Wojnarowski: 'Don't Buy' That Bulls Have Tuned Out Thibodeau
(CBS) A day after a report surfaced that Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is on the "hot seat," Yahoo Sports NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski -- the best news breaker in the business -- downplayed any concerns that Thibodeau's job is in jeopardy and that players have tuned him out.
"I don't know where the idea of him getting fired has come from, but I don't think that's going to happen," Wojnarowski said in an interview on the Mully and Hanley Show on Wednesday morning.
"Listen, teams go through ruts -- especially teams who are pushed and as driven as the Bulls are. There are times the coach's act runs thin and they're tired of them. That happens through stretches. That happens to everybody. I still think -- and people around the league that I talk to think -- that they'll come out of this. This isn't where the Bulls expected to be in the standings … (and) I'm not saying this isn't an issue to deal with. I just don't see this as a long-term (problem), this team has checked out on him. I don't buy any of that."
The Bulls are fourth in the East at 27-16 but have lost six of their past eight games, often looking listless while doing so, creating talk that Thibodeau had lost hold of the locker room. That theory gained more traction Tuesday when writer Chris Sheridan reported that Thibodeau "is simply too hardcore, too much of an oddball personality, and runs his best players into the ground both in practices and games."
Sheridan suggested Thibodeau's "job will be on the line" as the Bulls embark on a tough stretch that includes games against the Spurs and Mavericks before heading out on a long road trip.
Wojnarowski hasn't been hearing that Thibodeau's job is in jeopardy. He simply believes many are in a panic because this type of a struggle by Chicago hasn't been seen before.
"People are used to seeing the Bulls have players out injured," Wojnarowski said.
"They're used to having guys out and the team -- there's times in the past when they've struggled to score the ball -- but they've never really struggled to defend. And whoever Thibs has put on the court, for the most part, no one's questioned the effort, no one's questioned how hard they're playing.
"And for the most part, the results defensively were very good. To me, that's what's changed here. (Joakim) Noah is as good a defensive player as there is in this league. He's the best defensive player at his position, certainly. And you've seen that drop-off with him out."
Listen to Wojnarowksi's full interview here, as he explains the Bulls still have championship hopes.