Did the Tom Thibodeau rumors get the Chicago Bulls on track?
The past week for the Chicago Bulls organization has revolved around the job status of Tom Thibodeau after the recent struggles. But with back-to-back victories over Western Conference opponents, has the Thibodeau “hot seat” been cooled for the time being?
Tom Thibodeau has won over 65 percent of the game he has coached for the Bulls since arriving in Chicago before the 2010-2011 season.
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Not only has Thibodeau led the Bulls to playoff appearances in each of his first four seasons in Chicago, he won the NBA Coach of the Year Award after a 62-win campaign that saw the Bulls come within three victories of the NBA Finals for the first time since after the 1997-1998 season.
Oh, and Derrick Rose became the league’s youngest NBA MVP in history after the 2010-2011 season under Thibodeau.
So, why has Tom Thibodeau been the center of rumors that he’s on the “hot seat” and he’s all but out the door in Chicago?
Despite only having his set starting lineup for just 15 of the first 45 games, Thibodeau has been under scrutiny from the media about his coaching style and underachievement with a team projected by many to win the Eastern Conference this season.
Chris Sheridan, a long-time NBA insider with the Associated Press and ESPN, wrote a column about the tension between the Bulls management circle and Thibodeau:
"“A source close to the Bulls tells SheridanHoops that eating the remaining money (roughly $11 million) and years (two after this season) on Thibodeau’s contract will not be a concern to management or ownership if they decide to fire him.The feeling among some players in the locker room is that Thibodeau is simply too hardcore, too much of an oddball personality, and runs his best players into the ground both in practices and games.”-Chris Sheridan on Tom Thibodeau, SheridanHoops.com"
After Sheridan’s column sent a few shockwaves through the basketball world, the Bulls quieted down those rumors, despite a poor performance on Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Dec 15, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau checks the scoreboard against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Bulls 93-86. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Thibodeau wanted to hold a Tuesday practice, despite the Bulls not having a two-day stretch off since Dec. 21.
Instead, practice was called off and the team held a meeting — that lasted roughly 15-20 minutes — about the team’s recent issues after three rough games in a four-night span.
The result?
Two stellar performances against the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks in back-to-back nights that resulted in a pair of victories the Bulls desperately needed.
But wait, two games can change a coach’s “hot seat” status just like that?
According to Gar Forman, the Bulls’ general manager, Thibodeau’s status was never in question.
"“No. It’s not a story.”-Gar Forman on Tom Thibodeau’s job status, Suntimes.com"
Even with Thibodeau’s job being more secure than Fort Knox, the two recent victories for the Bulls helped the situation more than some believe.
The Bulls recently started a rough and rugged 10-game stretch that began with back-to-back losses against the sizzling Atlanta Hawks and to the Cavs this past Monday. Getting back on track was vital moving forward for the Bulls, who continue to push closer and closer to being at full strength, which is something they’ve hardly had all season.
Bulls have only had regular lineup of Rose, Butler, Dunleavy, Noah, Gasol 15 times in 43 games. They're 12-3.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 21, 2015
Not only did Thibodeau use a more fan-friendly rotation on Thursday night — Nazr Mohammed played first-quarter minutes and Jimmy Butler played under 30 minutes — he didn’t run the returning Joakim Noah “into the ground” on Friday night. Noah’s return was key in the Bulls’ four-point victory over the Mavericks, as he scored six points and pulled down seven rebounds in just 23 minutes of action.
After Thursday’s loss to the Bulls, even Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stepped in and addressed the “hot seat” rumors around Thibodeau by saying, “As I told you before the game, that’s baloney, nothing could be further from the truth. And hopefully whoever asked that question can figure that out instead of making stuff up like that.”
Derrick Rose continued his talkative ways with the media during the week by backing up his head coach.
“This don’t have anything to do with Thibs at all. The way that we’ve been playing don’t have anything to do with Thibs. He’s preparing us right. He’s doing everything and did everything possible to prepare us as a coach. It’s up to the players to give that effort.”
With Thibodeau’s biggest star and the best coach in the league coming to the aid of Thibodeau to the media, along with his most impactful player returning to the lineup, the “hot seat” should be nice and cool for “Thibs” on Sunday afternoon against former Bull Luol Deng and the Miami Heat.
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Next: Bulls Game No. 45: Bulls conclude odd week with win in Dallas