Tom Thibodeau Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Rich Paul, Magic, Hibbert

December 22nd, 2012 at 11:15pm CST by Ryan Raroque

You can find the miscellaneous links we've gathered up out of the Eastern Conference below:

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo (via Twitter) says that Rich Paul, who is currently the agent of Heat star LeBron James, may have violated Texas agent laws as it relates to the investigation regarding college sophomore Myck Kabongo.
Magic rookie Andrew Nicholson is showing signs of a promising career as he continues to be a productive player for Jacque Vaughn in Orlando, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. Another impressive young player has been second year center Nikola Vucevic, who Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel points out is among the double-double leaders among sophomore players as well as top 15 overall in rebounding. Lastly, Schmitz talks about how the team has adjusted while Glen Davis deals with a shoulder injury.
Roy Hibbert spoke about how the weakness in his right wrist has significantly hindered his shooting touch as of late (Mike Wells of IndyStar.com reports).
Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver had nothing but good things to say about Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and his tenure in Chicago, says Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. In what also could be perceived as an indirect compliment to Thibodeau, Atlanta's Jeff Teague admitted that he was happy that his brother (Bulls guard Marquis Teague) had been drafted by a team with a reputation for hard work.

Odds & Ends: Batum, Gallinari, Kabongo, Lee

December 20th, 2012 at 10:08pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jason Quick of the Oregonian looks at the friendly rivalry between the Trail Blazers' Nicolas Batum and the Nuggets' Danilo Gallinari that has stemmed from their days as young Euroleague stars hoping to make it into the NBA. Most notably, Quick mentions that Batum's salary negotiations this past summer were influenced by the type of deals that Gallinari, Marvin Williams, and Arron Afflalo had received with their respective teams. With that aside, here are a few more rumblings from around the Association tonight:

Derrick Rose took part in the non-contact portion of Bulls practice today, although coach Tom Thibodeau has not yet placed a timetable on the superstar's return (Seth Gruen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports).
Despite a strong start to the season, the Warriors' upcoming stretch against teams that have a notable inside presence will help determine if their interior defensive struggles against the Kings were either minor or a sign of a major problem, writes Marcus Thompson II of MercuryNews.com.
Rookie Royce White is "hopeful" that he'll play for the Rockets again sometime this season (Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets).
1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson confirms earlier speculation via a team source that Timberwolves guard Malcolm Lee will be sidelined for the rest of the year (Twitter link).
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweeted that Chris Douglas-Roberts is another top option available for the Timberwolves in addition to Michael Redd.
In his Nuggets Mailbag, Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post discusses why he thinks Gallinari has shown the capability of being a clutch All-Star type of player, why Carmelo Anthony isn't necessarily the clear-cut MVP right now, and the Nuggets' decision to commit to a long-term deal with Ty Lawson.

Lawrence On Horford, Dwight, Thibodeau, Paul

December 15th, 2012 at 2:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News examines the fast starts of the Knicks, Warriors, and Hawks, but believes the script could have been drastically different for Atlanta this season. Here's a roundup of a few rumors he's sharing.

The Hawks offered up Al Horford as part of a strong push to acquire Dwight Howard in August, according to Lawrence, who notes the Hawks will have enough cap flexibility to pursue the Atlanta native when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
Tom Thibodeau and Bulls management are waging a "cold war" over the coach's heavy minutes for his starters this season, Lawrence hears. Thibodeau offered his side of the argument to reporters yesterday, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago documented.
Chris Paul, a free agent next summer, had been privately griping about Blake Griffin's play, but has ceased doing so amid an eight-game winning streak for the Clippers, Lawrence writes.

Bulls, Thibodeau Agree On Four-Year Extension

October 1st, 2012 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

1:53pm: Thibodeau's four-year extension will pay him about $17.5MM, with bonuses that could increase the total value to $20MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

1:14pm: The Bulls and Tom Thibodeau have reached an agreement on a four-year extension for the head coach, GM Gar Forman announced today at a press conference in Chicago (Twitter link via Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com). Thibodeau's contract, which was set to expire at season's end, had been a hot topic of discussion over the offseason, but the 2011 Coach of the Year says he was never worried about his future.

"I'm thankful to Jerry [Reinsdorf] and Gar and John [Paxson]," Thibodeau said (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune). "I never doubted it would work out. I love being here."

The Bulls initially elected to simply pick up Thibodeau's contract option for the 2012/13 rather than working out a long-term extension. However, we heard last month that the two sides had resumed negotiations on a new deal.

In his two years on the Bulls' bench, Thibodeau has led the team to an extremely impressive 112-36 (.757) record. The team has yet to break through in the postseason, however, with the 2011/12 season coming to an end after a pair of devastating injuries to Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

Charania On Gibson, Thibodeau, Extensions

September 22nd, 2012 at 3:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mark Bartelstein, the agent for Taj Gibson, has been negotiating with Bulls GM Gar Forman about an extension for his client for most of the offseason, and Gibson and his camp are confident about getting a deal done before the October 31st extension deadline, reports Shams Charania of Real GM.com.

“Both sides have the same interests: They value Taj and Taj loves being a Bull,” Bartelstein said.“He hopes to stay in Chicago. Both sides want a long-term marriage.”

Bartelstein's comments are similar to what he said in a report yesterday by Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. Sam also noted that the Bulls are high on Gibson, though the hefty contract of fellow power forward Carlos Boozer complicates matters.

