Jerry Reinsdorf, you picked the wrong man.
The Bulls organization is moving in the absolute wrong direction. At this point it is a well-known fact that the relationship between the Bulls front office and head coach Tom Thibodeau was broken beyond repair. The unhappy marriage had to end; the problem is the Bulls ended it the wrong way.
In the end, Gar Forman and John Paxson triumphed over Thibodeau, a former NBA Coach of the Year, as the Bulls fired Thibodeau, ending his six year tenure with the team. Thibodeau becomes the fifth coach fired by the Forman Paxson front office during their tenure, and it was an ugly split, just like the rest.
The Paxson Forman front office has had a history of not getting along with their coaching staffs, from the physical altercation between Del Negro and Paxson to Scott Skiles disagreements with the front office before he was fired; the front office is the common denominator.
Reinsdorf had a decision to make, either support the front office or back Thibodeau. He made the wrong decision. Thibodeau is the best coach the Bulls have had since Phil Jackson and one of the best coaches in the NBA. Thibodeau has the fifth best winning percentage out of any coach in the modern era, and you’re telling me you’re going to fire him over a dispute with the front office, the same front office that has a history of fighting with their coaches?
Reinsdorf should have fired Paxson and Forman and given Thibodeau his full support and let him have powers similar to the gm type powers Stan Van Gundy wields in Detroit. The overriding criticism of Thibodeau is that he plays his starters too many minutes. Giving him more input over his roster would let him have more guys he trusts on the bench, and would let the best defensive coach in the NBA work his magic.
Thibodeau guided the Bulls to the most success they have seen since the Jordan era, all while managing constant injuries to his star player Derrick Rose, and a roster that seemed to be in constant turmoil. Instead of rewarding him for his genius, the Bulls fired him with the most inflammatory press release since the Dan Gilbert’s Lebron fiasco.
Paxson and Forman were rewarded for being unable to work with their coaches by being allowed to hire Forman buddy and yes man Fred Hoiberg out of Iowa State. Hoiberg could be a solid coach but I doubt he is anywhere near as good as Thibodeau. Thibodeau is one of the best defensive coaches of all time and his efforts revitalized the Bulls organization, an organization that had been a perpetual failure since Jordan left.
When will Reinsdorf open his eyes and realize the front office that traded Lamarcus Aldridge for Tyrus Thomas is the common denominator of failure? How many more coaches does the Forman Paxson front office get to hire before they are let go?
In a period of uncertainty for the Bulls, one thing is clear: Reinsdorf just let the best thing about Bulls basketball walk out the door, a decision he will surely regret.