who wanted Thibodeau gone “a while ago” on a Thursday appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.

“There was a pretty large function within that front office that wanted to get him fired a while ago, and finally got its way,” MacMahon said.

One source told Shelburne that Knicks players “hadn’t turned on Thibodeau,” but the Eastern Conference finals loss had caused doubt that he could lead the team as far as the NBA Finals.

Some of the concern and critique surrounding Thibodeau centered on his reluctance to rely on his bench with star forward Mikal Bridges publicly stating as much back in March, though Thibodeau denied the pair even spoke about it.

It would seem that his decision-making both during and outside of the Eastern Conference finals, as well as doubts regarding his ability to produce a title, have caught up to him.

Knicks star center Karl-Anthony Towns had a wordless reaction to Tuesday’s shocking news of New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s firing after the Knicks’ loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Knicks let go of Thibodeau from his coaching duties after five seasons.

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction. … We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach.”

Taking to his Instagram Stories, Towns re-shared a Knicks tribute he posted on his page earlier in the week, but kept Tuesday’s focus on a smiling photo of himself and the 67-year-old former Knicks coach.

“This city. These fans. Thank you,” the 7-foot center penned in the post’s caption Monday. “The best is yet to come.”

The stunning shakeup followed the Knicks’ first Eastern Conference finals berth in 25 years.

In Game 6, Towns put up a quiet 22 points in the 125-108 season-ending loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The five-time All-Star averaged 24.4 points per game this season, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

“It hurts to not bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” Towns said Saturday. “We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room, and we hope to put ourselves in this position again.”

Towns was traded to the Knicks by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster last fall. Thibodeau coached the Timberwolves during the early days of Towns’ career before taking the Knicks job in 2020.

UConn’s Danny Hurley and former Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant top the early list of potential candidates for the job.

The New York Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasons and their deepest playoff run in 25 years.

The decision comes two days after the Knicks were beaten in six games by the Indiana Pacers, who are the Eastern Conference representative in the NBA Finals. It also comes after the Knicks advanced further than expected with a relatively new core after knocking off the defending champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Thibodeau led the Knicks to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995. He would have been the club’s most successful coach by far over the past two-plus decades and signed a three-year extension with the team just last summer.

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” team president Leon Rose said in a statement. “This pursuit led us to the decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction. We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. … Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

The firing also came after Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson was asked about Thibodeau’s job status.

“Is that a real question right now?” Brunson said after the Knicks’ season-ending loss. “You just asked me if I believe he’s the right guy? Yes. Come on.”

Thibodeau has a lengthy history with the Knicks, dating back to the 1990s era, when he served as an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy. Rick Brunson, one of Thibodeau’s assistant coaches, played for those Knicks teams and often brought his son, Jalen, to practices and games.

Thibodeau is known for playing his starters big minutes even as the league moves toward utilizing rest in this load management era, which led to him playing his starting five more than any other five-man group in the NBA.

In March, new acquisition, Mikal Bridges, questioned the heavy minutes that the starters played under Thibodeau. It is notable due to Bridges being known as the “Iron Man” of the NBA, as he has played 556 consecutive games in the league, which makes him one of the more reliably healthy players in the NBA.

The Knicks were the veteran coach’s third head-coaching stop in the NBA, including time with the Chicago Bulls (2010-2015) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-2019).

Thibodeau has a .579 career win percentage as a head coach, the highest by any coach without a Finals appearance in NBA history (minimum 300 games coached), according to ESPN Research.

The New York Knicks‘ remarkable season is getting its latest recognition.

Tom Thibodeau, the team’s head coach, was named NBA Coach of the Year on Monday. This marks Thibodeau’s second time winning the award, the first being in 2011 with the Chicago Bulls, as well as the first time a Knicks coach has won the award since Pat Riley in the 1992-93 season. In Thibodeau’s first season at the helm, the Knicks finished with a 41-31 record in the shortened 2020-2021 season, good enough for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. This came after a 12th place finish last season and low expectations for the team coming into this season. The Knicks had not reached the playoffs since the 2012-2013 season, and few believed that they could reach the playoffs in Thibodeau’s first campaign.

Working in tandem with Thibodeau’s coaching was the emergence of forward Julius Randle.  Randle had a breakout season, averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Randle received his first All-Star Game nod and won the NBA Most Improved Player award. Randle helped lead the Knicks to home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, he did not play up to his regular-season standard in the playoffs, and the Knicks were eliminated in five games by the Atlanta Hawks.

