The Chicago Bulls averaged 51 wins per season under head coach Tom Thibodeau. On Thursday, the Bulls fired him.
There were plenty of rumors surrounding Thibodeau’s job security despite five winning seasons at the helm. On Thursday, the club made it official and announced they had fired the 57-year-old.
Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf released a statement with the announcement, and it sure sounds like there were some major issues within the Bulls’ power structure. The press release was, to say the least, harsh.
“The Chicago Bulls have a history of achieving great success on and off the court,” Reinsdorf said in the statement. “These accomplishments have been possible because of an organizational culture where input from all parts of the organization has been welcomed and valued, there has been a willingness to participate in a free flow of information, and there have been clear and consistent goals. While the head of each department of the organization must be free to make final decisions regarding his department, there must be free and open interdepartmental discussion and consideration of everyone’s ideas and opinions.
“These internal discussions must not be considered an invasion of turf, and must remain private. Teams that consistently perform at the highest levels are able to come together and be unified across the organization-staff, players, coaches, management and ownership. When everyone is on the same page, trust develops and teams can grow and succeed together. Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this culture. To ensure that the Chicago Bulls can continue to grow and succeed, we have decided that a change in the head coaching position is required. Days like today are difficult, but necessary for us to achieve our goals and fulfill our commitments to our fans. I appreciate the contributions that Tom Thibodeau made to the Bulls organization. I have always respected his love of the game and wish him well in the future.”
Thibodeau took over prior to the 2010-11 season and instantly found success. The Bulls won 62 games in Thibodeau’s first season and never won fewer than 45 games, including the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season when the Bulls went 50-16.
However, Thibodeau’s teams weren’t ever able to break through. The Bulls reached the Eastern Conference finals in Thibodeau’s first season but weren’t able to advance past the second round in any other season. It probably should also be noted that Bulls star Derrick Rose played 81 games in Thibodeau’s first season but never played more than 51 games in the four seasons that followed, including playing in just 10 games over two seasons in 2012-13 and 13-14.
Thumbnail photo via Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports Images
