On many levels, Tom Thibodeau is viewed as one of the better coaches in the NBA. Known as a defensive genius, he’s elevated the Chicago Bulls into the upper echelons of the NBA since he became the sideline boss. He’s been at least eight games over .500 in every season as coach and has averaged 51.3 wins per season. Even so, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher has reported that Thibodeau is out if the Bulls don’t win this season. Shocking as it sounds, Bucher isn’t the only one to support that report. Here’s why Thibodeau will be looking for new work unless he can kiss the ring:
He Is Not Seen As The Best Custodian For The Team’s Most Important Players
This is the issue which has continuously held back the Bulls and prevented them from being at their best when they need to be at their best, which is in the playoffs. Chicago has run out of steam the past few postseasons – especially last season against the Washington Wizards. It’s true that Derrick Rose has not been available in each of the last two playoff runs but this season, Rose is playing a lot of minutes. For example, he went over 40 minutes in an overtime game against the Golden State Warriors. As for other non-Rose players, Thibodeau continues to leave them on the floor in the final two minutes of games in which Chicago leads by more than 10 points. 34-year-old Pau Gasol is averaging 35.1 minutes per game, which is his highest in four years. Third-year guard Jimmy Butler is being run into the ground, averaging a league-high 39.3 minutes per game. Kyrie Irving and Ty Lawson are the only other players in the NBA that play more than 37 minutes. And remember, Rose’s original injury came in at the end of a game in the garbage time of a first-round playoff matchup when he had no business being in the lineup.
Thibodeau has a well-established reputation in the NBA for working his top players to the bone. While coaches like Gregg Popovich sacrifice regular season wins in return for postseason freshness, Thibodeau has done the opposite and, unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have the rings or playoff success to back it up. It’s come to a head this season as upper management is fed up with it.
Gasol Has Changed Expectations For This Franchise
The addition of Pau Gasol, who has been playing very well this season, has altered the way in which the Bulls are seen. Without Gasol, this team would have been one of the Eastern Conference frontrunners but not necessarily the favorite. With him – especially playing at the level of an MVP – the expectation is that the Bulls should be in the finals this year. Because this team has three outstanding players – Gasol, Rose, and Jimmy Butler – any failure on Thibodeau’s part to win the NBA title will be seen as a major disappointment.
The thinking here is that any coach can get this much talent to the finals. If Thibodeau doesn’t do it this year, they’ll test that theory out.
Defense Has Dropped Off
One of the most important elements that Thibodeau brings to the table is his defense. He’s known as a defensive guru and since he’s taken over, the Bulls have finished each season in the top three of opponents points allowed. However, this year the defense has fallen off the map. After leading the NBA with 91.8 points allowed last season, the Bulls have fallen to 12th in that category, giving up 99.1 this season. Opponents shot just 43 percent against them last season but that number has climbed to 44.1 percent this year, which is an eight-spot drop in the rankings.
The other factor here is that it looks like this team isn’t responding to him as well as they used to. He’s worn them down and they’re not sacrificing as much as they have in the past. Thibodeau has taken this team from the cellar to the main floor but it doesn’t look like he’s the man to get them over the top.
