Tom Thibodeau tells Bulls to earn their playing time

Feb 4, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau watches on from the sidelines against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at US Airways Center. The Bulls won 101-92. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau watches on from the sidelines against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at US Airways Center. The Bulls won 101-92. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 4, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau watches on from the sidelines against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at US Airways Center. The Bulls won 101-92. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau watches on from the sidelines against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at US Airways Center. The Bulls won 101-92. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

Carlos Boozer has been frustrated lately with the amount of playing time he’s been getting, but it seems as though Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau put him in his place when he spoke to his team.

From ESPN,

"“You guys, you’ve been around a long time,” Thibodeau said after the Bulls’ impressive win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. “This is four years now — I’m not changing. I’m going with the guys who I think give us the best chance to win, I don’t care who they are. So when we hit that six-minute mark it’s based on what we’re doing and what we need, and that’s the way it’s going to be.”"

Boozer just wants to see more time later in the game when it matters the most, but he’s aware that he doesn’t control those decisions.

"“I think I should be out there,” Boozer said on Monday. “But it’s [Thibodeau’s] choice. He makes the decisions out there, so I play. I don’t coach. He coaches. So he decides that. But honestly, he’s been doing that a lot since I’ve been here, not putting me in in the fourth quarter. Sometimes we win; more times than not, we don’t. But that’s his choice.”"