Citing his conflict with the organization, especially concerning the heavy use of role players, the Chicago Bulls have announced they are officially parting ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau. In a shocking move, they also announced the man replacing Thibodeau would be former Clippers and Bulls coach, Vinny Del Negro.
The organization feels that Del Negro will be far less “hands on” than his predecessor. While Thibodeau was known for his intensity and brilliant defensive schemes, Del Negro told reporters he isn’t bothering to come up with plays for the Bulls next year, opting instead to “just let everyone have a good time and try to win some basketball games.”
“We’re excited to welcome back Vinny into the Bulls family,” Bulls General Manager Gar Forman said in a press conference announcing the moves. “We feel his approach to the game, drawing up questionable plays and misusing timeouts in an almost comical fashion, will be a welcome contrast to the past five years, where Thibodeau made sure the team would overperform and play hard despite serious injuries to key players. We’re looking forward to a much more laid back approach next year, under Vinny’s not-that-watchful gaze.”
When asked for his opinion on the move, Bulls forward Jimmy Butler simply said, “Huh, maybe I’ll get to see what the bench actually looks like at some point now.”