With a young, developing group who showed promise this season, Thibodeau has plenty to work with going forward. The Knicks are poised to be a presence in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the coming years under his leadership.

The upcoming series between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks is shaping up to be an absolute barn burner, with anticipation already building for potentially the most competitive first-round series. The Hawks came in first in the Southeast division, with a record of 41-31, finishing a game ahead of the defending conference champions, the Miami Heat.

The path to this point was absolutely fascinating for the Hawks, who fired head coach Lloyd Pierce early in the season, and replaced him with Nate McMillian. McMillian turned out to be the perfect replacement, as the Hawks went 27-11 with him as head coach. If we extend this winning percentage over an entire season, the Hawks would have won over 50 games and been the one seed in the east, a remarkable feat. Do not take this team lightly; they are only the fifth seed because of a rough patch to start the year.

Atlanta is led by star point guard Trae Young, who averaged 25.3 points and 9.4 assists per game. He’s as good of a scorer as he is a distributor, and that should come in handy going into his first postseason. Flanking the star guard are wings Bogdan Bogdanovic and Deandre Hunter. Bogdanovic is a crafty offensive player, as well as a good shooter, with a red hot 43% three-point percentage. He’s the third-leading scorer on the team, averaging 16.4 points per game. Hunter is a three-and-d player, more equipped to spot up shoot and defend the other team’s best perimeter player. He’ll be thrown at Julius Randle a lot in this series. The big men in the Hawks’ starting lineup are John Collins and Clint Capela. Both are excellent roll men for Young, and spearhead a Hawks team that was fifth in rebounds per game. The team’s sixth man is one of the best of all time, scoring guard Lou Williams.

For the Knicks, they finished third in the Atlantic division, but it was their best season in almost a decade, with a record of 41-31. Their coach, Tom Thibodeau, is experienced, having led multiple teams to the playoffs over the course of his career. He’ll garner Coach of the Year praise undoubtedly, and for good reason. The Knicks are certainly not the most talented roster in the league, but the team’s all-around grit, high-level defense and determination have gotten them this far.

New York is led by star forward and Most Improved player of the Year candidate Julius Randle, who’s averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game. The Knicks go as Randle goes, and they’ll need to really get him going if they want postseason success. His ability to rebound against Capela and Collins will be crucial. Plus, he’s the offensive center piece for the Knicks. The Hawks will throw everything they have at him. Expect big nights out of Randle as this series progresses.

His supporting cast will matter too, and the back court of Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock have an important job. For Payton, secondary playmaking is vital. Randle will receive double teams, and when the ball is swung to Payton, he’s going to need to be aggressive and either score or set up a teammate. Think of a reverse situation of Draymond Green and Stephen Curry. What makes Green so valuable is his ability to make a play when Curry is doubled. Payton will need to do this for Randle. He will also need to harass Young on the other side of the ball. Payton’s role is vital to a Knicks win. Bullock on the other hand, needs to make his threes to provide floor spacing. RJ Barrett is another starter for the Knicks, at the small forward position. His development over the course of his sophomore season has been nice, and he’s the second leading scorer on a team that isn’t that good at scoring. He’s going to need to take advantage of a Hawks team that employs three below-average defenders as starters, and make them pay. Center Nerlens Noel must provide rim protection and help the Knicks stifle the Hawks’ glass attack as well. Noel against Capela will be quite the matchup to watch. For the Knicks bench, veteran Derrick Rose is the sixth man and has to add scoring punch if the Knicks want to advance.

This very well could be the most competitive matchup in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Game 1 is at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Match 23.

The New York Knicks are doing something that they haven’t done in a long time, and that is winning.

New York is currently on a seven-game winning streak, the longest for the franchise since 2014. The Knicks’ win streak is also the longest active streak in the NBA right now. New York is now sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

New York is only half a game behind the fourth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who the Knicks play against on Wednesday night. If New York extends the streak to eight games, they will overcome the Hawks and hop into fourth place.

The matchup with the Hawks will be vital for the team, but head coach Tom Thibodeau argues that the team should not focus on the streak but the game itself. “It’s important for us to not get lost,” Thibodeau said. “Trying hard to temper what is becoming a staggering story in progress. When you start thinking about down the road, about winning streaks, you can forget about Atlanta,” Thibodeau continued. “It’s easy to get knocked off course.”

