Thibodeau in Waiting?

There are strong indications that the Bulls will bring in Celtic assistant coach Tom Thibodeau to be the Bulls next head coach. The Hornets have had an offer on the table for Thibodeau for over a week and he didn't take it. And the Bulls management flew out to LA to interview him on the eve of the Finals.

There may be a sub-plot there because Boston (through Danny Ainge) initially denied that they gave permission for the Bulls to interview, and later on, Doc Rivers said that he did. Rivers is in the last year of his contract with the Celtics and needs to renegotiate this summer. It's no secret that Thibodeau would prefer to be the Celtic head coach. Could Rivers be trying to get him safely setup out of town?

Thibodeau actually has interest from four teams - Hornets, Bulls, Nets, and Celtics if they lose Rivers. It's a bit strange because he's been passed over for head coaching jobs in the past, but he's clearly red hot right now.

It's so very rare that I'm on board with the Bulls' management that I say this with some trepidation -- but I do like this choice. The Bulls need a defensive-minded coach, and Thibodeau is a defensive specialist. He's said to be very hard-working and knowledgeable. If there is a question mark on him, it may be if he can relate to the players. He only played small time college ball himself (at Salem State -- with a nickname of "Tibs"), and ironically, was said to be a terrible defender! Still, he doesn't have to do it, he only has to coach it so that the Bulls do it. He's also famous for finding the weaknesses of opponents, and he'd better be working on that hard and fast for the Lakers.

I have no idea if having Thibodeau will help or hurt the chances of the Bulls getting LeBron, but again I find myself agreeing with the Bulls in thinking that they can't bring in a coach just on the chance of luring him. LeBron went on the Larry King show and said that he was favoring staying in Cleveland. While I don't put a lot of stock in that, I think the right move for the Bulls is to hire the best coach available and Thibodeau looks like a good pick to me.

Speaking of LeBron (and who can resist that!) check out the "Chicago Wants LeBron" billboard at Grand and LaSalle! http://sendlebrontochicago.com/2010/06/02/chicago-lebron-chicago-puts-billboard-james/