Tom Thibodeau – married to the game, but had some Ime Udoka qualities when he was younger

Tom Thibodeau – The New York Knicks coach and the now suspended Ime Udoka had some similar qualities.

There are fans of the game, purists, and then there is Tom Thibodeau. A man who sacrificed marriage because of the pitfalls of becoming a head coach, Tom lived and dreamed of basketball. He has won coach of the year twice in his life, and while he gets berated for his terrible rotations, he is still a coach because he does the job.

Back in his younger days, Thibs was engaged to one of the two women he was dating simultaneously. Both of them are called Debbie too! And then Thibs turned a Debbie Downer by ditching both of them when he decided to go full-time into coaching. Double dating is something Ime Udoka was doing.

Tom was with one of them until six weeks before their wedding. And then it ended. According to John Galleries, Tom’s ex-boss at Salem State, said, “I have no room for a woman in my life if I am to be a basketball coach.” Take notes, Udoka, from a two-time coach of the year. You were only there two times.

Also Read: “Wilt Chamberlain averaged 48.5 minutes? That’s my kinda guy!”: Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau adds fuel to the ‘Thibs plays his guys too much’ narrative

Should Tom Thibodeau change his lifestyle and coaching style now that he’s getting older?

Tom Thibodeau should really stop playing his men for 40 minutes – just because he doesn’t have a woman, doesn’t mean his players don’t have one too. After spending 20 seasons as an assistant coach, Thibs will most likely end his career playing second fiddle more than the guy with the clip pad.

Is he taking some of that frustration out on his players, or does he expect the best from each and every player he coaches? We will never know, because he never had great rosters to begin with. As soon as he found a gem in Derrick Rose, he got injured. And then he found Jimmy Butler, but that relationship soured like milk.

Maybe, but this is just an assumption – coming back to an empty home is what causes him to feel like he needs to push his players. In the end, it is still his life and he chose to live it that way, but everyone needs a companion – a woman, a dog, or even a fish. CoTY trophies don’t count.

Also Read: “Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t acknowledge me, he’d just look the other way”: Former LeBron James teammate Kyle Korver opens up about his relationship with the coach during their time in Chicago