Chicago Bulls Fire Tom Thibodeau

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Published on May 29 2015 6:25 am
Last Updated on May 29 2015 6:25 am
Written by Millie Lange

The Chicago Bulls fired Tom Thibodeau on Thursday, saying a change was needed despite the team reaching the playoffs in each of his five seasons. Thibodeau, whose Bulls were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals earlier this month, had two years and nearly $9 million remaining on his contract.

The 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year had a .647 win percentage in the regular season (255-139) for Chicago, and that was with star point guard Derrick Rose playing only 181 of 394 games because of injuries. Thibodeau's teams excelled defensively, ranking first in the league in points per game (92.6) and field goal percentage (43.2) since he took over prior to the 2010-11 season.

But sources say the Bulls' dissatisfaction with their coach, beyond the well-chronicled tension between Thibodeau and Bulls general manager Gar Forman and executive vice president John Paxson, had risen in the wake of the Bulls' inability to beat injury-plagued Cleveland in the playoffs and a lack of offensive flow to match their usual defensive tenacity.

"The Chicago Bulls have a history of achieving great success on and off the court," Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement announcing the firing. "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."