Derrick Rose, who has spent most of his professional career playing under Tom Thibodeau, is supposedly relieved to be leaving for a more regimented preseason.
According to Rose, “these last two years, I had Thibs,” he revealed Thursday from Memphis Grizzlies camp. To compare this with Thibs, just know that we put in a lot of effort on this one. However, Thibs is, how should I put this?
It is performed in a novel way. That is all I’m going to say. A new course was taken. It’s easier to move around here. It flows better. The men are putting in a lot of hours. And that’s not to suggest that our people back in New York weren’t productive.
Rose and Thibodeau had a strong rapport that appeared to bring out the best in the point guard throughout their three seasons together in the NBA.
Rose didn’t elaborate on why the Grizzlies’ training camp was “smoother,” but he did say that he values the team’s roster stability since “they don’t have to do much to tweak things.”
However, things between you two were strained during the last New York season.
It came as a surprise to everyone when Rose arrived at training camp for the 2022 season, boasting about how he had followed Thibodeau’s advice and lost weight.
The previous MVP, Rose, was not only taken off the court but also removed from the team’s rotation, playing in just 27 games.
The Knicks opted not to exercise their $15.6 million club option on Rose, and he subsequently signed with the Grizzlies.
One current Knicks player offered a negative take on Thibodeau’s training camp, as was to be anticipated.
“He’s very detail-oriented, which I appreciate,” Donte DiVincenzo remarked of him. I played under coaches in college who paid attention to the smallest of details, and that’s why I’m in the NBA now. So, I believe Thibs is capable of bringing out the best in me.
Just remember the angles and the basics, and don’t miss any of the procedures. Most of the teams in this league win solely on the strength of their athletes. They depend only on their own talent. Thibs, on the other hand, takes care of the finer points and allows your innate skills to shine through. And you’ll be able to tell by the third day of training camp.
Thibodeau values the “trained eye” above statistical analysis when it comes to defense.
“I haven’t seen a defensive rating system yet [that is the best],” the coach remarked after much research. In my opinion, the trained eye is the most crucial factor in determining a victor. Both field goal percentage and rebounding margin have consistently ranked highly on my list of priorities throughout the years. Does your shot-challenging technique work? What percentage of your opponent’s shots are you directing? Are you eliminating high-stakes situations? These are the points I make.
Thibodeau, by coincidence, mentioned Rose on Thursday as the driving force behind the 2021 playoff push that landed them in the fourth spot.
“Three years ago, it was more based on our defense, and at the end of that year, we turned the corner when we made the trade for Derrick,” Thibodeau said.
