Both Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau were ousted out of the second round of the NBA playoffs. Both coaches fell short of the expectations that were placed on them and since then change has occurred. Tom Thibodeau was fired from the Chicago Bulls after having close to a 65% winning percentage during his tenure as the head coach. It unknown what’s next for Coach Thibs, but it would be a thing of beauty to see him on the sidelines with Doc Rivers once again. Rivers has been under scrutiny in Los Angeles for not taking the team to the next level. Rivers, who handles all of the personnel decisions has not built a bench that is consistent as well not having a swing man at the small forward position that can score and defend. People fail to realize that the expectations are absurdly high for an organization that hasn’t won more than a toy out of the Cracker Jack box.
With Thibodeau on the sideline with Rivers it will give the team the ideal defensive assistant coach that the team has lacked. As a tandem with the Boston Celtics– Rivers and Thibs created havoc on opposing teams. Thibs defensive schemes even flustered LeBron James and Kobe Bryant during the Celtics championship run in the 2007-2008 season. The Clippers have the athleticism and pieces to be a dominant defensive team, but they are missing the right tutelage.
There will be several teams courting Thibodeau as a head coach, and he should wait until he finds a team that is an ideal fit for his style of coaching. As of now, the New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets and possibly other teams could be in the market for Thibodeau, but it may be better for Thibodeau to wait it out, and team up with Coach Rivers for a year or so.
The Western Conference is known for its running style of play, so it’s essential to have a team that can make stops and score. One of the Achilles heels of the Clippers were team defense as guys like Corey Brewer, Josh Smith, and Jason Terry complimented James Harden just enough to propel them from a 3-1 deficit. Making stops was a calling card of the Chicago Bulls and that was because of the defensive expertise from coach Thibs. Thibs is at his best when he is the defensive coordinator and in that role he will flourish in Los Angeles. It will be interesting where Coach Thibodeau will end up, but he has an old friend in Doc Rivers than can surely use his assistance on just a temporary basis.