As for Thibodeau, he and the Bulls continue to talk, but Charania hears no deal is imminent, as the Bulls are still haunted by the $4MM they had to pay off on Scott Skiles' contract after they fired him in 2007. There are whispers that owner Jerry Reinsdorf doesn't believe coaches make much of a difference, and some in the organization think Thibodeau performed poorly in the team's first-round loss to the Sixers this year.

Thibodeau is entering the final season of his deal after the Bulls picked up his option for 2012/13 a few months ago. Thibodeau and Gibson hae a strong relationship, as Charania writes, and Thibodeau has indicated Gibson will see more playing time this year.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Thibodeau, Heat, Miles

September 20th, 2012 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Thursday afternoon updates from around the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks are looking to sign a veteran two guard with NBA experience as insurance while Ronnie Brewer gets healthy, tweets Tommy Dee of The Knicks Blog. One candidate that pops to mind is Tracy McGrady, who worked out for the Knicks last week.
Appearing on the Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN Radio, Charles Barkley spoke highly of Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, saying he doesn't understand why the Bulls haven't extended him yet (link via ESPNChicago.com).
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman discusses new Heat big man Josh Harrellson, and addresses the reasons why Miami didn't sign Hassan Whiteside.
Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com spoke to new Cavalier C.J. Miles about adjusting to Cleveland and his motivation for signing with the Cavs.
Former Knicks guard Stephon Marbury is the latest to argue that Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire aren't a good fit on the floor together in New York, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes.

Tom Thibodeau, Bulls Resume Extension Talks

September 5th, 2012 at 6:59pm CST by Luke Adams

After the Bulls elected to pick up coach Tom Thibodeau's contract option for 2012/13 rather than working out a long-term deal, the two sides have resumed talking about an extension, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.

While general manager Gar Forman has maintained that the Bulls have intended all along to lock Thibodeau up to a long-term extension, negotiations between the team and coach seemed to stall earlier in the summer. That was after a report surfaced in April suggesting that Thibodeau was unhappy with his contract situation, a story that both Thibodeau and Forman denied.

Thibodeau certainly seems to have proven worthy of a contract extension, leading the Bulls to a 50-16 record in 2011/12, best in the Eastern Conference, despite not having a healthy Derrick Rose for a good part of the season. Current Celtics coach Doc Rivers and former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, who both had Thibodeau on their staffs at some point, have expressed a desire to see the Bulls coach sign an extension to remain in Chicago.

Odds & Ends: Kobe, Thibodeau, Suns, Sixers

August 10th, 2012 at 10:59pm CST by Alex Lee

With every NBA reporter alive seemingly grabbing each player, coach or executive they can get their hands on and asking them about the Dwight Howard trade, Kobe Bryant actually offered some helpful and interesting insight. Bryant, soon to be 34, said that he will probably play "two, three more years" with the Lakers and once he is done "the team is his," undoubtedly referring to Howard (via Sean Deveney on Twitter). While hardly definitive, it's notable that Bryant has a retirement time in mind. As the reactions, analysis and quotes regarding the big trade pour in, lets look at them as well as some of the other stuff going on in the NBA:

Per ESPN Chicago, Doc Rivers said today that he is pulling for his former assistant and now successful Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau to receive a lucrative contract extension from the team. Although "Thibs" has been relatively quiet regarding the contract situation, Rivers said he knows from experience that coaching on a one-year deal can be tough.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic takes a look at what options the Suns have for their final roster spot, which will likely go to a center. While Coro puts together a sizeable list, the pickings are pretty slim.
Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com takes an inside look at how the Andrew Bynum deal came to fruition for the 76ers, who got involved in the talks with a phone call to Orlando about the availability of Howard. Moore also clarifies, via Twitter, that Philadelphia owes the Heat a first round pick from a draft day trade before they can send one to Orlando. Both future picks are lottery protected.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel says that Magic fans shouldn't be piling on new general manager Rob Hennigan for the final outcome of the Howard situation. Schmitz says the ire of the Magic faithful should be rightfully pointed towards Howard for creating the situation in the first place.
Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets gives his take on where the Rockets went wrong in their D12 pursuit, and where the franchise should go from here.

Bulls Rumors: Thibodeau, Hinrich, Korver

June 28th, 2012 at 8:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The basketball world is focused on the draft at the moment, but while Chicago waits to pick at No. 29, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune has checked in with a column full of Bulls-related items. You can continue to follow tonight's draft results here and any last-minute rumors right here, but in the meantime, let's round up the highlights from Johnson….

Derrick Rose Not Expected Back Until 2013

May 15th, 2012 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls held a press conference today in Chicago to update the media on Derrick Rose's health and a number of other topics. Here are a few of the notable items from the news conference, courtesy of Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times (all links go to Twitter):

Dr. Brian Cole, who performed Rose's ACL surgery, said the procedure went very well, but that recovery usually takes eight to 12 months. The best-case scenario for Rose is returning in January 2013, though he could miss the entire season, said Cole.
It will likely take more than a year for Rose to return to his previous level of play, but there's no reason he shouldn't be that player again, Cole added.
Bulls GM Gar Forman views Rose's absence as a short-term issue that won't affect the team's long-term plans. Forman said he won't make decisions based on short-term problems, since he doesn't feel the team's window of opportunity will close anytime soon.
Coach Tom Thibodeau's contract option for 2012/13 will "obviously" be picked up, Garman said. The two sides will begin discussing an extension soon, according to the GM.