According to Friedell the Bulls cancelled practice today. Derrick recently said the team isn't on the same page. What do you think is causing this and how do the Bulls fix it?
I'm not sure. Seems like there is a rift in the team. Hoping that I'm wrong or that it is possible to close the possible rift. I don't see Thibs as less driven like Denny does. Why to you think this, Denny?
Why? I see him in the post game interviews and he isn't saying "we have enough to win" type statements like he did last year with a much worse roster. He's not exactly been towing the company line. He's made statements about how the players basically need to stop hiding behind management's rulings about playing time limits and get out there and play. He generally seems like he's lost his spirit.
I don't see this negative. I think that always using the same phrase "we have enough to win" losing the effect. Are there really management ruling?
Last year he could win with girls. This year he can't with elite players. The minutes limitations issue is well documented. Earlier, he was told Rose and Noah were to play limited minutes. This was in the offseason. Then Rose excused himself from multiple games by having the team doctor or trainer overrule Thibs. I'm sure the GM and up were in on all that, as it is well documented as I said. My sense is Thibs would rather leave, but can't due to his contract. He's coaching well, but not up to what we know he can do. He may not like his roster, too. He'd get in trouble if he said so publicly. That's how I read it.
I think Noah being unhappy is the worst thing to happen to coach this year. Rose has been a non factor so far by his standards so his word means jack shit to me.
Does Noah want to play 40 minutes or does he want to play 30 and let the bulls play their other quality bigs decent minutes?
I don't think Thibs like being told how to run his team from outside influences. That includes minutes restrictions and get out of practice free cards. The Thibs way requires strong effort from everyone that's going to get minutes and full buy in. And leadership. The leadership used to be Deng, Noah, Hinrich and Gibson. Now its Rose, Gasol, Gibson and Noah. But Noah isn't Noah anymore and Rose and Gasol are stars. Rose was in full buy in mode when he was gunning for the MAX contract. He got a MVP out of the deal. He's not that guy anymore, IMO. Gasol is an older player at this point and has been around the block several times. He's good enough and experienced enough to push back against Thibs if he wants to. And, I think he got some kind of concessions from the FO to sign the low contract he did. Get out of practice free cards and perhaps a minutes / closing out 4th quarter guarantee. Perhaps not. Anyway, what a mess! The Thibs regime has been drama free and now the Bulls are in the thick of it. If Rose wants to run the coach out of town, he can. I guess Rose, with his past vast track record of winning, knows better. Personally, I think he should focus more on being an all-star level guard again and then focus on being a MVP level player again and leader. It appears he thinks a fair amount about not being sore at future meetings. That should change.
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bulls/post/_/id/20566/time-worth-watching-early-with-rose-noah Thibodeau said after Monday's practice that he hasn't heard from the Bulls' medical staff about what the restrictions will be on Rose and Noah as the season opens on Wednesday in New York. That's a declaration that's hard to believe given Thibodeau's attention to detail. When asked if that decision would come from the trainers, Thibodeau said: "Yeah. Doctors, trainers." But Thibodeau left an important group out of that decision-making process: the Bulls' front office. While doctors and trainers play an important role in determining just how much athletes play when coming off an injury, it shouldn't be lost that the Bulls' front office, led by general manager Gar Forman and executive vice president John Paxson, are on board with the plan to limit Rose's and Noah's minutes early on. While Paxson and Forman respect Thibodeau's preparation and work ethic, one of the biggest gripes the front office has had with its coach over his five-year tenure is how he manages minutes throughout the season. After watching the Bulls limp to the finish line over the past three seasons, it's clear that the doctors, trainers, and especially the Bulls' front office want to try something different. It's also clear that the collective decision about the minutes has frustrated Thibodeau. The idea that Rose and Noah would open the season only being able to play somewhere around 30 or so minutes flies in the face of how he's built his coaching career. He believes the best players should play big minutes, especially players as young as Noah (29) and Rose (26). Granted, Thibodeau also understands that Rose's situation is different given his injury history, but the past few weeks demonstrate a shift in how the Bulls are approaching the season.
