The Thibodeau era in Chi-town is over
The tension between the Chicago Bulls organization and Tom Thibodeau was too much to handle and the speculation that has been circulating the team the past few months has been confirmed. The coach has been fired by the front office after five seasons with the organization.
This comes only weeks after the Bulls were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race by the Cleveland Cavaliers, failing to reach the NBA Finals with what seemed like the best group of talent they’ve ever had assembled in recent seasons.
Thibodeau had two years and nearly $9 million left on his contract and was criticized for the Bulls disappointing season, even though they were plagued with injuries for most of the year.
So who is a candidate to take over his position? Word around the league points to Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg, with no other names really coming up as of now.
As for Coach Thibs, he will be chased by several teams who are looking for head coaches. The New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets positions are all vacant, with the Pelicans job looking like the most appealing.
Tom Thibodeau ends his tenure in Chicago with a .647 win percentage and 255-139 record in the regular season. He was 23-28 in the post season and never reached the NBA Finals.