Sports fans are an odd bunch. When you've lived through an era, you tend to romanticize it as "the good ol' days." But Bulls fans are different. Bulls fans tend to lean towards the negative and to be fair, there haven't been many positives since the Jordan era ended. But the one bright spot in recent Chicago Bulls history is from 2010-2015 when Tom Thibodeau was at the helm of the Chicago Bulls. Yet, one of my favorite Bulls media personalities, "See Red" Fred Pfeiffer, recently declared Tom Thibodeau second on his seven most overrated Chicago Bulls of all-time. Fred, who is sometimes delusional in his Chicago Bulls optimism, has been on the attack for several years in regards to Thibs' time with the Bulls. Was Thibodeau really overrated? Did Thibs run his players into the ground? Was Thibs unwilling to shift into the modern era? Let's answer each question individually. Was Thibodeau Really Overrated?To me, this is an easy question to answer. Tom Thibodeau won nearly 65% of his games as Chicago Bulls coach per basketball-reference.com. His record was 255-139 and the Bulls were 23-28 in the Playoffs. This is notable because during Thibs' tenure, then-Bulls star Derrick Rose played 181 out of a possible 394 games and 34 of the Bulls' 51 playoff games. During Thibs' tenure, several individual Bulls saw success: Derrick Rose famously won MVP in the 2010-2011 season, but under Thibodeau Luol Deng, Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, and Joakim Noah all made their first All-Star appearances while Pau Gasol also made the All-Star team at age 34. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah made their only appearance on the All-NBA First Team under Thibodeau while Pau Gasol made All-NBA Second Team for the last time under Thibs. Jimmy Butler (2x), Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah (3x) all made All-Defense Team under Thibs. And let's not forget, Joakim Noah finished 5th in MVP voting during the 2013-2014 season after refusing to let the Bulls tank. Are all these accolades a product of pure talent or Thibodeau's coaching? Obviously, a bit of both, but it's hard to discredit Thibodeau for helping develop these players into All-Star talent and bringing this group together as a perennial contender. One of the frequent criticisms of Tom Thibodeau was his seemingly archaic offensive system. During Thibs' tenure, the Bulls placed 11th, 5th, 23rd, 28th, and 11th in Offensive Rating. After Thibodeau's dismissal, Bulls management hailed incoming head coach Fred Hoiberg as the missing piece to a Bulls championship. The Bulls went 42-40 the next season, missing the playoffs, and had a putrid offensive rating of 23rd with essentially the same roster as the year before minus an injured Joakim Noah. It was reported at the time that the Bulls tried utilizing some of Thibs' offensive sets to help some of the veterans be more comfortable in the offense. In reality, the Bulls were a Tom Thibodeau away from appearing in the lottery, not a missing piece from a championship. Did Thibodeau Really Run Players Into The Ground?This is the most frequent criticism of Tom Thibodeau. If you weren't there for this era, you have to understand something first: "Load management" was not a thing in 2010. In fact, I don't really remember anyone wondering about how many minutes a guy played until Kobe Bryant infamously tore his achilles tendon after then coach Mike D'Antoni played him big stretches in the lock-out shortened 2011-2012 season. Even after that, the science on minutes and it's correlation to injuries was murky at best. Now, in 2020, it's considered standard practice to monitor stars' minutes. In the 2010-2011 season, the league leader in minutes per game was Monta Ellis at 40.3 mpg, then Rudy Gay at 39.9 mpg, LaMarcus Aldridge at 39.6, fourth was Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls at 39.1 mpg, and fifth was Kevin Durant at 38.9 mpg. In 2011-2012, Deng was the league leader in minutes per game at 39.4, followed by Kevin Love at 39 mpg, Durant at 38.6 mpg, Kobe Bryant at 38.5 mpg, and Dwight Howard at 38.3. In 2012-2013, Deng led the league at 38.7 mpg, Kobe Bryant and Damian Lillard were tied at 38.6 mpg, then Kevin Durant and Nicolas Batum were tied for fourth at 38.5 mpg. In the 2013-2014 season, Carmelo