Thoughts on Thibodeau: Well-Traveled Veteran Brings Experience, Respect, and Hope?

 "Who is [your daddy] and what does he do (in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice)?"
He, is former Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau. And all he does, apparently, is basketball.  "Tom's a workaholic," Celtics forward Paul Pierce told ESPNChicago.com recently. "I'm always catching him in there working, watching film in his office. He's probably the most prepared coach I've ever seen."

I recently imposed the mind of John Paxson and imitated my opinion of the Bull's pitch to possible coaching candidates during their interview. Here's a snippet:

-First off, we've got the best core group of young, promising talent in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
-Secondly, we're the front-runners for scoring Lebron James. We've got plenty of loot to put in his pocket (and a hit out on Delonte West if need be), along with the pieces he's looking for to win a championship.

-And as you probably already know, Chicago is a major media market, so you'll get plenty of face time. What you might not have known, is that our attendance is annually right behind the Lakers for tops in the NBA. Season tickets and fan support always helps, right?

-If you're looking for a challenge, you'd get to coach in the shadows of Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan and be expected to return the team to greatness within the same two-year limit we've given every other coach since '98

-Did I mention the whole Lebron thing? Oh ok, just making sure. 

Whatever the Bulls recruiting strategy may have been, it worked. And it did so much quicker than anyone anticipated. Friday, sources said the interview with Thibadeau went 'very well' and that he impressed enough to be considered a top 3 candidate. When asked if he was the front-runner for the position, Bulls front office said they still had other scheduled interviews. Saturday, something changed their minds however and sources close to the story have confirmed that Thibodeau and the Bulls agreed to a 3-year contract. Although no deal can be confirmed until the Finals conclude, the word on the street is that the deal is done. 

Most people don't know too much about what Thibodeau brings to the table, but he is highly respected and spoke of around  the league. And according to ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedel, blogger of the Bulls, he brings 18 years of assistant coaching experience that would benefit any franchise.

A player's coach with a defensive guru, who is immersed in the basketball culture highlight some of his qualities; here's the list.