No one has ever the NBA's Coach of Year award in consecutive seasons, but Tom Thibodeau of the Chicago Bulls could become the first. As Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie tweeted:
Bulls on pace for a 65-win season per 82. Normally I think Coach Of the Year is a five-way coin flip, but this is ridiculous. And over.
— Kelly Dwyer (@KDonhoops) March 29, 2012
Yeah. So when a headline with Thibodeau's name attached to the word 'upset' appeared in my social media feeds this evening, it's easy to see why the thought was so unsettling. Turns out, coach Thibs wants a contract extension, and he isn't happy with the one offered so far by the Bulls
From ESPN:
Thibodeau associates privately insist that the NBA's reigning Coach of the Year is dismayed that he hasn't been offered a more lucrative extension after signing a modest two-year contract with a team option when he joined the Bulls. Sources close to the situation say, furthermore, that his displeasure with the situation is an open secret in team circles. Although the uncertainty about his future hasn't had any discernible impact on Thibodeau's famed game-night intensity, it's a development that has to be monitored.
Chicago holds a team option on Thibodeau for next season. But...
Bulls: do not even mess around with this. Thibodeau is, at worst, 60 percent of the reason your team is so good. Give him whatever he wants. Make him the highest paid coach in the league. It isn't worth it to play hardball in this situation.
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