Anthony and Jimmy Butler of the Bulls tied for first place at 38.7 mpg, Durant was third at 38.5 mpg, DeMar DeRozan was fourth at 38.2 mpg, and James Harden was fifth at 38 mpg. In Thibodeau's final season in 2014-2015, Butler led the league again at 38.7, Harden was second at 36.8, Kyrie Irving was third at 36.4, Andrew Wiggins was fourth at 36.2, and LeBron James was fifth at 36.1. I tell you all of that to say this: The biggest gap between one of Thibs' men (Butler in 2014-2015) and the next place is 1.9 mpg. Through an 82 game season, you're talking about 155.8 minutes or roughly 3 1/4 games. Was it really that brutal to average that many minutes per game? There are some egregious examples like Joakim Noah playing 48 minutes in game 82 against Charlotte in the 2013-2014 season with a bad knee. It was egregious because the game was literally meaningless and wouldn't improve or decrease their position in the playoffs so why burn out your star? Many people point to Jimmy Butler's 60 minute night against Orlando in triple overtime. Is that unreasonable to play one of your best players in three overtimes trying to win a game, especially when that player is only 24 years-old? Also, the Bulls finished with 48 wins that season, but #7 Charlotte won 43 games that year. One game in January might be the difference in making or missing the playoffs. Others point to Derrick Rose being in at the end of a blow-out in Philadelphia in the 2012 Playoffs and Rose tearing his ACL. Since then, I've seen Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, and Brad Stevens do similar things in playoff blowouts, but nobody questions them. The minutes argument simply isn't as ridiculous as you're being led to believe. The league began changing on largely unproven science to that point and some decided to be cautious while most didn't. Also, the Bulls generally played at a slower pace and Thibodeau frequently pointed out to the media that he had been around the league long enough to know how to pace a team. To me, the minutes per game are justified though some individual games should be pointed out as questionable. Was Thibs Unwilling To Shift Into The Modern Era?Many people point out that Tom Thibodeau was stuck in his ways and didn't want to play with pace and space. I think the reasoning behind Thibodeau's decision-making was proved in Hoiberg's first year as Bulls coach with the same core: The Bulls were 15th in PACE, but only 23rd in Offensive Rating. The year before with Thibodeau, they were 23rd in PACE, but 11th in Offensive Rating. In Thibs' final season, the Bulls actually averaged 22 threes per game and shot only 35%. In Hoiberg's first year, they only averaged 21 threes per game and shot 37.1%. In 2013, it was reported that Taj Gibson would be shooting more threes at the request of the coaching staff and then after Thibodeau's dismissal, Zach Lowe casually mentioned on a podcast that Thibs had told him that they wanted Taj Gibson to shoot corner threes, but he just never felt comfortable in games (we eventually saw Gibson shooting threes in Minnesota under Thibodeau). Thibodeau wasn't ignorant of where the league was going, but with the personnel that he had, they had to play a certain way to win. We saw evidence of this in Minnesota. In the 2016-2017 season, the Timberwolves were 25th in PACE, 10th in Offensive Rating, and shot 21 threes per game at 36.6%. In the 2017-2018 season, they were 24th in PACE, 4th in Offensive Rating, and shot 22.5 threes per game at 35.7%,. In his final season thru 40 games, they were 12th in PACE, 14th in Offensive Rating, and 28.5 threes per game at 35.6%. The Timberwolves and Thibodeau evolved, but what was always certain about Thibs is that he would play whatever way that would win them the most games. Both Chicago and Minnesota saw evidence of this. The Bulls made their only Eastern Conference Finals appearance since the Jordan era while Minnesota snapped a 13 year drought by making the Playoffs under Thibs. Thibodeau has the second highest winning percentage in Chicago Bulls franchise history (under Phil Jackson obviously) and the second highest winning percentage in Timberwolves franchise history (under Flip Saunders). Overrated isn't the word I would use to describe Tom Thibodeau. The word I'd use is successful.
