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The Chicago Bulls parted ways with Tom Thibodeau shortly after the 2015 playoffs ended. Thibodeau wasn’t let go because he was a bad coach, in fact he was one of the best coaches in the league. The Bulls management wanted to shift their franchise’s focus away from old-school baskebtall and towards the new era of the NBA which uses advanced analytic.
With Thibodeau’s old-school mentality, his days in Chicago was numbered. His refusal to be flexible with the sudden changes of the NBA caused a rift between front office and Thibodeau. However, despite any rifts or who was on the roster, Thibodeau made sure he got every sweat and blood out from his players.
Tom Thibodeau finished his five-year tenure with the Bulls with a 0.647 winning percentage including two consecutive seasons with the best regular season record in the NBA. The NBA is filled with flashy highlight reel from the offense, but Thibodeau brought something special to the NBA. For the first time ever, fans were excited to watch the defensive end of game as opposed to the offensive end. The way he robotically preached his same message of “next man up” not only had the players believing in it, but the fans too.
Everybody fell in love with Thibodeau in his first season right off the bat. Since then there was no love loss between the coach and the Chicago fan base when they were winning games. Sure, his offense wasn’t all too pretty to watch, but his ability to get fans pumped up to watch games just for the sake of defense was incredible. Thibodeau finished his tenure with the Bulls going 255-139, incredible numbers given Derrick Rose missed two consecutive seasons.
The relationship between Thibodeau and the media was a bit of a love-and-hate relationship, same goes for the fans at times. Everybody from the front office to the fan base were frustrated at times with his lack of trust in his rookies. They just wanted him to give them a chance, but his hard-headed mentality was committed on benching the player until they’re ready.
Thibodeau’s methods weren’t unwarranted by any means. Sure, it might be frustrating but he delivered wins at the end of the day. Thibodeau molded so many players under his wings it’s almost impossible to list them all.
Under Thibodeau:
- Derrick Rose was named 2011 NBA’s MVP
- Joakim Noah was named 2014 NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Luol Deng became a 2x-Allstar (2012-2013)
- Joakim Noah became a 2x-Allstar (2013-2014)
- Jimmy Butler became an Allstar including a max deal
- Jimmy Butler Most Improved Player
- Nikola Mirotic First All-NBA Rookie team
- Bulls front office Executive of the Year 2011
Those are just a few on the list that obtained an award, there’s plenty more he’s done for the players. Taj Gibson’s growth is heavily credited to Thibodeau as well. Every little guard that has come to Chicago with absolute no credibility has walked away with a multi-year deal from another team like John Lucas, CJ Watson, DJ Augustin, and Nate Robinson to name a few.
Nobody denies that Thibodeau’s offense was horrendous, almost unbearable to watch. Every coach has their flaw, and Thibodeau’s was his inability run a proper offensive scheme.
One of the most memorable time Thibodeau had in Chicago was the 2013 playoffs. First of all, the Bulls shouldn’t have been there. There’s no way a team without Derrick Rose playing in the regular season should be the fifth seed in the East. With all the distraction from the media on why Rose wasn’t playing despite being cleared, Thibodeau had his team focused. A team led by a broken-down Joakim Noah and Nate Robinson with no Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Kirk Hinrich should have no right to win a Game 7 in Brooklyn against Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. There’s just no way. However, this was just one of many moments that made fans fall in love with Thibodeau.
It’s hard to cope with the idea that Thibodeau will no longer be standing on the sideline the entire game screaming on the top of his lungs, but it’s time to move on. An old-school coach doesn’t have much room in the new era of NBA. It’s time to let go of Thibodeau and embrace Fred Hoiberg. However, Thibodeau’s time in Chicago will never be forgotten.
