If Tom Thibodeau Is Not Coach of the Year, There Ought to Be an Investigation

Call it a slam dunk. Call it a layup. Use any silly basketball metaphor you want. If the Chicago Bulls coach doesn't become the first NBA coach in history to win back-to-back Coach of the Year awards, then something is seriously wrong. And illogical.

Look, I know the NBA likes to spread that award around to different coaches, but consider this: If a writer voted for Thibodeau last year with Derrick Rose having a phenomenal MVP season, then how can he not be the top coach with his MVP sidelined for big chunks of the season?

Now I understand that as Bulls fans, we are biased. And that while awards are nice, the ring is much better. I get that and I'm sure that's what drives Coach Thibs as well. 

But what does matter is how awards and success might affect the future salary of the Bulls head coach. The reason I mention that is ESPN's Marc Stein recently wrote that sources are claiming that Thibodeau is privately "dismayed" over the front office not having granted him a contract extension yet.

My Bleacher Report colleague, Michael Gibbons, recently asked the question of whether too much is being made of the contract situation, and while I can see the point that a lot of this is gossip-type journalism, Thibodeau is human.

He acts so machine-like—almost robotic in fact—that it's easy to forget that, like all of us, the Bulls coach has an ego.

Meanwhile, he has done such a terrific job of coaching up these Bulls players and keeping the ship afloat despite all the uncertainty that it's easy for one to wonder why John Paxson and Gar Forman don't just "make it happen," as if it was that simple.

Contract negotiations are a complex animal and requires both sides to be satisfied with the terms of the deal. All the while, I'm sure it's not affecting how he's coaching, and it's certainly not a distraction for the team.

But back to the central theme of this article. Who are Thibodeau's main competitors for the award? Let's consider:

Gregg Popovich, San Antonio

Popovich is coaching a team with an aging roster and that often means injury, so he's done a masterful job of rotating his young players in and out.

Frank Vogel, Indiana Pacers

Whenever a first-year head coach leads a team to the playoffs, and a third seed, people tend to notice.

Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics

Doc is probably not the serious contender for the award that the other two are, but you have to give him credit for keeping his team together and winning despite all the trade speculation surrounding them all year.

Lionel Hollins, Memphis Grizzlies

Like Coach Thibodeau, Hollins has his team bought into a defensive mentality that is very disruptive.

Why do I care if Thibs wins this award? Because it seems so darn logical to me. I mean, how can someone vote for him last year when he had a healthy Rose and not this year when the team is just as good without its star player?

I tend to side with logic in any argument so even keeping the emotions and bias out of it, while there are other great coaches who have done a fantastic job, I just don't understand why the Bulls coach wouldn't win again.

In fact, Rose is not the only Bull who has missed significant time with injury. Luol Deng is playing with ligament damage in this left wrist, C.J. Watson has missed time and Rip Hamilton has spent more time in the training room than on the basketball court.

Yet the Bulls are going to have the best record in the NBA for the second consecutive season.

So, if Thibodeau doesn't win the Red Auerbach Trophy again this season, there should be an investigation. Investigation into the logical working of the minds of the voters, that is.