Tom Thibodeau and His Defensive Schemes Could Leave Boston

by Marcel Mutoni

During the 2008 NBA Finals, we heard about the man sitting on the sidelines near Doc Rivers almost as much as the guys who were executing his defensive game plan. Tom Thibodeau became a household name for hoops fans last year, and now he’s looking to leverage that into a better job.

At least, that’s what his boss thinks is happening. From the Boston Herald:

Danny Ainge will have quite a bit of work to do over the summer keeping current personnel and signing others. Included on his to-do list is a perennial free agent who doesn’t even wear sneakers on game night. As was the case when he came to the Celtics [team stats] prior to the 2007-08 season, assistant coach Tom Thibodeau is again working on a one-year contract.

“If you feel confident that you can get a job and you have a lot of options every year, I think that’s smart just in case you want to make a change,” Ainge said. “It keeps his flexibility. He might want to (make a change). You never know. He’s like a free agent coach every year.”

“We’re just trying to win a championship right now,” Ainge said. “We’ll see what happens this summer. Whether he’s got five years on his contract or one year, it doesn’t matter. His dreams and aspirations are to become a head coach. And if he doesn’t become a head coach, then I’m sure he’d probably like to stay with what he’s doing here. But that’ll be up to him.”

Another thing to perhaps consider, is that the Celtics’ window to win another title will soon be shut, surely something that Thibodeau and everyone else in the organization is keenly aware of.

Needless to say, Tom Thibodeau will have no trouble finding a higher profile gig in the League should he decide to leave Boston.