Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau not happy if Luol Deng leaves in free agency
By Bryan Rose
The Chicago Bulls and small forward Luol Deng have been attempting to workout a contract extension for months, but just a few days ago the long battle towards an agreement fell apart and Deng informed the Bulls he would be testing free agency after the 2013-14 season.
It didn’t really seem to upset the Bulls’ front office that much, which apparently isn’t something that is sitting well with head coach Tom Thibodeau who has suggested that Deng is the ‘glue’ to the Bulls’ roster.
Given an already strained relationship between Thibodeau and general manager Gar Forman, which was categorized a few months back as the ‘worst relationship in professional sports’, losing Deng may push an already frustrated Thibodeau over the top.
Per the Sun Times:
"“Ask Tom how important he thinks Luol is,’’ the source said. “How happy do you think he would be with that decision?’’Not very.“You need rebounding, he’ll give you rebounding,’’ Thibodeau said of Deng late last season. “If he’s not shooting well, he gives you great defense. No matter how the game is going, he’s always going to be there late for you, no matter if it’s pick-and-roll offense, swinging the ball, moving without the ball, making a great random cut from the weak side. He has great impact on winning.“You can’t ask anything more of one of your best players.’’"