Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov vowed to take his time reviewing potential coaches and general managers, but he’s not wasting any time putting a list together.
After news broke early Wednesday that the Nets consider Bryan Colangelo a top target for their vacant GM position, the Nets have contacted Tom Thibodeau about the head coaching job, according to Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News, Forbes, and Sirius XM NBA.
The Nets have reached out to Tom Thibodeau about coming to Brooklyn to coach their team, per NBA sources.
— Mitch Lawrence (@Mitch_Lawrence) January 13, 2016
Thibodeau last coached in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls in 2014-15, where he constructed the strong-side defense employed by most NBA teams today. In his five years at the helm for the Bulls, the team ranked 1st, 2nd, 6th, 2nd, and 11th in points allowed per 100 possessions, but never made it past the second round of the playoffs. He was summarily dismissed by the Bulls following a 50-32 season in 2015, and there were more than whispers of turmoil between Thibodeau and the Bulls front office.
Prior to his lone head coaching gig, Thibodeau worked as an assistant coach for six different teams over 21 seasons.