Bulls' front office "strongly advising" Thibodeau on player minute allocation
Despite being a perennial Eastern Conference contender and therefore a perennial threat to the pursuit of Banner 18, I do not have any ill will towards the Chicago Bulls. The leading factor in my non-dislike for Rose ‘n’ the boys is that they are coached by Tom Thibodeau- one of the best and most deserving head coaches in the NBA.
As an assist in Boston, Thibodeau played a large role in the 2007-2008 Celtics winning the NBA Title. Now, entering his 4th year as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, Thibodeau is facing a new set of challenges off the basketball court—having to deal with the front office.
Tom Thibodeau is one of the NBA’s top coaches, but when it comes to managing minutes of his top players, he is going to get some help. Even if he doesn’t want it. The Bulls’ front office has been taking an active role in telling Thibodeau how he’ll dispense minutes to Joakim Noah, among others. And these are two parties that have had their differences in the past.
Between telling the coaching staff how to allocate game time minutes regardless of injuries and letting Thiboedeau’s top assist, Ron Adams, go over the summer, the seeds of doubt are being sewn in Chicago.
It has been well documented that there are only four coaches currently coaching in the NBA who have won a championship, but Thibodeau should be mentioned with that class. Should he find himself without a team to coach in the near future, I’d expect that break to last shorter than you can say “defensive specialist.”
Follow Padraic O'Connor on Twitter @padraic_oconnor
Source: Brett Pollakof; NBC Sports
Source: Mitch Lawrence; New York Daily News
Photo Source: AP