Thibs ‘not surprised’ Daboll got Giants back to playoffs
DETROIT — Tom Thibodeau took over a New York team mired in a lengthy playoff drought and helped the Knicks reach the postseason in his first season as their head coach in 2020-21.
Thibodeau fully appreciates the job Brian Daboll has pulled off in getting the Giants (9-7-1) back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 in his initial season as an NFL head coach.
“Yeah, great. Terrific. I don’t know a whole lot other than I like to watch games. But I think he’s done a great job, fantastic,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks took on the Pistons in a Sunday matinee, a few hours before the Giants’ kickoff in Minnesota. “He’s well-prepared. I always like to look at the background of guys and people he’s been around.
“I think you’re really a by-product of all those experiences and people that you’re around and he’s been around the best in the game. He’s had a terrific career. Some people may be surprised. I’m not surprised.”
Thibodeau, who won NBA Coach of the Year honors after leading the Knicks to a 41-31 record in his first season, said he and Daboll “crossed paths” once at a Rangers game. He has been impressed by the Giant coach’s rise and his impressive résumé, which have included assistant coach and offensive coordinator jobs with New England and Buffalo.
“Yeah, it wasn’t a gimmick,” Thibodeau said. “It was just like, ‘Hey, let’s build our foundation and let’s work and do it day by day.’ And obviously, being with the Patriots and then the Bills, I think his foundation is terrific.”
With Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson among a slew of worthy candidates vying for the final spots in the Eastern Conference for the All-Star Game, Thibodeau said he’d endorse raising the number of selections from 12 to 15.
“I would. Like, I wish the coaches didn’t even have to vote. I’d like them to be out of it,” Thibodeau said. “You know it’s an impossible situation. You’re trying to reward people that are having great seasons, and there’s just not enough spots, and there’s worthy candidates.
“And the thought of 15 is good when selecting, but then the people that are coaching in it, then that’s the other dilemma. How do you get 15 into a game? And then you try not to get anyone upset, either.”