Tom Thibodeau Siding With Jimmy Butler Over KAT Means The Rick Pitino To UCLA Rumors Are Only Going To Get Louder ... Wait, What?

The moment UCLA fired Steve Alford, we heard the list of common names. They included Eric Musselman, Fred Hoiberg, Tyus Edney, Earl Watson and yes, Rick Pitino. Everyone assumed Pitino was listed there just because, well, Rick Pitino would be linked to almost any job right now.

But, now? The rumors are only going to get louder thanks to Tom Thibodeau deciding to side with Jimmy Butler over KAT. There’s one thing that’s always for sure in the NBA if you’re a coach. Always side with the young star that’s locked up to a longer deal than the one that’s a bit older even if he’s the better player. That’s how you get fired because guess what? The front office is going to side with the younger star 100 times out of 100. They want to protect their asset, especially when that asset is lined up to be on the team for the next 5-7 years. That’s just how it is.

Now, we’re hearing more and more about Pitino to UCLA because Fred Hoiberg is a favorite to end up in Minnesota. It makes sense as Hoiberg was an assistant GM there before taking the Iowa State head coaching job. Hoiberg also has been a midwest dude his entire life. He grew up in Iowa. He played at Iowa State and coached there. He coached the Bulls obviously. He was an assistant GM in Minnesota. He played for the Pacers, Bulls and Timberwolves. He wants to stay in that area of the country according to a lot of rumors.

So that means we’re going to hear even more Pitino to UCLA. There was a Forbes article that came out on Friday that said the following:

Casey Wasserman, a billionaire UCLA alum who was influential in the hiring of Chip Kelly as UCLA’s new football coach, and John Branca, a graduate of the UCLA Law School and an entertainment lawyer who is the co-executor of Michael Jackson’s Estate, both want Pitino, the source said.

“They’re going after Pitino, that’s their No. 1 choice,” the source said.

“Casey Wasserman is the most powerful person at UCLA,” the source added. “He runs everything.”

I said it when Alford was fired that this would be one of the most intriguing coaching searches in recent memory. The fact they are going to have a few months to make their decision. The fact that UCLA needs to nail this hire because it’s in a weird spot. They haven’t been completely relevant in over a decade. They could go with someone who has UCLA ties or someone that’s completely random. The whole Rick Pitino thing and whether or not a major program will take the risk of bringing him back to the college game after he was done coaching and is now coaching in Greece.