“We just go day-by-day, step-by-step, and if we’re taking care of all the things we need to take care of, then all of the other stuff will take care of itself,” Thibodeau explained. “Focus and concentration are everything that gives you your intensity. We have to stay focused on what’s in front of us.”

Regardless, New York is currently on pace to make their first playoff appearance since 2013. With 13 games left in the season, New York can’t miss unless they have a monumental collapse. New York’s rise to playoff contention is something that others did not expect. New York was aided by Julius Randle‘s All-Star performance, RJ Barrett‘s excellent play, and Thibodeau’s coaching style. All of this has revamped the Knicks’ play.

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the team, something that no Knicks fan has been able to say since the days of Carmelo Anthony.

The New York Knicks find themselves in a spot they are not generally accustomed to.

Sitting with an above .500 record of 18-17 heading into Tuesday night’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks were the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. The team’s play recently has been particularly strong, as the team was on a three-game win streak and won seven of their last nine games prior to Tuesday’s blowout loss to the Spurs. Following the loss, the Knicks will move into fifth place in the East. That being said, the No. 4 seed through the No. 8 seed are only three games apart.

New York’s run was capped off by a dominant display against the Detroit Pistons this past Sunday, in which the Knicks won 109-90. This season marks their best start through 35 games since the 2012-13 season, in which they finished 54-28 and as the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Much of the Knicks’ success this season can be credited to the breakout performance of power forward Julius Randle. Randle first signed with the Knicks in July of 2019, but did not have a particularly remarkable campaign in the 2019-2020 season, and the Knicks finished with a record of 21-45, not making the cutoff to play in the bubble in Orlando. This season, however, Randle has improved his game, averaging 23.4 PPG, 11 RPG and 5.5 APG. Randle is also shooting nearly 50% from the floor and 42% from three-point range. His play has been good enough to merit his first nod to the All-Star Game, which is taking place on March 7. Other notable players on the Knicks are Derrick Rose, who was traded to the Knicks by the Pistons less than a month ago, and RJ Barrett, who is looking to make a jump in his sophomore season.

Although New York’s strong play came to a screeching halt against the Spurs, the Knicks enter the All-Star break better than they could have ever imagined prior to the season.

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The New York Knicks have acquired point guard Derrick Rose from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round pick.

The deal brought Rose back to New York for another stint. Rose had played with the Knicks for one season in 2016. During his one season with the Knicks, he averaged 18 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Rose left for the Minnesota Timberwolves before being signed by the Pistons in 2019. Rose will be reunited with his former Chicago Bulls and Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau. Rose became the youngest player to ever win MVP when he was playing for Thibodeau in Chicago.

Under Thibodeau, the Knicks have made vast improvements, especially in their defense. The Knicks are currently ranked sixth in defensive rating. This has led the team to become very competitive as they have beaten teams like the Portland Trailblazers, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Boston Celtics. New York is currently eighth in the Eastern Conference as they look to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

However, there are concerns with Rose’s arrival to the team. The concerns surround the young developing players of New York. There is a fear that Rose will become the starting point guard, replacing Elfrid Payton, and take minutes from shining rookie Immanuel Quickley.

Another factor will be how he will fit in the current system. Will the former MVP be able to coexist with Julius Randle, who has been the main scorer and has put up All-Star numbers so far this season. On a positive note, the three-time All-Star gives the team more scoring options that are not named Randle or R.J. Barrett. New York is ranked 30th in team points per game, only averaging 102.7 points per game. Rose can help as he is a score-first point guard.

The Minnesota Timberwolves dismissed president and head coach Tom Thibodeau on Sunday.

Minnesota Fires Tom Thibodeau After Win vs. Lakers

Thibodeau was fired shortly after Minnesota’s 108-86 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Wolves (19-21) are now 11th in the Western Conference.

Minnesota also fired assistant coach Andy Greer, and promoted 32-year-old assistant Ryan Saunders to interim coach to temporarily replace Thibodeau. Saunders’ father, the late Flip Saunders, boasted two stints as Minnesota’s coach.

According to ESPN, Timberwolves general manager Scott Layden‘s tenure with the franchise is uncertain.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Among the potential candidates to replace Thibodeau — or to fill in at GM — are former Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg and ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups, although the network said neither man has yet been formally contacted by Minnesota. Billups played with Minnesota for two years before joining the Detroit Pistons in free agency.

