Thibodeau has a reputation for being a hard-nosed coach who prefers to play a short rotation in a high number of minutes. He came under fire after Rose tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the final minutes of Game 1 in the 2012 Eastern Conference first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Bulls were trailing by double figures and Thibodeau left Rose in the game when he had a chance to rest him for Game 2. Thibodeau has retired since arriving in New York, which has allowed Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson to blossom as individual talents.
Rose tentatively said “the brand of him is different” when describing the way Thibodeau draws up plays for the Knicks. New York came in at No. 22 among all teams averaging 12.8 fast-break points per game the year before.
They also ranked 25th in points given up. The Knicks played much of their half-court offense, and comparing their performance to that of a Grizzlies team that cuts its teeth in the open court, Rose hit the nail on the head.