[外電] Rose, Thibodeau perfect match for su …
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By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
NEWARK, N.J. – Together, they had come to the Chicago Bulls seen as
something of introverts, inspiring doubts about the abilities of Derrick
Rose(notes) and Tom Thibodeau to blossom into leaders of men.
For all his talent, Rose had to listen to people doubt his disposition
because of his reticence to talking loudly and boldly. He had to listen to
doubts over his intelligence because of an NCAA standardized testing scandal.
For all his credentials, Thibodeau had been rejected over and over as a head
coaching candidate because he had been labeled a great defensive mind suited
best for the dim lights of the film room, the empty stands of practice gyms.
As general managers passed on him, they privately doubted his ability to
command a locker room.
The NBA is strange this way. It’ll slap a label on you fast and make you
work the rest of your life to shed it. Rose and Thibodeau was a partnership
that promised to grow gradually, to evolve these Bulls on a steady climb into
Eastern Conference contention. Only, everything has changed this season. Rose
is not just an All-Star, but the best choice to be the NBA’s MVP now.
Thibodeau hasn’t cultivated just a great defense, but a championship culture
of selflessness and sacrifice.
“Thibs has D-Rose buying into everything because he’s such a smart person,
a smart player,” the Bulls’ Brian Scalabrine(notes) says. “And that’s a
big reason – maybe the biggest – why this team is so locked in. … And we
are locked into the message.”
The Bulls won their eighth straight game on Thursday night over the New
Jersey Nets, 84-73, and moved back ahead of the Boston Celtics with a
half-game lead for the Eastern Conference’s top playoff seed. Rose made
Deron Williams(notes) miss 11 of 12 shots, and made the victory his own by
playing the part of the closer again in the fourth quarter.
It doesn’t matter that Carlos Boozer(notes) is sitting out with an ankle
injury, that Joakim Noah(notes) played with the flu, the Bulls keep coming.
There’s a relentlessness out of Rose, such a propriety and purpose. He
carries Thibodeau’s word throughout the locker room and the message has been
unmistakable: I believe, and so do you.
This is the beauty of the partnership. This is why Rose is an MVP. He doesn’
t make his case with big talk, but with bigger performances. This is his
hometown team, and Rose admires stability and staying power. This can be a
sport of young players trying to emulate personas and personalities that don’
t fit them, that end up causing teammates to suspect something insincere.
“You’ve got Kobe [Bryant], who is outspoken,” Rose said. “You’ve got
LeBron [James], who’s outspoken. And then, you’ve got leaders like Tim
Duncan(notes), who is quiet and doesn’t need to say much. He doesn’t have
to say much. He doesn’t have to show emotion.”
And that always told Rose that he could lead his way, construct credibility
over time with the franchise, the coaches, the city. Thibodeau has sold his
values on these Bulls because Rose has allowed it. That’s always the case
for a star player and coach. This was the way it worked for Thibodeau as an
assistant with the New York Knicks, when Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson
bought into Jeff Van Gundy. This is the way it worked with Kevin
Garnett(notes), Paul Pierce(notes) and Ray Allen(notes) with Doc Rivers in
Boston.
“He doesn’t beat his chest, or draw attention to himself,” Thibodeau says.
“His confidence comes from his preparation. He works the hardest, and that’
s how he leads us.”
Perhaps none of these Bulls were sure about Thibodeau upon his arrival
because they had never seen such single-mindedness, such an obsessive, 24-7
grind out of a coach. Truth be told, few have ever witnessed anyone like
Thibodeau. His reputation had been that he would be hard to talk to,
dictatorial, but they found something else: A lot of humanity, and hardly any
hubris.
Thibodeau is a 52-year-old bachelor who sleeps a few hours a night and spends
the rest of his waking hours in the office. When it was time to work, they go
hard. Yet, they found him softer away from the floor, busting chops, sharing
a laugh. Most of all, they’ve found this: When they follow his boring,
repetitive blueprint – defense, rebounding and low turnovers – they almost
always win.
Rose loves Thibodeau’s grind, admires it and shares so much of his
disposition. “I can call him no matter what time it is,” Rose said, “and
we can talk.”
He’s called as late as 1 a.m. after a game just to go through things, to
talk about the team, about the next step.
“It doesn’t matter when you call him,” Rose said. “He’s going to be up
working. … He doesn’t have a life outside basketball.”
Rose isn’t much better because it isn’t uncommon for him to wander into the
Berto Center late in evenings to get extra shots to the rim. The lights are
always on upstairs in Thibodeau’s office.
So much for a slow, sure process in Chicago. Out of nowhere, Rose could be
the NBA’s MVP. Out of nowhere, a rookie coach has cultivated a conference
championship contender. And out of nowhere, a most improbable partnership has
changed everything in the East.
No more labels, no more pre-conceived ideas for Derrick Rose and Tom
Thibodeau. Together, they have the Chicago Bulls chasing everything now.
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