NBA News: Chicago Bulls Finally Fires Tom Thibodeau

The Chicago Bulls have finally severed ties with Tom Thibodeau, according to a report from Yahoo Sports.

The announcement put an end to Thibodeau’s tenure as Bulls head coach, something many find odd to this day.

Rumors about Thibodeau’s firing had been going on for quite some time now, something believed to have been caused by the head coach’s tension with the Bulls management.

Thibodeau had two years and about $9 million left on his contract. It has been widely believed for some months now, that the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year would be given the boot, regardless of how far the Bulls would reach the current 2015-16 season.

Many believe that Thibodeau did not deserve being fired, especially if one looks back at what the defensive coach has achieved for the Bulls.

Just imagine leading the team to credible performances since he came on board, including a 62-20 record in his maiden season. And the years that followed were not bad either.

He helped lead the Chicago Bulls to a 50-16 mark in the shortened NBA season 2011-12 and a 50-32 record this past season. Thibodeau’s achievements are certainly hard not to take note off.

And he did it with Bulls’ star and former NBA MVP Derrick Rose spending most of his time in sick bay due to recurring knee problems. With such leeway, it seems very odd to see an effective coach get the pink slip and find a management that is far from impressed.

And for their part, the reason for Thibodeau’s firing was reasoned out by the Bulls front office (Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and Vice President John Paxson). It is said that there was a departure from the Bulls culture, apparently referring to a unified goal which seemingly weeds out the growing tension between Thibodeau and the Bulls management.

The Bulls fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers (94-73) last May 14, putting an end to the Bulls campaign. Many had expected the announcement and it came two weeks after.

With his firing, Thibodeau is not expected to be jobless for long.

Multiple teams are currently in need of a head coach and Thibodeau is among their candidates.

Among the teams rumored to be interested in Thibodeau’s services include the New Orleans Pelicans and the Orlando Magic, according to the The Times Picayune. Both teams have yet to name a new head coach after firing their respective head coaches (Monty Williams, New Orleans and Jacques Vaugh, Orlando).

There was even a rumor that the Los Angeles Lakers were interested in Thibodeau but Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, through a report by CBS Chicago, immediately shot down the rumors and bared that they are happy with current head coach Byron Scott.

Being told that the Lakers will be pursuing Tom Thibodeau. Byron Scott has just the one year left. Lakers would be paying four head coaches.

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) May 20, 2015

Regardless of his unceremonious exit, Thibodeau is expected to hook up with another team and will be back to coach before the NBA 2015-16 wars comes around.