The long coaching search is over, Tom Thibodeau is the new coach of the Chicago Bulls. According to a report on Bulls.com Thibodeau accepted a three year, 6.5 million dollar contract early Saturday morning.
On June 2nd (a day before game 1 of the NBA Finals) Bulls' VP of Basketball Operations John Paxson and GM Gar Forman flew to Los Angeles to interview Celtics assistant coach and defensive guru Tom Thibodeau. Reports surfaced that both sides came away impressed and that a contract offer was to come in the near future. Jerry Reinsdorf (Owner) spent much of the day on Friday at the Bulls' practice facility to talk more about offering Thibodeau the job. Apparently those conversations went well because he was offered the job early the next morning.
The two elements the Bulls were looking for in a coach was a defensive mindset and the ability to be an effective leader. Thibodeau serves both of those needs and his track record is as impressive as any assistant coach in the league.
Everyone knew this was going to be an active offseason in Chicago and the first move is already out of the way. Next for the Bulls is sign a top tier free agent. Having such a highly respected coach in place can only help.
