The Chicago Bulls are currently tied 1-1 with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and would have to win that series and the winner of the Hawks-Wizards series in order to make it to the NBA Finals. According to this report however, even doing all that won’t save his job with the team.
From Adrian Wojnarowski on Fox Sports 1 (via ProBasketballTalk):
If it was up to management, there’s no amount of winning here that would bring Tom Thibodeau back. And listen, this is difficult on Thibodeau, too. And people around him have never seen him so down this year, so frustrated with just the process of just interacting with the organization every day.
Jerry Reinsdorf, the Bulls owner, though – this has been a culture in Chicago from Jerry Krause and Phil Jackson to Vinny Del Negro and John Paxson in the past.
If the team keeps winning and gets to the Finals, and public sentiment keeps going toward Tom Thibodeau, ownership could have pause in this.
But the management team wants a new coach next year.
The problems between Chicago’s front office – led by executive vice president John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman – and Thibodeau are well-documented. It seems both sides are looking ahead, the Bulls possibly to Fred Hoiberg and Thibodeau possibly to the Magic (who seem interested).
Still it would be difficult to fire him if the Bulls continue winning. Public sentiment would certainly turn on the franchise.