The front office feels so strongly about limiting minutes that at times in the past they have physically attacked the head coach!
What to make of McBuckets? Management went to great expense to get him. Thibs parroted the management line about him. Thibs has barely played him to date and certainly didn't design plays to get him the ball much, even when he was the best scoring option on the floor with the 2nd team.
Its a disconnect between team expectations and roster construction. Many lotto picks get minutes on going nowhere teams to develop them / see what they have. The Bulls are not in that situation. Not many title contenders can afford to do this. We've seen in the past and present (Asik, Mirotic) that Thibs will play productive rookies.
Actually, I think we've seen in the past that Thibs can make a rookie into a productive player. But not the guy who was a 4 year college player and led the nation in scoring.
It remains to be seen if McDermott is an actual good NBA player. Plenty of college studs suck in the NBA. The book is hardly closed on the guy.... but the Bulls have 0 development minutes to offer since its a "win now" team. In the minutes Dougie has been given so far he has looked terrible. Even worse than Hinrich!
Thibodeau believes in his methods and for good reason. We've seen Thibodeau's teams beat more talented teams regularly over the past few seasons. Lately, the Bulls have been losing to less talented teams. Yeah, this team has a different vibe about it and it's not a positive change. The Bulls just had a team meeting to air things out. This sounds like a good thing, but it's never been necessary before. I don't think Thibodeau has lost the team, but they may be at a tipping point.
I guess this is the topic everywhere Bulls fans congregate. Or, "what is wrong with the Bulls?" Gasol is worse than Boozer on defense. He blocks more shots because he's really tall and guards the rim instead of his man. Every youthful C he's gone up against has had all-star type performances. I do like him, but he is what he is. I do wonder if we had signed Lu instead if we'd be having this kind of thread. Rose never was a great defender. Jimmy is expected to play 40 minutes and excel at both ends. Dunleavy never was a good defender. He is tall, though. Not sure if he's better at SG or SF. Kirk has real trouble keeping himself between guys and the basket anymore. He does try hard. But his near zero at both ends does not help. Noah is only playing 30MPG. For the other 18, you have no DPOY out there. Some say he may not be happy. Some say his knee is holding him back. Whatever it is, he's no all-NBA player and not likely to be on the all-defense teams. So the thing is, we are not playing 5-on5 at either end of the floor. Best thing would be to play 5-on-5 on offense at least.
I don't think that Thibs has lost control. This year did start really bad, but now the Bulls can show how much of a team they are. Hopefully the meeting after cancel the practice was the first step into the right direction. Dunleavy should return soon. McDermott perhaps see some minutes, too. And Noah also did some practice. It will getting better! Hopefully...
Really hard to say exactly what the issue is right now.....at least behind closed doors. Through the front door, it seems obvious that the team doesn't have the same interest in playing with its usual level of intensity that's been its staple over the last couple years. I don't buy the roster construction reason. This team is deeper and more talented than any team we've had in the Thibs era. We've been one of the best defenses with some truly godawful rotation players on D. I think it's clear the team doesn't execute with the same precision it has in the past. I agree that it's likely the front office has taken some measures to reign in Thibs, and I doubt he likes having his wings clipped, which probably creates some weird power struggles when no one's looking. I'm inclined to think Rose is a problem at this point. You hear rumours that he's coasting a little, and not willing to put himself at risk of getting injured again. I'm not sure if it's accurate to think of him as a team leader at this point. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks he is, but the rest of the team doesn't, which causes some tension in the locker room. His play has been erratic and not particularly team-oriented, and he seems to go through large portions of games where he's sleepwalking and perfectly willing to jack up lazy shots. Teams are baiting him into taking lots of long jumpers, and he obliges them to the team's detriment. Nothing that's come out of his mouth the last year really gives you a lot of enthusiasm about what's going on inside his head.
