Names, but No Numbers

The Chicago Bulls continue to underperform under coach, Fred Hoiberg, despite their talented roster.

A Surprising Boot

The Chicago Bulls’ former coach, Tom Thibodeau lead his team to five playoff appearances in only five seasons as their coach. Despite his winning ways, the Bulls fell short of the finals in each year. With 2010 MVP, Derrick Rose and award-winning defensive star, Joakim Noah at his side, it seemed that a championship was in sight from the beginning. However, for every athlete, talent comes in a tank and if that tank is pushed hard enough, it may eventually empty its contents. Throughout his career in the NBA, nobody pushed his players harder than Tom Thibodeau and so the tanks emptied on the bulls roster and the spots on their disabled list filled.

During his five year head coaching period, the bulls often found themselves leading the league in single player minutes followed by an astounding amount of injuries. Most would say that any coach should know that when a star player is put on a team, his playing minutes must be monitored in order for that player to stay effective all season. With the recurring injuries of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng, the Bulls’ ownership began to point fingers. Where? Tom Thibodeau and his ability to monitor player minutes.

Only two years after winning the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 2014, Tom Thibodeau was fired for the Bulls’ failure to win a championship that was suspected to have been caused by injuries and Bulls search for another winning coach began.

A Hopeful Hiring

After an offseason of searching for a coach for the Chicago Bulls, they hired Fred Hoiberg who made his debut at the beginning of last season. Following the Bulls’ impressive regular seasons under Tom Thibodeau, expectations were left high for Fred Hoiberg. Last Season, the Bulls finished with a largely disappointing regular season record of forty-two wins and forty loses, which left them short of the playoffs for the first time in eight years. Since then, the Bulls have traded Derrick Rose and left Joakim Noah a free-agent. Both players signed with the New York Knicks. Now all three of the players that suffered many injuries under Tom’s coaching have left the Bulls organization. The question that lingers among the Bulls’ organization is, “Was Tom Thibodeau’s firing a reasonable act or was it the players that deserved the boot.” With the Bulls currently just under average, a familiar feeling roams the Windy City that the hammer must be brought down. It’s up to Fred Hoiberg to put numbers back on talent if he wishes to stay in Chicago. As Tom Thibodeau taught the Bulls, numbers speak volumes.