Thibodeau's stormy tenure ends
Poor relationship with bosses costs Bulls coach his job.
In five seas ons under Tom Thibodeau, the Chicago Bulls soared to heights they had not reached since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were col lecting championships.
They never got to the top with him, and now he is out.
The Bulls fired Thibodeau on Thursday, par ting ways with the strongwilled coach who took the team to the playoffs in each of his five seasons, only to have his succe s s overshadowed by his strained relationship with the front office.
“It is our strong belief that there needs to be a cul ture of communication that builds a trust throughout this organization from the players to the coaches to the management and to the front office, a culture where everyone is pulling in the same direction,” general manager Gar Forman said. “When that culture is sacrificed, it becomes extremely difficult to evolve and to grow.”
Thibodeau went 255139, a .647 winning percentage that ranks seventh in NBA history among coache s with at leas t 200 games. He led the Bulls to the top seed in the playoffs his first two seasons and was the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2011, the same year Derrick Rose became the league’s youngest MVP in his last healthy seas on.
The former coach thanked Chicago fans, his players, staff and their families.
“We are proud of our many accomplishments, fought through adversity, and tried to give our fans the full commitment to excellence they deserve,” Thibodeau said in a statement. “I love this game and am excited about what’s ahead for me with USA Basketball and the next coaching opportunity in the NBA.”
Chicago advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in 2011, but it’s the only time the Bulls made it past the second round under Thibodeau, who had two years left on his contract. Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, despite having open-heart surgery in April, is widely viewed as a top candidate to replace him.
The move comes two weeks after the Bulls were eliminated by Cleveland with a listless effort in Game 6 of the East semifinals that came after an injury-filled 50-win season.
Forman insisted management was not holdi ng out for compensation for Thibodeau and would have granted teams permission to talk to him had they asked — but none did.
Either way, the gulf between the coach and his bosses was too large.
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf made that clear in a long, scathing statement.
“Teams that consis - t ently perform at the highest levels are able to come together and be unified across the organization — staff, pl ayers, coaches, management and ownership,” Reinsdorf sai d. “Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this cul - ture.”
Pelicans: Jeff Van Gundy reportedly interviewed for New Orleans’ head coaching job.
Heat: Contract talks involving Dwyane Wade and the team reportedly are at an impasse, and sources said Wade is considering al l opti ons — including potenti ally leaving the team that drafted him 12 years ago.
Bucks: Gov. Scott Walker spoke in favor of key el ements of a reported deal for a new $500 million arena that includes raising taxes on Milwaukee County hotel rooms and rental cars.