Tom Thibodeau argues a call against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6. (Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images / May 12, 2011)
By Teddy Greenstein, Tribune reporter
3:05 p.m. CDT, May 14, 2011
Of course Tom Thibodeau has hobbies. Don't be silly.
"Some rare stamps," he said after a recent Bulls practice. "Oil paintings. And listening to Mozart."
Don't forget acting. Thibodeau rattled those off with a straight face.
Bulls general manager Gar Forman remembers being in a group where Thibodeau, pressed for evidence that his existence does not revolve around a spinning basketball, "went into a little bit of detail about his rare stamp collection. We all laughed. I've yet to see it."
Said coaching veteran and Thibodeau chum Jeff Van Gundy: "Unless his parents collected the stamps and put them in the book, it's a joke."
So what does make Thibodeau tick — other than coaching, breaking down film and daydreaming about defending the high pick-and-roll?
"I don't know," replied Brian Scalabrine, the Bulls forward whom Thibodeau brought over from the Celtics. "For me and him, it's all basketball all the time — the Lakers, us, the Celtics, old teams, new teams, rookies, whatever. I've never talked to him about anything other than basketball.
"Put it this way: I'm his boy and I don't know if he knows I'm married and have two kids."
Guard Keith Bogans, who played for Thibodeau on the Rockets, cut off a question about whether Thibodeau has off-court interests by saying: "No, no. Absolutely not. This guy eats, sleeps and breathes basketball. If he does have any, I don't know about them. If you find out, let me know."
Scalabrine figures it's a math issue.
"He works 18 hours a day," he said. "What kind of hobbies can he really have?"
On the royals watch
Van Gundy admits to being defensive on the subject.
"Chicago should thank its lucky stars that he is abnormal because I always ask this: 'When did working hard become a sign of a lack of perspective?'" the ABC/ESPN analyst asked. "I'm defensive of how he's portrayed as this one-dimensional grinder."
Minutes later, Van Gundy acknowledged "99.9 percent" of their conversations are about basketball, the other sliver when Thibodeau asks about Van Gundy's daughter Mattie.
Told of that 99.9 percent figure, Thibodeau replied: "That might be true."
Then he laughed and said of Van Gundy: "He's really a well-balanced guy too."
Van Gundy actually has a thing for the British royal family and woke up before dawn to watch Prince William walk down the aisle with Kate Middleton.
Would Thibodeau know who they are?
"He absolutely would know," Van Gundy said. "I'd be shocked if he didn't. I have my money on my man!"
Asked the same question, Forman replied: "Who is Kate Middleton?" and added: "I bet (Thibodeau) wouldn't know."
So, Tom, have you ever heard of her?
"Oh, yeah," he replied. "C'mon, royal family."
He chuckled and acted like he was on Jeopardy, ready for another challenge: "Let's go. Let's go. Let's go."
Asked if he watches the news or reads newspapers, Thibodeau replied: "Well, people tell me."
People tell you?
"C.J.," he responded, a reference to guard C.J. Watson, who has more than 340,000 Twitter followers and broke the news of Derrick Rose winning the MVP.
Labor of love
Phil Jackson had the Zen thing and loved reading biographies. "But if you went to dinner with him," Bulls TV play-by-play man Neil Funk said, "he'd draw plays on napkins; his mind was still on basketball."
Tim Floyd, Funk said, "just wanted to enjoy himself" — code for being, uh, social on Rush Street after hours.
Bill Cartwright played tennis and took guitar lessons.
Scott Skiles read and watched baseball and football.
Vinny Del Negro is a near-scratch golfer.
Does Thibodeau have a release?
"Not that I'm aware of," Funk replied. "I don't know if he travels, or when he travels if he is going to (basketball) clinics or whatever. Maybe he's a reader or listens to classical music, but the only thing I'm aware of is basketball."
Bulls radio voice Chuck Swirsky does pregame hits with Thibodeau, who typically will ask him off air: "Chuck, how you doing? Anything happening?"
And by that, Thibodeau means: Anything happening in the league?
"The greatest thing about Tom is that he knows himself," Swirsky said. "He loves what he does so much."
Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin recalls boarding a plane with Thibodeau in New York.
"The Celtics were playing that night, and he said: 'I can't wait till we land.' I'm like: Are you serious? He did not want to miss one play," Griffin said. "The best way to describe him is: Fan of the NBA."
Well, he likes to eat
Rick Brunson has some answers. The Bulls assistant goes way — way — back with Thibodeau, all the way to Salem, Mass., north of Boston. Brunson starred at Salem High School; Thibodeau captained the 1980-81 team at Salem State.
Brunson has seen Thibodeau shoot one-handed free throws because of a thumb injury. And bang with power forwards and centers.
"He was an inside player, a 4 or 5," Brunson said. "One of those small big guys."
He got big by working out, but not the conventional way. Brunson never saw Thibodeau do arm curls or squats or triceps extensions. Just bench presses. Lots and lots of bench presses, to the point where he could put up 350 pounds.
"After practice he would do like 10 sets on the bench — of maybe 10 reps," Brunson said. "I'd ask him: 'Why don't you do some legs or something?' "
Thibodeau fueled those beach-muscle workouts with carbs and protein.
"I might get in trouble for saying this," Brunson offered, "but he likes food. If you're with him, you will eat well. He can eat at any time. Steak, pasta. He loves P.F. Chang's. In Chicago, Gibson's. He's a pizza guy too."
OK, so Thibodeau's hobby is also necessary for survival. Is breathing also on the list?
"There are no secrets about him," Brunson said. "You're not going to find anything. That's not an act what he's doing. That's what he is, a basketball nut."
Check the film
A few months ago, the Bulls had an off day, a misnomer in Thibodeau's world.
It was about 5 p.m. and Forman went to Thibodeau's office at the Berto Center. He wasn't there.
"None of the assistants knew where Tom was," Forman said. "I saw him a few hours later and he said he had gone to see a movie. That kind of shocked me."
Thibodeau had gone to see "The Fighter."
"I'm in the movie and my phone is ringing off the hook," Thibodeau recalled. "Guys are telling me: 'Yeah, go to the movies, get out of here.' I go and every five minutes my phone is going off. So I'm like: 'OK, I won't go to a movie anymore.'"
Thibodeau is 53 and single, unless you count his till-death-do-us-part devotion to basketball. That singular focus helped him go 1-for-1 in NBA Coach of the Year awards.
He tried to play golf but didn't like it. He hasn't worked out lately because of a right knee that swells.
As for Brunson's report on his eating habits, he replied: "That's true. I haven't missed many meals. In this city, it seems like every corner has a great restaurant."
He might not have a stamp from the Civil War era, but he does read Alan Axelrod books about military generals.
"Leadership books, history books," he said.
And, yes, basketball books.
When he's not reading scouting reports, Thibodeau delves into the wisdom of the man who brought 10 NCAA titles to UCLA. Co-authored by Steve Jamison, "The Essential Wooden," according to a description, contains 200 tips for inspiring championship performance.
Perhaps Thibodeau thumbs through the pages with a little Mozart in the background.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/ct-spt-0515-bulls-tom-thibodeau-chica20110514,0,2533688,full.story
5/15/2011 5:51 PM