“That Motherf**ker a Monster”: Knicks Coach’s Brutal Outburst Once Made Udonis Haslem Sympathize With Ex-Rivals

A coach who got a technical foul for yelling at his own players. This statement may not be enough, but still quite a reflection of the kind of coach Tom Thibodeau is. However, multiple members from the NBA community have supported Thibs’ method of coaching. This shows there was something more to his ways than just yelling. But this part has been consistent with the New York Knicks coach. So much so that Udonis Haslem felt sympathy for his opponent team when he was facing the Chicago Bulls and Thibs was the Bulls’ head coach.

It is worth mentioning that, though not at a level like Celtics and Lakers, Miami Heat and Bulls had a rivalry of their own during a phase. “That Motherf**ker a Monster. I literally ran down the court one time and I was standing in front of Thibs and he was yelling so much at y’all (Joakim Noah and other Bulls players), he annoyed me. He was yelling at y’all and he annoyed me. I looked at him and said, goddamn Thibs, stop all that f*ing yelling,” Udonis Haslem said, appearing on ‘The OGs’ podcast.

Further in the podcast, Joakim Noah stated Thibs to be a sick coach but someone that still deserves love. He believes a player has got to love a situation where his coach is just as sick or sicker than him. “Yes, it helps… You gotta feel that,” he stated. Notably, Noah is not the only member from the NBA community who respects Tom Thibodeau despite all his yelling.

A closer look at Tom Thibodeau as a coach

The first NBA team for Thibs as a head coach was the Chicago Bulls. He coached the Bulls for 394 matches and a win percentage of 64.7 with the team at 255 wins. And yes, he is still to achieve an NBA Championship as a coach. But he earned the title of NBA Coach of the Year twice (2011 and 2021).

However, he did win an NBA championship as an Assistant Head Coach for Boston Celtics. And he has also been the All-Star head coach in 2012. All these achievements explain why, despite everything else, Thibs has earned a name for himself as coach. In fact, Taj Gibson, whom Tom coached back in during his Minnesota Timberwolves days, had also stated the yelling does not come from a place of bad intention.

“He’s always yelling, but that’s just his way of showing you that you’re on his mind. I realize that… When he’s yelling at you then you’re thought of. You don’t want to be the person that he just lets you do whatever and he doesn’t say anything,” Gibson had told the Chicago Tribune. This praise from players from Thibodeau’s former coached teams is testament to the fact that appearances may always not be a true representation of the person.