Chicago Bulls Beat Spurs; Will Tom Thibodeau Firing Rumors Dissipate?
By Paul Steeno
Jan 22, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a call during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
When Chris Sheridan says something, people should listen because in most instances it is going to be accurate information. There has been tension between management and Thibodeau over the years, and Sheridan’s sources tell him that having to pay off the remainder of Tom’s two year contract won’t impede a pink slip from heading in his direction. According to Sheridan, the Bulls performance over the next week against a long slate of above .500 teams could determine Thibodeau’s future in Chicago. With the high expectations that accompanied the season, the Bull’s front office won’t tolerate this level of underachievement for much longer. Additionally, reports indicate that Thibodeau has now lost the trust of his players, and this could very well be the last straw that gets Tom shipped out of Chicago.
Tom Thibodeau has lost control over the Bulls locker room and reports coming out of Chicago indicate that some of his players no longer want to deal with his hard-driving antics. Obviously, neither the coach nor his players are going to publicly come out and admit the presence of tension in the locker room between the two entities. Both parties have built up too much respect for the other over the years to turn on each other now regardless of the divide between the two. However, subtle clues indicate that the Chicago Bulls, indeed, aren’t on the same page.
The issue of Thibodeau driving his personnel too hard in practice is a major driving force for the reported tension in the Chicago Bull’s locker room. Per a Chris Sheridan interview cited by CBS Sports.
"There’s a lot of frustration on that team [the Chicago Bulls]. There’s a lot of vets on that team that feel that Tom Thibodeau is pounding them into the ground.”"
K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports that Tom Thibodeau canceled practice on Tuesday because of complaints from many of his players that they are being run into the ground as a result of the relentless coaching style that Thibodeau has enacted in his 5 years at the helm of the Chicago Bulls. However, this feeling of desperately needing a day off wasn’t universal across the entire team. Veteran forward Taj Gibson proposed a different solution for getting the team ready to start playing well again.
‘‘We’ve gotta practice harder, and we can’t be taking days off. We have the tools, we have the personnel. It just comes from within. There’s nothing more you can say. It’s all about how much heart you have and how determined you’re going to be.’’
Yes, this distinction is subtle especially when using it as evidence to formulate an argument suggesting that the players on the team aren’t on the same page. But, in years past, everybody on the team would have the same mentality as Gibson. The dramatic change in attitude that prompted the practice cancellation further suggests that the guys aren’t on the same page and may be losing trust in their formerly beloved coach. Quotes like Gibson’s above, which differ dramatically from what other player’s are publicly expressing, are fueling the fire for people insisting that Thibodeau is in fact on the hot seat.