I think the local chicago media is a mouthpiece for the organization. Except Cowley, who you dislike for that reason. Van Gundy said the obvious. More obvious to an NBA insider who knows people in many organizations including the Bulls. That Paxson responded when HE was called out but not so much when Thibs was being undermined through the media (and other things like minutes restrictions) speaks volumes.
Of course its fair, like nearly everything I write. If the management can't stick to long term strategic goals of 4 years, they really should find a new line of work. When you resign Thibs in the fall of 2012, you know exactly what type of coach he is. The NBA sports science world hasn't changed that much in 2 years, which is when Paxson started his dirty behind the scenes work re: Thibs. A multi million dollar bad decision by management if they decided 2 years into a multi year deal they all-of-a-sudden didn't want a guy that practiced hard and tried hard to win regular season games. That's exactly the guy they decided to resign. The whole "director of sports science" is just a way for Paxson et al to control minutes from on high, just as they wanted to do with Del Negro before Thibs. A cleaner strategy than physically attacking the head coach to be sure. How did Paxson keep his job after behaving in such a fashion? The Bulls would be better off if they just fired Paxson. Too many bad decisions and he's created a bizarre culture over there. This would be the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. That places needs a serious breath of fresh air.
Because as much as you, other people who hate Bulls' management and the management think it was a big deal, it obviously wasn't. I've been in HR management for 40+ years and a first offense for pulling a guy's tie ain't close to a firing offense. I find the fact that this keeps being brought up to be clear evidence of an anti-management agenda and/or a naive understanding of the real world. My best advice is that you should choose another NBA team to follow. Then you may have actually come to enjoy the management hate like some others. Paxson's there as long as he wants to be.
Del Negro Another coach sabotaged by management. Over ... minutes allocation of all things. Seems to be the M.O. Great example.
No thanks. I don't want to play. IMO, it's time for us to stop wasting our time with each other. Personally, banging my head against the wall here has lost a lot of its allure. I've felt this way in the past and have taken "vacations" from this board. This time I'm going to take a more targeted approach. I wish you well, but I'm done with you.
Sorry you feel that way. All I did was ask for an example of why you don't like Friedell. Or why he isn't a mouthpiece for management.
Well, I have not been working that long, only because I'm not that old yet (and i'm starting to feel a bit up there), but do have fairly considerable business experience and education at this point in my life. I've never been on a work team where a manager has assaulted a subordinate period. I've been lucky to not work for or with people like that though so I should be thankful. Its funny how firing a successful head coach like Thibs seems totally reasonable to you while just the idea of firing a GM / VP that have had decades of opportunities with few meaningful results other than the ones Thibs managed to coax out of the lads is seemingly laughable. What do you think of the Bulls culture, based on what you have been reading. Be honest, not a spin-meister. Does it seem healthy? I'll still be a Bulls fan since I live in Chicago and have been one my whole life and enjoy consuming NBA basketball for entertainment. Its hard to feel good about the clown college running the organization though, especially the way they treated a guy like Thibs who has brought as much success as the team has enjoyed since MJ left. They are not coming out of this situation looking very good.
FWIW I've never heard Friedell on the radio. I've not lived in Chicago since the 1980s. Maybe he comes across as an arrogant asshole or something. I've read his tweets and ESPN articles and they're fine to me.
Reply from Sheridan. At some point, if all these sources get "attack the source"d there won't be any NBA writers to attack anymore. Bulls front office looking really bad here.
http://chicago.suntimes.com/basketb...m-turning-game-chicken-tom-thibodeau-bit-ugly Bulls front office has no problem turning game of chicken with Tom Thibodeau a bit ugly According to a Bulls player, last week’s exit interviews between the players and the front office was “open season on Thibs,’’ as the suits had no problem making their displeasure with coach Tom Thibodeau known by the line of questions and discussions they had with on-the-court personnel with the season over. “I’d be shocked if Thibs is back,’’ the player said. The dirty pool hasn’t stopped there, either. According to a league source, Thibodeau is under the belief that the Bulls will do all they can to make sure he’s not coaching in the NBA next season by letting the current job vacancies continue being filled up, and then dismissing him with two years left on his contract. When the season was coming to an end, there was the belief that the Bulls would look to trade Thibodeau for a draft pick, hoping to add an asset for the inevitable. However, the league source said they were asking for outrageous demands for the rights to the coach, knowing that there would either be no takers or one that would simply overpay. The three vacancies going into this week were Orlando, Denver and New Orleans, but according to the source, Thibodeau knew since the weekend that Scott Skiles would be named the Magic coach and wasn’t really hearing anything about any interest from the Nuggets through back channels. With the Pelicans not having a first-round pick in this year’s draft as an immediate asset, as well as New Orleans seemingly not waiting on a decision from the Bulls on Thibodeau, the clock is not in Thibodeau’s favor on that front, either. While it would seem that $9 million over the next two years to sit around and do nothing would be an ideal situation for most, Thibodeau isn’t most. Coaching is what he does, his passion. He is willing to sit a season if need be and see what the market brings, but it’s not ideal for him. That’s why his approach this offseason has been business as usual. According to sources, his offseason routine of film study and grading out players is well under way. In his mind, he’s coaching the Bulls until told otherwise. But here’s where things could get interesting, and might even blow up in the face of VP of basketball operations John Paxson. While there are currently three coaching vacancies, that doesn’t mean a head job won’t open up once Thibodeau is let go.
