Report: Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is ‘gone’
By Josh Hill
The Chicago Bulls are going to fire Tom Thibodeau, as it’s now only a matter when — not if — he’s replaced this summer.
The way the Chicago Bulls played this season, you’d think that there would be great hope for the future. But there’s more doubt than ever inside the United Center, as the Game 6 loss that the Bulls endured was likely the last that Tom Thibodeau will oversee as head coach.
For months — and years — the Bulls have been at odds with their head coach as front office czars John Paxson and Gar Forman are ready to run Thibs out of town. There has been reports of a growing rift all season long, and everything is going to come to a head this offseason when Thibodeau is replaced and a new head coach takes over.
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, both the Bulls front office and Tom Thibodeau himself know that the era they have shared together is over.
"As one source close to the situation puts it: “Thibs is gone. They know it and he knows it.”"
What’s more, Stein reports that some believe the Bulls head coach hasn’t spoken to his general manager since November.
"One well-placed observer we know, for example, is convinced that Thibodeau and Forman have scarcely had a substantive conversation since roughly November."
The dysfunction in the Bulls locker room and their front office is just gross to watch play out, and it no doubt factored into Chicago’s limp exit from the postseason. Tom Thibodeau was going through the motions and the team largely looked checked out as though they were packing it in for next season.
Firing Tom Thibodeau would be a gigantic mistake for the Bulls, but this is the nature of the NBA. Even if you win, you can get fired and this is true of even someone like Thibodeau. His mentor in Boston, Doc Rivers, suffered a similar fate when he was traded to the Clippers and that has worked out well so far for Doc.
That’s the situation the Bulls and Thibodeau face now, as Chicago is going to change coaches to someone the front office can better control and puppeteer and Thibs is going to go somewhere to win.