Yesterday the Bulls took the pivotal and all-important Game One of a winnable series against the Cavs. If they can just manage to avoid losing four of their next six, they'll advance to a very winnable Conference Finals. Still, it sounds like any and all success this postseason will mean absolutely bupkis when it comes to saving coach Tom Thibodeau's job, as it sounds like an almost inevitable development that he will be shit-canned regardless of how the Bulls finish. This is according to a long and worthy read by Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski who detailed the dysfunction between Thibs and the Bulls' brass. Two stories really stand out, the first being the anecdote we mentioned in the title:
According to Wojnarowski, a visiting scout made his way to a Bulls practice this season and watched Thibodeau and GM Gar Foreman interact awkwardly (which shouldn't really surprise anyone who's ever seen either of them in an interview). The scout made his way into the office of one of the assistant coaches and asked "What the hell is the deal here?" Instead of an immediate answer, the coach turned on his fan to the highest setting before saying "I'm not taking any chances," in the event that the team was listening in like the freakin' FBI.
Another interesting tidbit concerns how the organization has tried to pit Thibodeau against the oft-injured face of the franchise, Derrick Rose. Neither the coach nor the star has ever taken the bait. Obviously tons of people have put some blame upon Thibodeau for the outrageous string of injuries Rose has suffered over the past couple of years. Rose has refused to take part in that criticism.
On the flip side, Rose has been called everything short of a "pussy" by fans (actually we're sure some/many have called him that) and columnists over the last few years (largely due to the fact that most publications won't let you type that) and Thibs hasn't wavered on his star either. Regarding the incredibly frustrating injury bug that never seems to cut Rose any slack, Thibodeau told Yahoo Sports:
"I don't know of a guy who has gone through what he's gone through. You're 22 years old. You're the MVP of the league. And it's been smooth sailing. One year in college, the championship game. Rookie of the Year. Conference finals. League MVP. And from the point he got that MVP until now, it's been all adversity. He's had to navigate through that. One year of rehab, that's a test of your will. But to do it three years? That's a tough deal. And he's still working at it. When you miss that much, it takes you a long time to get it back. And to get that rhythm back into the game. I think he's learned a lot going through it. All of that adversity, it's been seeds of growth for him."
Basically the storyline is that this is Tom Thibodeau's last stand. Regardless of what happens over the next couple of months, Chicago seems hell bent on firing him. Whether he forces them to do it after he hangs a banner in their rafters is yet to be determined.
[via Yahoo]
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