To the surprise of no one, the Bulls just announced that head coach Tom Thibodeau has been relieved of his coaching duties:
The Bulls just announced that they've fired Tom Thibodeau.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) May 28, 2015What was kind of surprising about it, though, was how they chose to go about doing it. The team released a press release about Thibodeau's firing a short time ago. And in it, they eloquently broke down why they were letting him go and threw all kinds of shade in his direction:
The Bulls still owe Thibodeau $9 million, which will be paid to him. Thibodeau had been the coach of the team since 2010, winning NBA Coach of the Year in 2011 and compiling a 394-255 record in his five years with Chicago. However, the Bulls never moved beyond the second round of the NBA Playoffs during his tenure and his tendency to run the mileage up on star players like Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Jimmy Butler eventually led to his demise.
Immediate options for the Bulls coaching vacancy are Scott Skiles, Jeff Van Gundy, Scott Brooks, Fred Hoiberg, and Al Gentry. As for Thibodeau, his 394-255 record should have him finding work very quickly.
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