The animosity between the Chicago Bulls and coach Tom Thiboodeau reportedly is bad enough that the front office wants to make sure he isn't coaching anywhere next season. ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting Chicago is delaying the inevitable firing of Thibodeau until after all three NBA coaching vacancies - the New Orleans Pelicans, the Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic - are filled so Thibodeau won't be able to find a job.
Thibodeau and Chicago's front office aren't on the best of terms, to say the least. It's an open secret by now the two sides dislike each other, but Steins report - if true - paints a picture of just how bad the feeling between them are.
"More and more you hear Thibs admirers around NBA say they fear Bulls determined to let all three open jobs get filled and then let Thibs go," Stein tweeted Tuesday.
It's hard to believe Stein's report because of how petty it makes the front office sound. One possibility is the report may have come from Thibodeau's camp in an effort to paint Chicago's front office as the villain and to force them to expedite their firing of him. Stein nonetheless does have a solid track record as an NBA insider, which makes it alarming the Thibodeau-Bulls relationship may have splintered that badly.
Firing Thibodeau would cost the Bulls $9 million, so trading him would obviously be the preferred option. The problem is few teams if any would be willing to surrender assets to Chicago when all signs point to Thibodeau's tenure in the Windy City ending regardless. A more likely possibility regarding Stein's report is that it came from Chicago's people in an effort to let teams know, "Hey, if you want him for next season you're not going to get him for free."
Ex-Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles reportedly is a lock to take over the Magic, leaving New Orleans and Denver as the only two coaching spots still open. The Pelicans and Thibodeau reportedly have a mutual interest in each other, but - trade compensation aside - the Pelicans may have reservations about giving him the big salary and the personnel control he'll likely want.
