This seemed ridiculous, which is why we didn’t report it earlier this week. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Bulls point guard Derrick Rose think so, too. Earlier this week reports flitted to the surface that Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau had lost his locker room and his overbearing, almost militaristic zeal for working his players had disenchanted some members of the Bulls, who had started to tune him out. That was the explanation for Chicago dropping six of their last eight games. Last night, after Rose and the Bulls beat up the Spurs, Rose came to his coach’s defense and so did Popovich.
Earlier this week, Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com wrote that a source had told him Thibodeau had lost his locker room. Then another source said it was hooey:
First I heard from a source close to the Bulls that Tom Thibodeau had lost his locker room, his football coach mentality wearing thin with key members of a roster who it is fair to say have underperformed. It’s not like Thibs is Pete Carroll, and it’s not like the Bulls have anything to be overtly proud of with their 27-15 record that includes a 12-10 mark at home.
But then I went checking around, speaking with another source who is plugged into all things regarding he Bulls, and was told that nothing could be further from the truth. Didn’t Thibs guide the Bulls to winning records and playoff appearances the past two seasons despite being without Derrick Rose? Didn’t they just win 10 of 11? Does that count for nothing?
The latter source seems more accurate, but excellent beat reporter K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (subscribers only) echoed those first sentiments in a piece penned the very next day, one that talked about Thibs giving the team Tuesday off when they would normally be busting butt in practice — especially after a listless showing against the Cavs on the Monday night before.
Most players typically come to the Advocate Center on their own on off days anyway to shoot, receive treatment or watch film with coaches. But if Thibodeau had followed through with his late-night Monday plan to practice on Tuesday, it would’ve done little to silence the whispers that his pedal-to-the-floor-at-all-times approach is wearing thin.
Thibodeau’s response to most any issue is to work harder.
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But a strained dynamic has been in place since the start of training camp. Mindful of Thibodeau’s style, and with Rose and Joakim Noah returning from knee surgeries, management and the medical staff placed minutes restrictions in games and occasional practice limitations on players.
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This philosophical clash has done nothing to diminish the long-standing tension between Thibodeau and management. It doesn’t affect daily communication — the parties spoke amicably Tuesday — but it does hover over the organization, raising widespread speculation on Thibodeau’s long-term status with two seasons remaining on his contract.
Thibodeau’s recent who’s-in-who’s-out-of-the-circle metaphor is code for demanding buy-in. Whether players feel emboldened by the big-picture approach or are reacting to the fifth season of the same message, it’s clear Thibodeau has experienced more pushback this season. He has alluded to poor practice habits and lack of cohesive practice time often.
Johnson doesn’t overtly say Thibodeau’s drill sergeant mentality is wearing thin, but combined with Sheridan’s source, it makes it seem like Thibodeau’s job is in a precarious place; speculation continues that he’s no longer able to stimulate effort from players and is unable to alleviate concerns with management he’s working his team too hard to be effective.
Then again, Rose and Popovich said before and after Thursday’s big Bulls win over the Spurs, the very idea is insulting and totally false.
Click to hear why Rose and Popovich think it’s nonsense…
“This don’t have anything to do with Thibs at all,” Rose said, by way of ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell. “The way that we’ve been playing don’t have anything to do with Thibs. He’s preparing us right. He’s doing everything and did everything possible to prepare us as a coach. It’s up to the players to give that effort.”
“He’s not gonna lose any team,” Popovich said before the game in his typically blunt fashion before alluding to the fact Tim Duncan never listens to him anymore.
“But as far as the team and being lost and that kind of thing, that’s not what’s happening here,” Pop added.
That’s the big takeaway. Yes, everyone jokes about Thibodeau placing too heavy a burden on his squad, with astronomical minutes for some of his starters — leading some to blame him for the twin injuries Rose suffered over the last three years. But that’s always been the case, and it’s part of the reason he’s gotten so much out of his team despite all the injuries. He demands effort, and they usually give it to him. Just because they’ve looked lethargic over the last three weeks, doesn’t change his effectiveness as a coach.
We’ll let Pop’s answer suffice — again via ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell — because he’s clearly someone who hates the BS: Thibs is not losing his team:
“[The media] asked me that question before the game about, ‘[The Bulls] aren’t listening to Thibs and Thibs has lost them and that kind of b——-,’ ” Popovich said. “You got your answer. As I told you before the game, that’s baloney, nothing could be further from the truth. And hopefully whoever asked that question can figure that out instead of making stuff up like that.
“I thought the Bulls were physically and mentally committed to playing a great game. And I thought our play was humiliating and embarrassing because of the Bulls’ tenacity and sense of purpose.”
BS and baloney are the two words that stick out and not just for the somewhat anachronistic diction. The veracity of any source claiming Thibs has lost a handle on this squad has to be questioned, but it’s still unclear whether there’s any truth to the rumblings since more than one media outlet has alluded to that premise — why else would reporters ask Popovich about it.
Personally, we side with Thibs’ player and his peer, but it’s something to keep an eye on if the Bulls fall back into another funk.
(ESPN; Sheridan Hoops; Chicago Tribune)
Is there any way the Bulls terminate Tom Thibodeau?
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