No one in their right mind has questioned the coaching ability of Tom Thibodeau, who was the defensive coordinator of sorts with Doc Rivers and the Celtics during their 2008 championship run, and is now in his fourth season as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
Thibodeau is a motivator who gets the most out of his players, and is more than solid on the Xs and Os side of things. If he has a weakness, it’s that he’s guilty of playing his guys heavier minutes than usual, even in times where they may not be playing at 100 percent.
That issue may or may not be a contributing factor to the injuries suffered to the likes of Joakim Noah and Luol Deng last season, and with Noah battling a groin issue since early in the preseason, it appears that those in the front office have deemed it time for Thibodeau to make an adjustment.
From Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News:
The differences the piece refers to cost Thibodeau one of his top assistant coaches in Ron Adams, who was let go by GM Gar Forman this past summer.
This latest intrusion may ultimately for the best of the players on the roster, but you can bet that Thibodeau won’t appreciate his bosses interfering in day-to-day basketball decisions. If at some point the relationship ends up with Thibodeau coaching elsewhere, we’ll have witnessed the steps along the way that ultimately contributed to that potential parting of ways.
