Rockets: How the Tom Thibodeau rumors show game of poker

With rumors swirling that the Houston Rockets have their sights set on Tom Thibodeau, there’s a greater effect that this report has that isn’t being discussed.

With the NBA currently on a league-mandated suspension, basketball fans everywhere have been starving to get their fix. This has resulted in astronomical ratings for ESPN’s docu-series The Last Dance, and all of the chatter as it pertains to the hardwood has been about the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls teams of the 1990s. Debates and arguments have sparked regarding whether the Houston Rockets would’ve won their two championships if Jordan hadn’t retired, and the annual Jordan vs. LeBron James debate has gotten re-visited ad nauseam.

Part of the reason for this is simply because we’ve not had anything else to talk about, and it’s unclear when the league will return to action, if at all. Although the NBA’s hiatus has forced us all into a lull period of inactivity, the Houston Rockets’ world became much more interesting on Monday, as reports circulated that sent shock waves through many in the basketball world.

Marc Berman of the New York Post reported that the Rockets were interested in pursuing Tom Thibodeau, which is a move that many should’ve seen coming months ago. In fact, we discussed the possibility of the Rockets pursuing Tom Thibodeau when the Rockets were just 26 games into the season, as the reasons were obvious.

The Houston Rockets’ primary weakness is a major strength for Thibodeau, so it would at least make sense from that standpoint to add Thibs, if possible. But the Thibodeau situation represents a much bigger end game for each party involved, including the Rockets, Thibodeau, and his agent.

Next: Business side of agent dealings