Monty Williams and Tom Thibodeau have a genuine fondness of each other that bloomed while on the Team USA Basketball coaching staff under Mike Krzyzewski from 2014 to 2016.
"We spent a lot of time together," Thibodeau said last month. "Unbelievable guy and a great coach. Whether he's been a head coach or an assistant, he's always had a major role. You go back to when he was at Portland with Nate McMillan. Just a terrific coach."
They won a lot together, too.
Team USA went 26-0 during that stretch, winning gold in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.