News of the Day

The first piece to the puzzle - land the right coach. 

Expect Thibodeau to get offer to coach Bulls

Sources say club could reach a deal this weekend

I've wanted Thibodeau for months and it now seems likely my wish has come true. I have a lot of confidence in this guy, and I think everyone who doesn't know how good he is will soon realize. Defensive mastermind, incrediBULL work ethic, and develops young talent - Hopefully the Bulls coach for many years to come.

Tom Thibodeau is waiting for an offer from the Hornets but sources tell Yahoo! Sports that he is eager to meet with the Bulls and Nets.

Thibodeau's top choice is the Bulls' head coaching position.

Via Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter)

Coaching Candidates

Lawrence Frank, Mo Cheeks, John Calipari, Elston Turner, Byron Scott, Mike Brown, Mike Woodson - the list can go on an on. Unemployed former head coaches looking to jump back into the king of the castle chair, and assistant coaches dreaming of the opportunity, but there's truly one coach that should be on the Bulls mind. Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau is head and shoulders above the rest, and would be an ideal fit for the Bulls. He is often regarded as the defensive mastermind behind the Celtics' defense, which in case you have been MIA has been manhandling Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. 

He is supposed to be an incrediBULL coach, very detail oriented, and the players respect him. Granted this is coming from Brian Scalabrine, but this is just one of many sources of praise - check out this article.

Tom Thibodeau - Bulls!

I don't care who the Bulls end up with at the end of the summer, the bottomline is Thibodeau is going to be an amazing coach. He will instill tough nosed defense, a defense that has already brought one ring to Boston, and en-route to another.

Bulls have officially asked for permission to interview Thibodeau, fearing that he may get nabbed by New Orleans if they don't move quick. There is no doubt Thibodeau is going to be a head honcho somewhere in the NBA next season, lets just all cross our fingers he's doing his chalk talks at the Berto Center and the Madhouse on Madhouse. 

If the Celtics can complete the sweep of the Orlando Magic tonight, that is the perfect scenario for the Bulls. The extra days of rest for the Celtics mean a likely interview for the Bulls prior to the finals, and the opportunity to lure Thibodeau to Chicago. For a coach about to get his first chance as head coach, what could be better than coaching in Chicago for a team with a superb young nucleus that he can mold into perennial contenders. Oh, and lets not forget the rumors of LeBron being a Bull. 

Going Forward

Players Under Contract for Next Season:

Rose

Hinrich

Deng

Gibson

Noah

J. Johnson

It's never a bad sign that the only players under contract going into the offseason are the starters, and the teams top draft pick from the previous year. A lot of people are buzzing about the possibility of landing a premiere free-agent, particularly LeBron. The nucleus is young and attractive, nobody can even attempt to debate that. The only player missing from the above list that played any significant role on the team was Brad Miller, and the Bulls still managed to make the playoffs. Not to mention, Noah missed 18 games with plantar fasciitis, and Deng missed 12 with a calf injury.  Injuries are inevitable over the course of the season, but Bulls fans can't help but wonder how many more games could've been won if the team stayed healthier.

Rather than caught up in the rumor mill,  one cannot forget that free agency doesn't start until July 1st. That's still over a month away before any superstar will be scribbling their John Hancock on any dotted line. Regardless of all the speculation surfacing every day, there remains a very viable option for a team like the Bulls. That option is sign-and-trade. Sign-and-trade deals are allowed to take place up until July 1st, when the official free agency period begins. 

Trust me I realize the Bulls are amongst the prime candidates to land LeBron, Bosh, Wade etc... but imagine if the Bulls front office were able to pry Bosh away from Toronto before he even has the opportunity to test the market. Deng's contract was an enormous mistake. Let's face it, he's not the player management thought he was, and he's not the player fans hoped he'd become. He's a very solid role player, but with a backloaded contract that has him earning as much as $14 million in 2013 he is a financial liability. 

