As expected by many, the Chicago Bulls have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, the team has announced.
Thibodeau was on the hot seat all season long, and his dismissal was expected to happen after the team failed to get past the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Bulls finished third in the Eastern Conference with a respectable record of 50-32. However, Chicago’s front office has had a negative relationship with coach Thibodeau for a while now, and it was only a matter of time he was relieved from his duties.
In fact, after firing Thibodeau, the Bulls have now made their dissatisfaction of him public in a statement.
“The Chicago Bulls have a history of achieving great success on and off the court. These accomplishments have been possible because of an organizational culture where input from all parts of the organization has been welcomed and valued, there has been a willingness to participate in a free flow of information, and there have been clear and consistent goals,” said Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
“While the head of each department of the organization must be free to make final decisions regarding his department, these must be free and open interdepartmental discussion and consideration of everyone’s ideas and opinions. These internal discussions must not be considered an invasion of turf, and must remain private. Teams that consistently perform at the highest levels are able to come together and be unified across the organization-staff, players, coaches, management and ownership. When everyone is on the same page, trust develops and teams can grow and succeed together. Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this culture,” Reinsdorf added.
“To ensure that the Chicago Bulls can grow and succeed, we have decided that a change in the head coaching position is required. Days like today are difficult, but necessary for us to achieve our goals and fulfill our commitments to our fans. I appreciate the contributions that Tom Thibodeau made to the Bulls organization. I have always respected his love of the game and wish him well in the future.”
Thibodeau coached the Bulls for five seasons, leading them to the playoffs each year despite the team facing multiple injuries to key players. He accumulated 255 wins and 139 losses, a .647 winning percentage. Though, Thibodeau was never able to coach his team to the NBA Finals with all the talent he had throughout the years.
“When Tom was hired in 2010, he was right for our team and system at that time, and over the last five years we have had some success with Tom as our head coach,” Bulls General Manager Gar Forman said. “But as we looked ahead and evaluated how we as a team and an organization could continue to grow and improve, we believed a change in approach was needed.”
Coach Thibs has always been criticized for his lack of offensive prowess and his horrendous seven or eight-man rotations. He has had the tendency of giving his star players heavy minutes, tiring them out for crucial moments of games.
Tom Thibodeau is still owed $9 million from the Bulls and will certainly draw interest elsewhere. The New Orleans Pelicans are one team with such interest and have reportedly reached out to the former Coach of the Year already.
The Bulls, on the other hand, have Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg in their sights. Hoiberg has had success the past two seasons in Iowa and has connections with the Bulls front office since he played for the organization from 1999 to 2003.
Surely, it won’t be a quick decision for the Bulls. They will definitely weigh out other options before making an official hiring.
Nonetheless, the Tom Thibodeau era has now ended in Chicago.