“We would like to thank Tom for his efforts and wish him all the best,” Wolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. “These decisions are never easy to make, but we felt them necessary to move our organization forward.”

According to several reports, Thibodeau’s future with Minnesota became increasingly uncertain following the drama involving Jimmy Butler‘s locker room outburst and trade demand. Butler now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and has impressed with his new team. Since trading four-time All-Star Butler in November, the Timberwolves have gone 15-12.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also revealed a salty detail regarding Thibodeau and All-star guard Derrick Rose on Twitter on Sunday.

The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 7, which means Minnesota will have just a few short weeks to decide how it wishes to revamp its roster — if that is what it wants to do, of course.

Karl-Anthony Towns is walking into the locker room. He was Minnesota’s No. 1 overall pick in 2015 and the young superstar’s upset.

Why nobody wants to trade for Jimmy Butler

It’s in a game the Wolves would lose 102-120 to the Houston Rockets. He slams the wall. Someone with the Wolves yells out “KAT come on,quit being a f—ing p—y!”

That was Jimmy Butler, during the same game where he’d injure a meniscus that required surgery. Today, he’s yet to be traded. All signs point to a four-team deal by the end of this week.

After coach Tom Thibodeau’s efforts to convince him to rejoin the team failed, other teams started inquiring about Butler. Concerns that Thibodeau wasn’t hearing trade offers developed and Minnesota owner Glen Taylor told other owners to contact him directly. Butler even
spoke to him for reassurances trade talks were proceeding in good faith.

Wolves ownership learned that Miami is Butler’s preferred trade destination. They were at one point making a push for him but Thibodeau seems to have torpedoed the trade talks. Management even signed Towns to a five-year, super-max contract worth $190 million. Towns told the Wolves earlier this month he couldn’t “coexist” with Butler.

We know what’s going to happen with Butler. But the better question to ask might be why would any team trade for Butler? While on paper, Butler’s a very motivated All-Star, off it, he’s an oft-injured head case. Butler is like Carmelo Anthony, another ball-hogging wing who caused issues with any team he was on. Like Anthony eight years ago, Butler is forcing his way off a team to one he could easily sign with in ten months. He’s costing the team assets. Odds are they’ll also take on the $48 million contract of Gorgui Dieng. Then, they’ll have to resign him to a new contract most likely in the range of five years, $155 million.

Deals like that for 30-year-old players rarely help teams.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

This season, Butler went after Towns for not practicing hard enough. Butler’s only ever played over 70 games twice in his career. Towns has never missed a game. Considering the track record of Thibodeau players, Butler’s likely to fall apart soon. He missed over a month with that meniscus injury last season that required surgery. He’s played for Tom Thibodeau for most of his career. The coach, famous for grinding players to the bone, reunited with Butler last season in Minnesota after five years together in Chicago.

Zach La Vine blew out his knee after two seasons with Thibodeau and had to sit out an entire year. Luol Deng embraced Thib’s workload. He averaged at least 38.7 minutes for each of his first three seasons, then had a series of nagging injuries before aging overnight. For the last five seasons, he’s been the shell of the All-Star player he once was.

Joakim Noah was a two-time All-Star and won Defensive Player of the Year. Then the Thib’s minutes caught up to him and he missed 53 games in his last season with the Bulls. He signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Knicks and has played in only 52 games. After two seasons, the Knicks are trying to waive him.

Everyone knows what happened to Derrick Rose. He was the youngest MVP, blew out his knee, missed a whole season, tore the ligaments in his other knee, and has never been the same since. He’s bounced around the league since his contract with the Bulls expired.

How many times does Tom Thibodeau have to give an update on an MRI of a star player’s non-contact knee injury before he’s out of the league?

Jimmy Butler is 29, his next contract will go until he’s 35. It’s rare a Thibodeau player makes it past 30 healthy, especially one who’s bought into Thib’s ideology like Butler. Aside from injury concerns, Butler has complained publicly about teammates and coaches every year since 2015. After Game 5 of their playoff series versus Houston, Butler refused to fly home with the team.

Today’s NBA relies on chemistry. No one on the Warriors holds the ball. The Celtics didn’t have a player average over 32.2 minutes. A team with two ball-stopping wings, former Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins and Butler, won’t survive. Butler’s knees certainly won’t after Thibodeau’s minutes.