If I were Gar Forman and John Paxson I would be on the phone around the clock trying to package Deng in a potential sign-and-trade deal for one of the elite soon-to-be free agents. People think the nucleus is attractive now, imagine if the nucleus featured Chris Bosh locked up for the next 5-7 years. Out of all the superstars on the market, I think Toronto is most apt to realize and accept that Bosh is booking it out of town, which is why they'd be my primary target. The other option is pursuing Joe Johnson from Atlanta.

Scenario 1: 

Deng, Gibson, 1st round draft pick, and Cash 

for

Bosh

Scenario 2:

Deng, Hinrich, 1st round pick 

for 

Joe Johnson, 2nd round pick

This draft class is very weak and not all that deep. I don't like where the Bulls are sitting, and if they can use the pick as a way to land two superstars- by all means, it's full steam ahead. 

Try telling me that if the Bulls stay have the ability to offer LeBron a max contract, and have Rose, Joe Johnson/Bosh, and Noah on the team his eyes won't be twinkling. That has the potential to be 4/5 starters making the Eastern Conference All-Star team. 

-Coaching Candidate Breakdown Coming Next-

Season In Review

With the semester coming to an end, and finals around the corner I've been struggling to find time to post an in-depth analysis of the the playoff series and the season as a whole. Since Vinny is  expected to be fired tomorrow, and the beginning of a new future quickly approaching, I think I will hold off for another day or so to provide my opinions. Sorry for the delay, but I can promise it will be worth the wait.

So Close, Yet So Far

Key Reason for Success: 4 total turnovers. The Bulls half-court defense showed glimpses at the end of game 1. It had me wondering what could've been if we had just protected the ball, especially in the 1st quarter. Tonight the Bulls made the most of their offensive possessions and were able to hang tight until the end.

When the 3rd quarter ended I was feeling good. Noah managed to avoid picking up his 4th foul, and was providing us with far more points than can ever be expected of him. Deng's defense looked far more enthusiastic than in game 1, probably the best defense since coming back from his calf injury. Flip was shooting confidence. Taj miraculously remembered how to rebound. Rose was simply Rose, awesome. 

Then it crumbled. Allowing loose balls to be snatched up and turned into 2nd chance points, settling for quick jump shots, and probably the biggest deciding factor- leaving Jamario Moon wide open in the corner. LeBron is going to get his (props to him on making 4th quarter jump shots, I'm used to seeing him be unclutch and rely on getting bailed out when he uses his "crab dribble" down the lane), but you got to be quicker on the rotation late in the 4th and get a hand in the face of the shooter. 

In my opinion, after Moon proved he could easily shoot over the outstretched hands of Flip Murray the first couple of times, I would've been using different personal on offensive and defense. I would've liked to see the length of Hakim Warrick in the game. Warrick would not only make jump shots more difficult, but he'd help on the boards. I saw Murray a few times not going hard for loose balls or rebounds. 

It's always easier to say shoulda, woulda, coulda and point to certain things that may have meant a W. At least Pargo didn't play.

Hinrich get your damn game face on. 13 points on 6-18 from the field in the first two games, C'MON MAN

My mood rides largely on the success of the Bulls, hurry up and win before this frustration turns to depression

Official Statement from Gar

Gar Forman, general manager of the Bulls, released the following statement in response to reports of a confrontation between Vinny Del Negro and John Paxson.

"The Chicago Bulls are focusing all of our energies into the remainder of this season and, as such, were disappointed at the recent stories that may have distracted from that. Reports of a recent internal disagreement between a Bulls executive and the Bulls head coach were the result of each expressing their passion about the health and well being of their players and the desire to win basketball games.

"The event occurred in Coach Del Negro's office, not in the locker room and not in front of the players, as some wrongly have reported. This disagreement, while not communicated well by either party in the heat of the moment and in the immediate aftermath of a tough loss, was a result of conflicting views, but all based on the fine balance required to ensure both the immediate and long-term success of the team and the health of its players. The fans well know that the Bulls are dedicated to the team's day-to-day success, but first and foremost want to protect the health and well being of its players.

"The Bulls have a full and complete understanding of what took place, but, as requested by all parties, will address the attendant issues with the participants after the season is over. At this point, everyone intends to keep focused on the remaining games."

Via Press Release