Reports on Saturday are that the Chicago Bulls have agreed to terms on a three-year contract with current Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau to become their new head coach. No formal announcement will be made until after the Finals, both because Thibodeau's Celtics are playing and out of respect for the game's championship series.
So who is Thibodeau?
He has never been a head coach in the NBA, but has been an assistant for 18 years with Minnesota, San Antonio, Philadelphia, New York, Houston and Boston. Widely considered a defensive specialist, Thibodeau teams have finished in the top 10 in the league defensively in 14 of those 18 seasons.
Thibodeau reportedly removed his name from consideration for another head coaching job on Friday, leading the New Orleans Hornets to look elsewhere. Unlike the last time the Bulls went through a coaching search, this time they will appear to get their top choice.
The Thibodeau hire is an important first step in what could be the most important offseason of the post-Jordan era. With the Blackhawks currently playing for the Stanley Cup and this summer presenting arguably the best free agent class in the history of the NBA, the pressure is on the Bulls to have a strong summer.
Chicago has a talented young group of players, led by Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. It became clear of the past two years that Vinny Del Negro wasn't the right coach to take this team to the next level, and management took steps during the 2009-10 season to prepare for the coming summer. After unloading players like John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas to clear salary cap space, the team ended Del Negro's tenure as its coach quickly after being eliminated from the playoffs.
In Thibodeau, the Bulls have the first part of their offseason shopping done.
Now comes the intriguing summer of free agency. Cleveland appears to be cleaning house to give LeBron James almost complete control of their franchise; they fired head coach Mike Brown after they were eliminated and now GM Danny Ferry has "resigned." With free agency beginning in July, the Cavaliers now have two important positions to fill quickly.
Filed under: Chicago Bulls
Tags: @Featured, Chicago Bulls, Tom Thibodeau
