Former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant under ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy with the New York Knicks from 1996 until 2001, so as you can probably guess, Van Gundy wasn’t a fan with the way his former protege was fired last week.
In an ESPN conference call this afternoon, the always-outspoken Van Gundy – who will call the 2015 NBA Finals for the Worldwide Leader – was asked about the way the Bulls and Thibodeau divorced, and he didn’t hold back. Not only did he say that the situation “absolutely reeked of a lack of class” and that the Bulls’ press release which announced the move told him everything he needed to know about the character of Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, GM Gar Forman and Thibodeu, but he also busted out a line that was coined by former ESPN writer and ex-Grantland editor-in-chief Bill Simmons when he said that every team needs to employ a “vice president of common sense.”
Jeff Van Gundy, on ESPN conf. call: Bulls' statement firing Tom Thibodeau "absolutely reeked of a lack of class" pic.twitter.com/BdpLX6YjET
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 1, 2015
This is hardly the first time that Van Gundy has criticized Reinsdorf, Forman and co. over the way they handled Thibodeau. During an ESPN broadcast of a game between the Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks this past January, Van Gundy said that the Bulls brass “has the media, with a few exceptions, in their hip pocket” and that they were using it in an attempt to smear their coach.
As a member of the media, Van Gundy certainly has the unique ability to stand up for one of his friends in a way that most other people aren’t afforded, and he’s using that power to lambaste Chicago’s front office every chance he gets.
(via The Big Lead)
