New Orleans to Make Offer to Head Coaching Candidate

The New Orleans Hornets are continuing their busy offseason by planning to offer their vacant head coaching position to long time NBA Assistant Tom Thibodeau (Who, by the way, is NOT from Louisiana as his name might suggest. Try Connecticut. I know. What the freak is that about?) Thibodeau has a history as a defensive specialist and is currently an assistant on Doc Rivers' staff with the Boston Celtics where he has been since 2007.

Thibodeau became head coach of his alma mater Salem State College after 3 seasons as an assistant. Thibodeau then bolted for smarter pastures the very next season when he was hired as an assistant on the Harvard staff. Four years later, Bill Musselman hired Thibodeau on as an assistant for the NBA expansion Minnesota Timberwolves.

After a brief stint in Minnesota, followed by ones in Seattle, San Antonio, and Philadelphia, Thibodeau was hired as an assistant by Jeff Van Gundy before the '96-'97 season who was coaching the New York Knicks. It was there that Thibodeau's defensive prowess began to take form.

Thibodeau helped the Knicks reach the NBA Finals in 2000 while holding 33 straight opponents under 100 points which was an NBA record at the time. After seven seasons with the Knicks, Thibodeau followed Van Gundy to the Houston Rockets where he coached for 4 seasons before being hired to his current position in Boston where the Celtics won the '08 NBA Championship and are one game away from another Finals appearance.