When the Chicago Bulls open up against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center on Oct. 27, it’s in everybody’s best interest for this team to continue to practice many of the principles that recently-ousted head coach Tom Thibodeau instilled during his time in Chicago.
Although some of Thibodeau’s coaching principles were too outdated to work in the modern NBA, he instilled in this team a championship-level approach to the game, as well as a defensive focus that the Bulls can’t afford to lose.
More from Bulls News
- The dream starting 5 for the Chicago Bulls 5 years from now
- Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu inspires the future with new school program
- Chicago Bulls NBA 2K24 full roster ratings, risers, and fallers
- Bulls sign a pair of promising guards to Exhibit 10 contracts
- When does NBA Training Camp start? Dates Bulls fans need to know
Instead of completely blowing up the earlier system, new head coach Fred Hoiberg‘s job this season is to build on what Thibodeau did well, and improve on what he didn’t. The thing most people don’t realize is Thibodeau did more things to help this team than to hurt them.
Thibodeau’s 255-139 (64.7 percent) record in five seasons with the Bulls suggests that many of the things that he did in Chicago worked.
His 23-28 playoff record was less impressive, however; keep in mind that Derrick Rose was hurt during three of these playoff runs. Following Team USA’s practice on Tuesday, Thibodeau, an assistant under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, said that despite the lack of playoff success, he was pleased with the accomplishments of his team during his time in Chicago.
"“I’m very proud of what we accomplished. To win the games we did, to deal with the adversity that we did, we dealt with Derrick and his injuries and survived that. We lost players along the way but always found a way to compete. I’m very proud of that.” ChicagoTribune.com (K.C. Johnson)"
Thibodeau was a flawed genius and his unwillingness to deviate from some his outdated principles ultimately led to his undoing in Chicago. However, during his time as the head coach of the Bulls, he laid a groundwork based on toughness, grit and elite defense that Hoiberg should build on rather than change.
Next: Championship Mentality