Bulls fire coach Thibodeau after five seasons

http://www.nba.com/2015/news/05/28/bulls-fire-tom-thibodeau.ap/index.html

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Blakely: Thibodeau just fine without injury-riddled Bulls

a. Sherrod Blakely


WALTHAM, Mass. – To the surprise of no one, the Chicago Bulls cut ties with Tom Thibodeau as their head coach on Thursday.

And looking at the statement they put out announcing the firing, it reads very much like a man who just wanted to coach his team and didn't care about all the other minutiae that apparently was a big deal for his bosses - bigger than winning games, apparently.

The man won more than 60-percent of his games coached in five seasons, and did so with a battered and bruised bunch most of the time.

And the injuries weren’t to just role players, either.

Derrick Rose is a former league MVP and the Bulls were still successful in his absence.

You think Golden State would have been an elite team without Stephen Curry? Or Cleveland without LeBron James?

Of course Thibodeau is far from perfect. It would have been nice for Thibodeau to have developed a better flowing offense which could have potentially helped them advance deeper into the postseason.

Thibodeau’s reluctance to make scoring a major priority would prove to be a fatal flaw. But considering the hands he had to play with in Chicago, he did what all coaches are supposed to do in those circumstances – find ways to win.

And he did that at a high level despite circumstances that made it far more difficult for him to be successful.

The Bulls will go out and find a more offensive-minded head coach who will probably have a decent amount of success.

Don’t be surprised if Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg gets first crack at the job. The Celtics talked to him briefly prior to hiring Brad Stevens a couple years ago. He has the reputation of being a more offensive-minded coach and having played in the NBA as well as being a front-office official, hiring him would be a solid move.

But the Bulls’ problem wasn’t Thibodeau and his plodding offense.

They were an injury-riddled team. No matter how deep you are, sooner or later the absence of key guys will catch up to you. Unfortunately for Chicago, that was often in the playoffs.

But no need to shed a tear for Thibodeau. He has two years and $9 million left on his contract and truth be told, he’ll have his pick of the jobs available if he wants to jump back into coaching immediately.

Orlando and New Orleans are both attractive landing spots for Thibodeau, but the Pelicans might have the edge due to their playoff-ready roster led by MVP-candidate Anthony Davis.

Regardless, Thibodeau is an elite head coach in the NBA who won’t be out of work for very long.

And when he returns, he’ll continue to win a lot of games and who knows, may even win a title or two along the way.

His future is bright.

The Bulls?

That remains to be seen.

They have to re-sign Jimmy Butler this summer to what should be a max contract. Derrick Rose’s health continues to be the wild card in this team’s success. Pau Gasol had a good season, but at his age you have to wonder just how much he has left to offer at a high level.

And then there’s the new coach, whoever that is and how their style will mesh with the players on the roster.

These are all questions and concerns that have been on Thibodeau’s plate in the past.

Not anymore.

The Bulls decided to embark on a future without him leading the way.

Hey, at least Chicago knows the next coach will come in wanting to score more points.

But winning more games?

That’s another story.

Good-bye Bulls.  Hello Lakers?

Here's a question for aficionados of the Bulls.  Was Thibs' defensive specialty a limitation on the success of the offensive element of his head coach job?  Is he a great defensive coach who is an example of the Peter Principle when it comes to head coaching?

Sam

After a year full of rumors about this guy being fired by the Bulls, is this really news?

When the GM and head coach cant get along for whatever reasons, one guy has to go. In fact, one guy may even have to go if the same guy occupies both positions on a specific team (like Rivers in LA) if the two positions cannot get along.

Thibodeau will quickly land another job that will pay him lots of money and he will likely turn that team around as well.

Since he is not coming to Boston, I wish him well but will not stay up on any given night thinking about him.

Man I'd love him to come back to boston as an assistant. .. mebbe in charge of defense...?