Word just broke Sunday morning that Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, a former assistant in Boston, was the recipient of this year's Coach of the Year award in the NBA. A source just told the Associated Press hours ago, and it's yet to be formally announced.
But Thibodeau's old mentor from Boston already had the inside scoop.
"I already texted him. I knew," Doc Rivers said before Sunday's series opener against the Heat. "And it's awesome."
Thibodeau guided the Bulls to a 62-20 record in his first season as a head coach. It was the franchise's best season since Michael Jordan retired 13 years ago. But aside from just wins and losses, Thibodeau transformed the identity of a young Bulls team, getting them to commit to teamwork, hard work and defense.
"He came in and did his job, and he was so prepared for it," Rivers said. "But more importantly, I thought he followed through on what he came in to do. I think a lot of times, you come in and you have these thoughts, but then the first time you see any adversity, you kind of change up and go another direction.
"We talk a lot, obviously, and one of the things I told him I kept seeing is he kept sticking to his beliefs. When you play the Bulls, you can see his beliefs through the team. That's always the mark of a hell of a coach."
Thibodeau is far from the first rookie head coach to win Coach of the Year honors. There's also a young Orlando Magic coach who took home the award in his first season, back in 2000. His name was Doc Rivers.
"Yeah," Rivers said. "It's the kiss of death."
