Charles Barkley says Bulls are the ‘stupidest’ team in the NBA
Charles Barkley is back at it again, and this time he is after the Chicago Bulls franchise. The Bulls have kept relatively quiet regarding the possibility of losing their coach Tom Thibodeau, and Barkley is not happy about it.
In an interview with an ESPN affiliate, Barkley called the Bulls the ‘stupidest organization in the NBA’:
"Every year the idiots in Chicago, either they don’t want to pay Thibs or his name comes up for other jobs. I wish the Bulls were smart enough to say ‘We’ve got one of the best coaches in the NBA and he’s not going anywhere’. I don’t understand why they don’t appreciate Thibs there.No guys does more with less than Coach Thibodeau. He gets more out of their team than any coach could. Now, if he’s not happy and someone wants to give a bunch of draft picks for him that’s a totally different animal. But it’s disappointing to me that every single year there’s chatter about Thibs. You think people would let somebody say something about Gregg Popovich? ‘He’s our coach. He’s not going anywhere.’ The Spurs would release a statement ASAP."
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Barkley is correct about Thibodeau being one of the best coaches in the NBA. Even without former MVP Derrick Rose for nearly two full seasons, the Bulls have been able to fight hard and make it to the playoffs both years.
While the Bulls may have lost in the first round this year, not much of the blame can be attributed to Thibodeau.
Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies have expressed interest in bringing on Thibodeau to coach their respective teams next season. Thibodeau is still under contract with the Bulls for another three years, so both teams have to ask permission from the Bulls to interview their coach and will have to compensate the team if Thibodeau leaves.