Derrick Rose on how he was «surprised» the New York Knicks fired his former longtime head coach Tom Thibodeau in this one-on-one interview.
Derrick Rose was as surprised as everyone when he heard news of Tom Thibodeau’s firing.
The New York Knicks parted ways with Thibodeau after he led them to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000. Despite leading the Knicks to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995, Thibodeau found his way out on the outs after their six-game series loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Rose played under Thibodeau for a number of years, including during their time with the Chicago Bulls and more recently with the Knicks, where Rose last played for him during the 2022-23 season. There’s perhaps no NBA player more familiar with Thibodeau than Rose. The three-time All-Star guard became the youngest MVP in NBA history when he played for him during the 2010-11 season.
«I think everybody was surprised», says Rose in a one-on-one interview. «There’s no bad blood and he’s in great spirit out still here on the East Coast, living life.»
The 67-year-old head coach is known as an old school, hard-nosed type. Thibodeau began his NBA coaching career as an assistant for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989 and won a championship as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics in 2008. He has routinely led teams deep into the playoffs as a head coach and has won the Coach of the Year award twice, the first time during the 2010-11 season with the Bulls and the second time during the 2020-21 season with the Knicks. Both times were with Rose on the roster.
«He put a lot of pressure on and that’s why I love him because I’ve never wanted to crack — I never wanted him to see me crack», says Rose. «He knew how good I was, and I wanted the challenge. He used to challenge me certain games about certain point guards or certain matchups. I took on that challenge.»
Under Thibodeau, the Bulls never won less than 45 games in a single season and they made it to the playoffs every year.