0 Comments
The image above feels like it's photoshopped, but it's not. It's reality, but it's bizarre. For years, we watched Derrick Rose and our beloved Bulls fight against LeBron James. Whether LeBron was with the Cavaliers or the Miami Heat, the goal remained the same for Rose's Bulls: Overcome LeBron James. He was the roadblock in the Eastern Conference and he was the rival. Both of LeBron's teams had history with Jordan's Bulls, but it always felt like this rivalry was LeBron vs. the Bulls. He always got the better of us. Now, Derrick Rose plays with LeBron James in Cleveland and it's difficult to process.
When the Bulls traded Derrick Rose last year, I wasn't exactly heartbroken. Some fans were and they proclaimed that he was their guy and they would keep supporting him. Forgive me, but I'd rather eat a roach infested cake out of a dumpster than cheer for the New York Knicks in any fashion (except for the movie "Eddie"). Rose was gone, the Rose-era was dead, and the Bulls were moving on. Then allegations started to surface suggesting Derrick Rose was a rapist and Bulls fans were blown away. Fortunately, a jury found the claims of the woman against Derrick Rose were not credible and the controversy was over, but Bulls fans were asking, "How could this humble kid born and raised in Chicago be this way?" For residents of Chicago, it was similar to the shock the world faced when the allegations against Bill Cosby began to surface. "Cliff Huxtable?! The ideal TV dad?! This can't be!" This was DERRICK ROSE. The guy everyone felt bad for because of the injuries, the guy the entire NBA fanbase cheered for because he was a special player. We thought we knew him. Personally, I became disgusted by him and refused to even so much as tweet about him at all. I didn't watch him play except for the few games he played against the Bulls and I ignored the Knicks completely. This guy was Chicago's hero and it wasn't supposed to be this way. It was supposed to lead to championship parades at Grant Park, the coveted #1 hanging up alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and more banners being hung in the United Center celebrating our 7th and 8th championships. It never happened. Rose's ACL exploded and NBA history changed forever. I wrote about it in detail here. This past summer, Derrick Rose entered free agency and it seems like no offers came his way. He eventually signed for the veteran's minimum, around $3 million, to play with LeBron James and the Cavaliers. It's bizarre to see him in those colors. That #1 that so many of us have in our closets, that we wore to so many Bulls games, that we loved seeing on the court is now in wine and gold playing alongside LeBron James. It wasn't supposed to be like this. But Rose's new jersey also came with a new Derrick Rose. Watching him on the court, you can tell that his personality has changed and possibly for the better. He doesn't look burdened down by the expectation that he is the franchise and that he has a giant contract so he needs to produce. He looks relaxed, his hair is different (and still taking some getting used to), and he looks like he's happy to be playing basketball again. I find myself reluctantly pulling for him to have a great season and not relinquish that starting role to Isaiah Thomas. You can see glimmers of the former MVP on the court. Last night against the Bulls, he drove to the rim, switched hands, and laid it in. It perfectly encapsulated everything that Derrick Rose was at his peak: Fast, amazing handles, and the ability to finish beautifully at the rim. It was vintage Derrick Rose. I've forgiven him for the ACL tear, even though it wasn't his fault. I've forgiven him for not returning late in the 2012-2013 season as fans were frantically checking Twitter day after day hoping to get a glimpse of our fallen MVP. I've forgiven him for not fully returning to MVP form - who could after that many injuries? I've forgiven him for not totally meshing with Jimmy Butler, even if that never really made sense. I've forgiven him for not bringing home a championship. None of these things were his fault, but for some reason I held it against him and pinned the blame on him. I've finally forgiven Derrick Rose and now I can enjoy watching him play basketball again. I still remember sitting in my recliner. The Bulls had an early tip and I settled in to enjoy the beginning of what looked to be a championship run. The game was chippy. There were shenanigans with Evan Turner running his mouth leading up to the game and I remember Boozer and Evan Turner getting into it and Derrick Rose running up and clapping with intensity and defiance in their face. The Bulls were dominant. Derrick Rose was dominant. I couldn't believe this