Chicago Bulls: 5 most polarizing figures of the 2010’s
By Ryan Heckman
3. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau (2010-2015)
Ah, Thibs.
Tom Thibodeau was exactly what the Bulls needed when he was hired back in 2010. The Bulls were young and talented, needing some sort of direction to help push them into playing with an edge. That is exactly what Thibs brought to the organization.
He should go down as one of the better and more unappreciated coaches in Bulls history. First and foremost, there is no chance that team competes for Eastern Conference supremacy under the reins of Vinny Del Negro. Were they a good team? Absolutely.
But, Thibs made them great.
Thibodeau pushed those guys to enter another realm, defensively. Luol Deng was so overlooked and underrated for most of his career, but thanks to Thibodeau, Deng played his best basketball during those years. He was an All Star and one of the league’s top defenders.
Trending. Bulls: 3 trade partners for unhappy Thaddeus Young. light
The same can be said for Joakim Noah. Without Thibodeau, maybe Noah wouldn’t have figured out how to mature and become the defensive monster he was during those seasons.
Yet, in the end, Thibs had a downfall. He was stubborn. He was stuck in his ways, and one of those ways included running his stars into the ground. Thibs played his starters quite a bit — so much so, that Deng averaged about 39 minutes per game for three straight seasons under him.
Some didn’t think his style would continue to hold up. Some didn’t like how hard he pushed his guys. But, no matter what, I say he was a great coach. He was the coach Chicago needed.