Jeff Van Gundy: Bulls' statement on Thibodeau firing 'reeked of a lack of class'

Former NBA head coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy won't keep quiet on how he feels the Chicago Bulls handled Tom Thibodeau's firing on Thursday.

The outspoken commentator didn't mince words when describing Bulls' management during his Thursday appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show, saying how "they're (management) able to manipulate the Chicago media, in a way that they portray the problem (as) being with their coaches always."

Those comments came on the heels of owner Jerry Reinsdorf's controversial statement concerning Thibodeau, where it was implied that the former head coach wasn't willing to listen to any suggestions coming down from the higher ups of the franchise.

During an ESPN NBA Finals media call on Monday, when asked about the Thibodeau situation, Van Gundy took more jabs at the Bulls' front office for how poorly they treated the dismissal:

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 reeked 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 (general manager) 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.

Thibodeau could have easily been vindictive and spiteful in his statement, but instead took the high road by thanking his staff, players, and even Reinsdorf for all the organization has done for him.

There's a right and wrong way to handle things in business - Thibodeau chose the way that won't bring him any negative publicity, unlike Reinsdorf.

Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg is expected to finalize a deal on Monday to become Thibodeau's replacement, according to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports.