Bulls/Tom Thibodeau Marriage All But Over

Thibodeau likely  done as Bulls HC. Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell/USA Today Sports

Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls front office relationship has become so strained , a breakup is upcoming. 

By: Michael Hanley (@Magic20099)
Thursday night's  defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers spelled the likely hood of  the Thibodeau era of Bulls basketball. The stories and rumors have been talked about and written about all season long. The chilly relationship between the two sides has reached a point of no return for either one.  

The exit for Thibodeau and the Bulls front office from this partnership will not be an easy and quick one. Thibodeau still has two years and $9 million dollars left on his contract with the Bulls. That is not an easy amount of money to negotiate  a buyout from for either side.

It will take some concessions by both parties to figure out a fair and reasonable number that both can agree to comfortably. No matter how long this part takes, their is no question both want to get this done and rid itself of the other.

For Thibodeau this is strange position to be in especially with the amount of success he has brought to the Bulls franchise year in and year out. He did so with having to deal with major injuries every season, including losing Derrick Rose, the franchise player for whom the team was built around, for nearly two season. Their were also other key guys out in stretches like Noah, Gibson, Butler to name just  a few through he seasons.

Yet, Thibodeau found a way to max out the talent on the roster and make these Bulls team one that were still very difficult to go up against and defeat. Very few head coaches in the NBA have that ability and the ability to do it year after year no matter what the landscape of the league looks like.

Plenty of suitors will line up for Thibodeau's services and already some teams have come to light in their pursuit of him. The New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic have emerged as the early pursuers of Thibodeau with both having an opening and rosters that do have young talent and could compete given the right hire. Thibodeau would be that exact right hire for either.

 Hes a workaholic who is able to get players to buy into his system and ways of playing the game. Their is no doubt in my mind that he can lead a team to an NBA title and be able to build another consistent run for one of these teams.

Plus he will not have to deal with a front office that has tried to control and take over aspects of his team that he had total control over like minutes restrictions or when to give guys days off.

For the Bulls, anyone they hire to replace Thibodeau will have very big shoes to fill. No guarantee that the new hire will success at the high level Thibodeau did  for the entire stretch of his tenure in Chicago. Alvin Gentry, Fred Hoiberg have been mentioned as possible candidates for the Bulls job.

As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for Bulls front office.