The Chicago Bulls formally announced the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau on Thursday, putting an end to the speculation of his job status that was very well documented.
Thibodeau, 57, had recently finished his fifth season coaching the Bulls, who were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals earlier this month. He had two years and nearly $9 million remaining on his contract.
“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.
The #Bulls have fired Tom Thibodeau who was a -150 favorite to be the next coach of the #Pelicans last week.
— Action Labs (@ActionLabs_HQ) May 28, 2015
“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, who was the 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year, compiled a 255-139 regular season record during his time in Chicago. The Bulls were a tenacious defensive team under him, ranking first in the league in points per game (92.6) and field goal percentage (43.2) since the 2010-11 season.
Several sources were vocal about the Bulls’ ongoing dissatisfaction with their coach that came to a head this season, most notably the tension between Thibodeau, Bulls general manager Gar Forman, and executive vice president John Paxson. The team’s front office was said to have been had disappointed in Chicago’s inability create an efficient offensive system to compliment their defensive prowess over the last few seasons, even with former MVP Derrick Rose missing 181 of 394 games during Thibodeau’s tenure. The Bulls, after spending the last several seasons towards the bottom of the league in offensive efficiency, actually finished 2014-15 ranked 10th in the league, but Thibodeau’s relationship with the front office was already considered too far gone. The inability to beat the injury-riddled Cavaliers in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals was apparently the nail in the coffin.
The Bulls often struggled in the postseason under Thibodeau, going 23-28 in five appearances. The team reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010-11, losing to the Miami Heat in five games.
Thibodeau leaves the Bulls with the second-highest winning percentage in franchise history (.647) behind Phil Jackson’s .738 percentage.
“When Tom was hired in 2010, he was right for our team and system at that time, and over the last five years we have had some success with Tom as our head coach,” Forman said in a statement. “But as we looked ahead and evaluated how we as a team and an organization could continue to grow and improve, we believed a change in approach was needed.”
Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg has long been considered a top replacement candidate for Thibodeau, but it remains to be seen whether or not he is ready to make the jump from the college where he has excelled both as a player and coach.
Thibodeau, meanwhile, likely has several options to mull over for his future. The New Orleans Pelicans are said to be interested in speaking to him about their head coaching vacancy after firing Monty Williams last week. Thibodeau is listed as the preemptive favorite by oddsmakers to be the Pelicans’ selection.
The Denver Nuggets are also still in need of a head coach, but ESPN.com reported last week that Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt’s odds of keeping that job full time have improved since season’s end, and that Thibodeau is not a likely candidate in Denver anyway.
