Report: Bulls gave Jackson poor recommendation for Thibodeau
The Chicago Bulls continue to harbor resentment towards their former head coach.
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson, in his search for a permanent head coach, called the Bulls for a reference but didn't get a ringing endorsement.
As Frank Isola of the New York Daily News writes:
It gets better. Apparently, Jackson called the Chicago Bulls front office and - surprise, surprise - they didn’t give Thibodeau a glowing recommendation. That would be the same front office that promised their fans that Thibodeau was the problem and that Fred Hoiberg is the solution. How’s that working out?
The news should come as no surprise. The Bulls publicly hinted at Thibodeau's firing for months before finally dismissing him with a bitter press release. Management painted Thibodeau as an uncooperative malcontent.
But the bottom line is this: Chicago never won less than 45 games under Thibodeau's watch and twice finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. His replacement, meanwhile, led the team to 42 wins and missed the playoffs this season.
As for the Knicks, if they wanted an opinion on Thibodeau, they could just talk to Carmelo Anthony, who revealed Wednesday that Jackson had yet to consult him regarding the coaching search. Anthony played under Thibodeau for Team USA and the latter suggested that he would return to New York (where he served as an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy) if given the chance.
"I’m pretty sure (Thibodeau) wanted to come," Anthony said.