Jason Burgos
An unlikely reunion between the Chicago Bulls and former head coach Tom Thibodeau became a possibility following a new rumor on Tuesday.
Following a fourth straight losing season, the Bulls decided to end the Billy Donovan era after six seasons as head coach. In his debut year (2021-22), he gave Chicago fans hope when they went 46-36 and emerged as a force in the East. It seemed like they had finally found a coach who could bring consistent playoff contention like Thibodeau once did.
Yet, he never recaptured that success and finished with a 226-256 record. Since Thibodeau was ousted 11 years ago, the Bulls have had three different coaches and reached the playoffs just twice in that time. Thibodeau oversaw the roster for five years and made it to the playoffs every season. Including a birth in the Eastern Conference Finals in his debut (2010-11).
That is why it shouldn’t be surprising that there has been speculation around the game about an improbable reunion (including on Sportsnaut). Yet that sort of thing simply doesn’t happen in the NBA. But that could change this summer.
Tom Thibodeau is open to a Chicago Bulls reunion
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the 68-year-old coach who was unfairly ousted by the New York Knicks a year ago wants back into the NBA and is open to the idea of a return to the Bulls bench. That is, “if the Reinsdorfs and the new executive vice president of basketball operations, Bryson Graham, who was hired away from the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, had interest,” Amick writes.
It would be shocking if the Bulls chose to bring Thibodeau back. They moved on from him after the 2014-15 season over a belief that he could not get them to the NBA Finals. He has still been unable to achieve that goal in the years since. However, he has proven he can get a franchise on the road back to being a consistent playoff contender. He did it in Chicago and in New York.
The Bulls are a mess right now and need to be rebuilt from the ground up. Among the available coaches, Thibodeau has the track record to achieve what the organization needs, while fully understanding the pressures in the market. While it isn’t likely, a reunion is far more possible than it was a couple of weeks ago.
