Fans with Bulls tickets can relax a little bit, as Chicago has reached an agreement with head coach Tom Thibodeau to keep him in the Windy City for the next five seasons. Thibodeau has quickly proven to be one of the best coaches in the NBA, and his defensive expertise has been particularly impressive in his two seasons in Chicago. He won 100 games faster than any other coach in NBA history, and the Bulls led the entire league in wins in each of his first two seasons on the bench. He won the NBA Coach of the Year award two seasons ago and finished second last year, so it is readily apparent that he was worthy of the extension that he received, which was reportedly worth close to $18 million when the deal kicks in after the 2012-2013 season.

But “Thibs” impact goes much deeper than the wins-loss column. His teams always give their best effort, which is especially clear when the Bulls have been missing key contributors in each of the last two seasons. Forward Carlos Boozer missed a large chunk of the 2010-2011 season, and 2011 MVP Derrick Rose was out with a variety of injuries a season ago, yet the team was still able to be successful. Few coaches are able to consistently produce good results when their best players are out of the lineup, but Thibodeau has proven he can win without the best talent.

Thibodeau again faces a difficult task this season, as Rose is currently out after undergoing major knee surgery in the offseason, and there is no clear date he is expected to return by. In the meantime, Thibodeau will have to rely on veteran Kirk Hinrich and rookie Marquis Teague to adequately replace Rose at the point guard spot, while coaxing big performances out of Boozer, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Rip Hamilton. Based on his short track record, no coach is better equipped to weather the storm of playing without his best player than Thibodeau, and no coach was more deserving of the raise and job security that he got from Bulls management.

 

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Bulls’ Thibodeau Signs Four-Year Extension