Coaching Update: Thibodeau Impresses, Negotiations May Come Soon

    Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau has been in the midst of the discussions of many head coaching vancancies since the beginning of May.  He recently turned down an offer to coach the New Orleans Hornets, most likely because he's smart and realizes he will soon have many competing offers to weigh both financially and location-wise.
    One of those other options is the Chicago Bulls, who's pitch to possible candidates look something like this:   (from the perspective of the always-interesting John Paxson, VP of Basketball Operations)
-First off, we've got the best core group of young, promising talent in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
-Secondly, we're the front-runners for scoring Lebron James. We've got plenty of loot, and the pieces he's looking for to win a championship.

-Chicago is a major media market, so you'll get plenty of face time. In addition, our attendance is annually right behind the Lakers for tops in the NBA.

    The bottom line is that the situation in Chicago is just as, if not more compelling than others like the Nets and Hornets. And personally, even as a broke college student, I wouldn't take a million dollars to coach the Knicks. Funny how the coined "mecca of basketball" is now a place where people go to commit career suicide. It's like the NFL's equivalent to the Redskins (apologies to 3/4's of my friends and family).

    But the Bulls seem to be interested in Thibodeau, and sources expect negotiations with he and other candidates to begin next week. Other candidates include Dan Majerle of the Suns, and current ESPN analysts Byron Scott and Avery Johnson.

   On Thibedeau, "Tom's a workaholic," Celtics forward Paul Pierce told ESPN Chicago recently. "I'm always catching him in there working, watching film in his office. He's probably the most prepared coach I've ever seen."

    The Bulls are looking for a coach with "distinct philosophy," according to sources, and Thibodeau is the architect behind the Celtics successful defense. He is listed as a top 3 candidate, but the Bulls said
it's too early to name him the top choice because there's too many interviews still left. More updates and details are expected early next week, which might give Thibodeau some time to actually concentrate on the team that still pays his salary. After all, they are playing in the NBA Finals.