What a vile human being John Paxson is. We all know he was a bad GM. The "Core 4" joke. Some thought that was a title contender (LOL) but we all now know that a core built around Hinrich - Gordon - Deng and Nocioni would go nowhere meaningful. Laughable in hindsight. When his skin was too thin to defend his bad ideas any longer, he was kicked upstairs. Even in this role, he could not stop making an ass of himself. Physically attacking the head coach of the team in a thuggish display of managerial overreach and petty insecurity. Now, after a season of actively undermining and smearing one of the most successful head coaches the team has ever had, he's looking to ruin him once and for all. Another petty display of thuggish behavior. Paxson is a snake. He's an embarrassment to the franchise and a true stain on the Chicago Bulls. He's taking the Bulls national reputation down the toilet over inane power struggles against a man that is clearly his better. Paxson needs to be fired immediately before he does permanent damage to the franchise. The organization he's the head of is becoming a laughingstock.
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/5/26/...-be-waiting-until-theres-no-jobs-left-for-tom Bulls rumored to be waiting until there's no jobs left for Tom Thibodeau? The latest Bulls coaching rumors from the weekend, reported by Adrian Wojnarowski as well as Marc Stein, is that the Bulls are playing the waiting game when it comes to their current coach. What both reporters are 'hearing' is that the Bulls aren't confident another team will offer compensation to hire Thibs from them (and really, why would they), and thus they'll simply wait until all of the remaining coaching vacancies are filled before outright firing him. So, like...out of spite? Maybe! The Orlando Magic job is reportedly close to being filled by old friend Scott Skiles, and the only officially open jobs remaining are in New Orleans and Denver. But it doesn't quite make sense for the Bulls to want Thibs to not coach anywhere in 2015. If they fire him they'll owe the approximately $9m left on the 2 years of his contract. However, even without draft pick (or other) compensation, Thibodeau being hired elsewhere at least means the money he's owed by the Bulls will be offset by the money he's earning on whatever new contract he receives. Thibs sitting at home (or working as a TV analyst) does nothing to help Jerry Reinsdorf's bottom line, and isn't that what's of most importance? Why would he throw away money to let his goofy underlings, who are running out a successful coach in the first place, do so in a matter that costs more money.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/sto...ibility-bulls-chicago-forman-paxson-reinsdorf SN sources: Bulls players were told Tom Thibodeau wouldn't be back The Bulls have been in a bind because of the Thibodeau situation. Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf has a long-standing aversion to paying coaches who are not currently working for him, but for the Bulls to be rid of Thibodeau, they would have to either fire him or move him to another team — a trade, of sorts, like the one that sent Doc Rivers from the Celtics to the Clippers in 2013 for a draft pick. Chicago approached the offseason as if it were sitting in a position of strength, much as Boston was when it was dealing with L.A. The Bulls figured that, with an asset such as Thibodeau on their hands, they could command a first-round pick as compensation. But there is a key difference between the Thibodeau and Rivers situations: Rivers went to the Celtics and told them he wanted out, where the Bulls are the ones who want Thibodeau out. The Bulls' front office undermined Thibodeau throughout the year — and apparently did a very good job of it because, when it came time to make a move, teams like Orlando and New Orleans were reluctant to pull the trigger on any deal for Thibodeau that would involve compensation. Who could blame them? Why would a team give up a draft pick for a coach whose current franchise has such disdain for him? Other teams have moved on or, at least, have given the appearance of moving on. There are still those around the league who feel that New Orleans and Orlando want Thibodeau and have come up with candidates like Scott Skiles for the Magic and Jeff Van Gundy (Thibodeau’s friend and mentor) for the Pelicans in order to spook the Bulls into simply letting Thibodeau go.
