Tom Thibodeau was 255-139 in five years as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
He guided the Bulls to NBA Eastern Conference finals in his first year. His second team went 50-16 in the lockout-shortened season of 2011-2012. He was named NBA Coach of the Year after the 2010-2011 season.
And during those five seasons, he had his best player, Derrick Rose, on the floor for 181 of 394 regular-season games.
So what was his reward? He was fired Thursday after the Bulls were eliminated in six games by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
There was apparently tension between Thibodeau and Bulls General Manager Gar Foreman and owner Jerry Reinsdorf. His playoff record of 23-28 couldn't have helped matters for a franchise that won six championships in eight years when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the way.
But Bradford Doolittle, an ESPN.com writer, had his theory as to why Thibodeau was fired and it is not about Rose's injuries or friction between the coach and front office.
Doolittle said it's about Thibodeau being a "defense-obsessed" coach and the future quality of the Bulls' roster.
Wrote Doolittle: "When I look at the collective age and mileage of the Bulls' roster, and their cap situation, I see a group with a short window of contention. My feeling is that the Bulls might have made the right move for the wrong reasons. The emphasis is on 'might,' because it's not clear that the reasoning to follow applies to Thibodeau.
"Rose's health is an ongoing concern. The same holds true for Joakim Noah. Pau Gasol is in his mid-30s. Chicago is locked into those guys through next season, along with Taj Gibson. Breakout star Jimmy Butler is about to command max-type money on the restricted free agent market.
"With zero financial flexibility, the only way for the Bulls to get off the second-tier is through a change in coaches. The team might fall off that tier rather than climb above it, but it's a risk management had to take. It's a risk the [Golden State] Warriors took last summer in going from Mark Jackson to Steve Kerr on the sidelines. With virtually the same roster, the Warriors went from good to great and are eyeing the franchise's first title in 40 years.
"Chicago's situation isn't analogous to Golden State's because the Bulls have fewer key players who are clearly on the ascension. Yet there is evidence that Thibodeau might have bumped into his ceiling as Chicago's coach. Simply put, defense-obsessed coaches don't win championships. For that matter, neither do offense-obsessed coaches. In a word, extremes win nothing."
The Bulls made similar change in 1989 when they fired Doug Collins after losing in the Eastern Conference finals to the eventual champion Detroit Pistons and promoted assistant Phil Jackson, who led the Bulls to their six championships.
They can only hope history repeats itself with Fred Hoiberg, who was hired Monday.
Web heads
Comical headlines from the internet site Fark.com:
• "Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon runs all the way to second base on a double. And a good time was had by all."
• "Indiana baseball team gets out of a jam with a 1-2-6-2, strike-'em out, throw-'em out, tag-'em out triple play. Just like they drew it up."
• "Man who designed MLB logo dies at age 82, is the first person to be associated with professional baseball past the age of 81 since Jamie Moyer."
Sports quiz
What was Tom Thibodeau's last job before becoming head coach of the Chicago Bulls?
Answer:
He was a Boston Celtics assistant in 2007-2010.
Sports on 06/02/2015