In the bitter divorce between the Chicago Bulls organization and former Coach Tom Thibodeau, there’s nobody to root for. We’ll cover all of that in a bit, but first ESPN Analyst Jeff Van Gundy went “studio gangsta” on the Bulls again. Like he did during the regular season.
Maybe labeling Van Gundy a “studio gangsta” is unfair since almost all of his points are spot on.
Van Gundy was on a media conference call to preview the NBA Finals and he was asked for his take on how the Thibodeau dismissal went down. Transcript via ESPN Media Zone:
VAN GUNDY: I’ve got a couple comments. One, I’m pulling my name out of the Chicago Bulls running for head coach. Nobody has a sense of humor anymore.
To me, I think this is that the statement they put out when they let Tom go proves once again that every organization needs a vice president of common sense because when you have a public relations, high powered public relations business put that out and then you have multiple people have to co?sign it to put it out, and it just absolutely wreaked of a lack of class, it shows that you just need somebody to say whoa. Let’s just acknowledge his greatness, Thibodeau’s greatness, and let’s just move on, but it didn’t happen that way.
And in some ways, in an odd way, I think it was good because, to me, that statement revealed exactly who each person was. It reveals who Jerry Reinsdorf is. It reveals who Gar Forman is. And Tom Thibodeau’s statement reveals who he is. Everybody had to put their name finally on who they were, and they did. I think that’s great.
He’s completely right too about the high-powered public relations department and the fact that multiple professionals at numerous levels have to sign off on these prepared statements before they’re issued to the media and the general public. The Bulls, like every pro sports team, manage and micro-manage information to the utmost. It’s all corporate and controlled.
You’ll see that today at 2pm for the Fred Hoiberg, press conference product rollout. There will be a lot of questions and answers, but nothing will really be said.
Lisa Simpson: “You know, it’s very easy to criticize.”
Homer Simpson: “fun too.”
So as Van Gundy said, everybody revealed themselves in their statements. And as I said at the top, there’s no one to root for.
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf– How can a statement be both corporate and cutthroat at the same time? The Bulls Owner pulled it off. Usually corporate statements are vanilla and boring, but this was brutal.
Obviously, Reinsdorf still held a grudge over Van Gundy airing the Bulls dirty laundry during a game broadcast during the season. The Chairman had a score to settle. It’s easy to demonize the richest and most powerful person involved in any hostile situation, but Reinsdorf did his part. Owners rarely ever talk to the media, and this is what he “says” when he does?
GM Gar Forman/Vice President John Paxson/GarPax- The conventional wisdom here is that Gar is looking for more of a Yes Man in his new coach. Hard to sympathize with someone perceived to be so controlling. It is hilarious though how the front office continues to voice all the generic platitudes about the process despite everybody knowing what’s going on. It’s an organizational thing.
Gar had to say that he was conducting a coaching search with a list of names, when we all knew there’s only been one name on that list. Don’t insult our intelligence; we’ve known since March.
The Bulls said last night that they had a “major announcement.” They couldn’t just say what it is? The team wanted to keep some illusion of suspense about today? Why bother?
Coaching free agent Tom Thibodeau- He’s the closest thing to a sympathetic character here.
His trademark phrase is: “Do. Your. Job.”
Now for him it’s: “I. Need. A. New. Job.”
As socially awkward as Thibs is, the Bulls organization made him more likable now because he’s been victimized. The Van Gundy remarks on the call are relatable to anyone who’s….ever had a boss actually!
However, if reports are to be believed that three of his players couldn’t stand him any more, and wouldn’t show up this summer if Thibodeau was still there, then you know something is way off about this guy.
We’ve all known that Thibs was obsessive, competitive to the point of dysfunction, perfectionist and eccentric. (Then again so was Michael Jordan, probably even more so, yet he’s not demonized)
But read this from SB Nation, Thibodeau once spent hours practicing a first pitch, including the wave and the walk. He once made a Little League team wait in order to perfect his photo opp…He is…the most interesting man….in the world.
The great Sam Smith of Bulls.com tells the story of when Thibodeau was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch at a White Sox-Cubs game following his first coaching season. There was absolutely no need to practice … and yet Thibodeau practiced so hard that he made a Little League team wait their turn to use the field.
Thibodeau went to the mound about 50 feet away with the bucket of baseballs and started throwing one after another until sweat was pouring off him on the hot, humid afternoon. For perhaps an hour, Thibs practiced his throw.
Let the new era begin. Maybe Hoiberg will be more likable than these guys?
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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