Hero ball is long gone. Kobe retired two years ago. Allen Iverson last played in Turkey in 2011. The best thing the Wolves could do is to fire Thibodeau, trade Butler, let Towns develop, and get Wiggins involved again.

After losing in the Eastern Conference Semis to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Chicago Bulls have officially fired Tom Thibodeau.

Chicago Bulls Fire Tom Thibodeau

The entire season, Chicago reporters have told stories of a deteriorated relationship between the head coach and the Chicago front office. Many even boldly claimed that even if he reached the NBA Finals, he would be out the following year.

That is why it was so surprising when the Bulls waited so long to actually fire Thibodeau: many expected him to be out the door as soon as the Cavs series ended. There were even rumors that he would be a prime contender for the New Orleans Pelicans job. But after yesterday’s report that the front office was still mulling over the decision — particularly for financial reasons — they decided to officially pull the trigger today, ending Thibodeau’s tenure with the Eastern Conference team.

“The Chicago Bulls have a history of achieving great success on and off the court,” Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf stated in a press release. “These accomplishments have been possible because of an organizational culture where input from all parts of the organization has been welcomed and valued, there has been a willingness to participate in a free flow of information, and there have been clear and consistent goals… When everyone is on the same page, trust develops and teams can grow and succeed together.”

“Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this culture,” Reinsdorf continued. “To ensure that the Chicago Bulls can continue to grow and succeed, we have decided that a change in the head coaching position is required. Days like today are difficult, but necessary for us to achieve our goals and fulfill our commitments to our fans. I appreciate the contributions that Tom Thibodeau made to the Bulls organization. I have always respected his love of the game and wish him well in the future.”

Thibodeau took over the Bulls from the struggling Vinny Del Negro in 2010-11 and proceeded to take them to five straight playoff appearances. However, despite having a fantastic 255-139 (.647) record and the fondness of the players, the Bulls struggled in the postseason with a 23-28 record: after getting to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year, he failed to get back there in his next four seasons.

To be fair, he also had to deal with the injury prone Derrick Rose, who the Bulls built their entire team around. But as the relationship between the front office and the head coach began to further deteriorate, it was probably best for both parties to go their separate ways.

Again, the Pelicans and Orlando Magic are supposedly interesting in Thibodeau. As for the Bulls, they are looking for their 22nd head coach and it could be Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg, but that is far from guaranteed.

In a surprising move, the New Orleans Pelicans fired Monty Williams following the team’s first round playoff exit. Despite taking over just a year after the Byron Scott controversy, he took the team to two playoff appearances: once in his first year as coach (2010-11) and again this past season.

And despite a 173-221 all-time record, the Pelicans team appeared to be on the rise and saw this past year as a stepping stone. However after just five seasons with this group and garnering the fondness of Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis, GM Dell Demps decided it was time to let the coach go.

On top of this, the GM announced that he personally sat down with Davis to discuss the matter, but would not disclose what was said in the meeting. In the past, the superstar has stated how “The whole team loves [Williams].”

Executive vice president Mickey Loomis added some clarity to the Pelicans’ decision: “Monty did a great job. He’s done some really good things for us, but going forward we just felt like we needed something different to get to the next level.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTVgurnMJSM

And reports from The Times-Picayune explain that Tom Thibodeau, if he departs from the Bulls following the playoffs, could be a top contender for the job: “League sources confirmed on Wednesday that the Pelicans are waiting to see if the Chicago Bulls and coach Tom Thibodeau are going to part ways. If Thibodeau is let go by the Bulls, he could possibly emerge as a candidate for the Pelicans’ job.”

Thibodeau was a top candidate for the vacant Pelicans job in 2010-11, but turned it down for the Bulls organization. Since joining the storied Chicago franchise, he has a 255-139 record and has never missed the postseason.

However, due to injuries and other unforeseeable circumstances, he has not had the greatest playoff record (23-27). On top of this, he has not been getting along with the head office and the riff could result in the two parties parting ways at the end of the season.

Now, he would be a great fit for New Orleans, if these reports are indeed true. At the same time, would this move appease Anthony Davis, a superstar that the Pelicans are desperately trying to keep. Just a few short years ago, Chris Paul forced the organization to trade him after a coaching change. Could history repeat itself?