was the same guy I had saw in person three days prior in Indianapolis. That guy finished with only 10 points and 7 assists. That guy looked passive and like he was trying to play hurt. But this Derrick Rose dropped 23/9/9 for a near triple double on the 76ers. This Derrick Rose had intensity and looked like he wanted another piece of LeBron James and the Miami Heat. This team looked ready to make that leap and they looked like they were a legitimate championship team. But then it all came crashing down. My wife came in mere minutes before. She was pregnant with our fourth child at the time and was at a training that day. She brought me a thoughtful gift - one I wrote about somewhat jokingly as being a cursed figurine - Little Scottie Pippen. I have him in a box downstairs and I don't even look at it anymore. It just reminds me of that one play: I went from being on top of the world and feeling excited to feeling like someone had just dropkicked my dog into the middle of a busy highway. I was just sick. Here was our star, the youngest MVP in NBA history, and the most dynamic player the Bulls had in years if not a decade lying on the ground in obvious agony. I remember all the optimism running through my brain. "He didn't twist his knee. He probably just hyperextended it. I'm sure he'll be back in Game 2, but maybe a little slowed. I doubt it's serious." But realistically, it was obvious this was something more ominous. The United Center went deathly silent. Doug Collins, the opposing coach, was one of the closest near Rose and went to check on him. Everyone was shocked and concerned for this young kid. Not long after Game 1 we learned that it was indeed a torn ACL and Derrick Rose was done for the Playoffs. The ripple effect of this injury remains to this day. NBA history was irrevocably altered. Does LeBron James actually win that first title in 2012 or do the Bulls prevent them making their second Finals? What if Derrick Rose remained "Jordan" to Jimmy Butler's "Pippen?" Do the Bulls then have a potential dynasty in the making? The Bulls took Marquis Teague in the 2012 draft because of the uncertainty of Derrick Rose's recovery. What if Gar/Pax listened to Thibodeau, who allegedly wanted Draymond Green at the time, and didn't have to worry about potentially placing Rose? What if Derrick Rose continued being the All-Star caliber player he was? What if the Bulls were truly in a position to tweak their roster in hopes of putting a contender around Rose instead of denying that their star player was no longer a star? Would the Bulls have evolved with the rest of the NBA in the pace and space era instead of just being frozen in 2012 and hoping that group would eventually bring a championship? Would they be better off now? There are so many unanswered questions. The Rose-era Bulls never reached their true potential after making the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. Rose has suffered more knee injuries since then. The Bulls moved on and now have Jimmy Butler as their star player, Fred Hoiberg as their coach, and are desperately trying to replicate what they had with Rose. Five years ago and it still feels like yesterday. It feels like we're still waiting for Derrick Rose to return and maybe fans are frozen in time, still bitter about the way all the promise and the potential the early Thibodeau/Rose partnership presented and how it came crumbling down in one single play. We haven't fully turned the page. We still think about these things, defend Rose to the death, and Bulls media still tweets out updates on him like he's still "our guy." We refuse to believe this era ended so abruptly. But it did. Five years ago. The ghost of that injury hovers over the franchise and has hindered the franchise from moving forward because of the cap ramifications of Derrick Rose's contract. Now the Bulls are truly beginning the process of building...something. That ghost will only disappear if the Bulls are able to somehow replicate what we had and somehow atone for that gruesome injury. I've never re-watched that game. I actually haven't even watched the clip of his injury. I just copied and pasted the link. I can't watch it. It's too much. It's too difficult to look back and remember what was before us, but five years ago, the path of the Chicago Bulls changed forever. I'm not fully over it yet. |
AuthorBrandon Pence is the founder & author of "The Bulls Charge." Pence has been a Bulls fan since 1993 following the shot by John Paxson, believes Michael Jordan is undeniably the GOAT, and has Derrick Rose as his all-time favorite Bull following Scottie Pippen's weird feud with Michael Jordan. "The Bulls Charge" was established in 2011. Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|