National Basketball Association

Bulls' embattled coach Thibodeau reportedly will be 'gone'

Published May. 15, 2015 2:00 p.m. ET

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Now that the Chicago Bulls have been eliminated from the playoffs by a LeBron James-led team for the fourth time in his career, all eyes turn to head coach Tom Thibodeau.

It's been reported for months that Thibodeau, who has a 255-139 record and guided the Bulls to the playoffs in each of his five years as coach, has not seen eye to eye with management. Now it appears it's just a matter of time before the two sides part ways.

"Thibs is gone. They know it and he knows it," a source close to the situation told ESPN. That revelation isn't all too surprising, even though Thibodeau has kept the Bulls competitive despite star guard Derrick Rose missing all or major parts of three seasons due to various injuries.

But with Thibodeau having two years and $9 million remaining on his deal, will the Bulls fire him and eat the rest of that contract or try to trade him, similar to what the Boston Celtics did with Doc Rivers when he went to the Los Angeles Clippers?

The Celtics received a first-round pick for Rivers, something the Bulls most likely will target in exchange for Thibodeau. The Bulls, according to the report, do not want to fire him and will wait to see if interested teams will offer something in return for the 2010-11 Coach of the Year.

Two teams that reportedly have interest in Thibodeau are the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans. Thibodeau coached Pelicans rising star Anthony Davis last summer while the two were with Team USA, and New Orleans has interest in Thibodeau, according to the report.

Bleacher Report's Howard Beck reports that Thibodeau could land in New Orleans and former Clippers and Suns coach Alvin Gentry could take over for him in Chicago.

''If it was up to me, he'll be back,'' Rose said Thursday night after a season-ending loss to Cleveland in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Thibodeau's .647 winning percentage ranks seventh in NBA history among coaches with at least 200 games. He led the Bulls to the top seed in the playoffs his first two seasons and was the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2011, the same year Rose became the league's youngest MVP.

Chicago advanced to the Eastern Conference finals that season, but it's the only time the Bulls have made it past the second round under Thibodeau.

That was expected to change with the signing of Pau Gasol and return of Rose after missing most of the previous two years because of injuries to each knee.

Instead, Rose was inconsistent. The Bulls fought through injuries and lacked continuity. Their effort wavered at times, and they wound up with 50 wins — not bad, but not what they anticipated.

''This team has more potential,'' Gasol said. ''We showed at times our potential. But in order to be a great team and a championship-caliber team, we have to be a little more consistent than we have been. Injuries are always a factor, but I think that happens to most teams out there. We just have to mature and take the opportunity to grow as a team, kind of digest the pain of losing against the Cavs and being eliminated from the playoffs. Just take it all in and work this summer and get ourselves ready for the next run.''

The question is who will be coaching them for that run.

Friction between Thibodeau and general manager Gar Forman and John Paxson seemed to mount. The coach chafed at minutes restrictions placed by management on Rose and Joakim Noah, who was coming off knee surgery, along with veteran Kirk Hinrich.

The idea was that the Bulls would be in better shape for the playoffs and not run out of steam, the way they seemed to the previous two years. But it also went against Thibodeau's belief that good habits are developed through repetition.

Adding to the tension, ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy accused the Bulls of undermining their coach during a game at Dallas in January. It wasn't the first time he had criticized the organization. But to many, whether it was true or not, it seemed he was serving as a messenger for Thibodeau. After all, Thibodeau was an assistant to Van Gundy in New York and Houston.

If this is the end for Thibodeau in Chicago, he is certainly not the first successful coach to lose in a clash with management. For that matter, he would not be the first successful Bulls coach to lose in a clash with management. Just ask Phil Jackson.

Thibodeau also has lasted five years, an eternity in a league in which teams burn through coaches.

Did the speculation take a toll on the team?

''In this league, if you're a pro, it's easy to get sidetracked,'' Thibodeau said. ''You always want to guard against that. If you want to find an excuse, you can. If you want to make good, you can.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.