Despite taking the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs for the fifth time in five years, coach Tom Thibodeau can never really win with management.
After leading the Bulls to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and a 50-32 record, "the end is coming for Thibodeau with these Bulls - management is obsessed with it," reports Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
While management reportedly can't wait to get rid of Thibodeau, their attempts to undermine him are far away from the coach's thoughts, he told Wojnarowski - especially with former MVP Derrick Rose back from serious injury and playing like the 2010-11 version of himself.
"In this league, it's so easy to get sidetracked. There's so much noise," Thibodeau said. "Trades. Free agency. This. That. Whatever. To me, none of that is important. All that matters is what we think. Are we doing the right things every day? Are we putting the proper work in? Are we playing the right way? Practicing the right way? That's how you play well in this league. All that other stuff is just noise, it doesn't mean anything."
Noise or not, management has apparently had their eye on Thibodeau's replacement for some time. First reported in March, and now reported again by Wojnarowski, Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg is widely believed to be the Bulls' top choice.
Thibodeau has no time to stew over his reported rift with management in the thick of the postseason. Having already knocked down five wins in the playoffs and dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls are preparing for a deep postseason run.
"They sense that you don't get these opportunities all the time," said Thibodeau. "You've got to make the most of them. Whatever our circumstances are, we've got to go.
"This is it."
