Tom Thibodeau's Contract Hullaballoo Is Much Ado About Nothing

Over the last few years, it has been the modus operandi of the Chicago Bulls’ management to work out contract extensions prior to the conclusion of an expiring deal.

The contracts of Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Derrick Rose can be cited as evidence of this practice.

Those examples, however, are a skewed sample because they are all players. As an organization, Chicago hasn’t dealt much with securing a potential long-term coach since Phil Jackson.

After the Zen Master’s departure, the Bulls went through eight different head coaches before landing Tom Thibodeau, and his immediate success makes it apparent that he is the man who can lead the Bulls back to their championship glory.

Now, Thibodeau’s two-year deal is coming to a close and the recent buzz has centered around his extension, or lack thereof.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported some time ago that associates close to Thibodeau have been saying that Thibs feels miffed that he hasn’t been offered a lucrative extension.

That sentiment is understandable given the immediate impact he’s had on the team’s performance; however, the attention given to this situation is an obvious case of overstating the severity.

Thibodeau was quoted by the Chicago Tribune denouncing the rumors that he was unsatisfied and even said directly, “I don't know where that's coming from. I'm not worried about any of that stuff. I'm under contract. I'm fine with everything here.”

Still, that wasn’t enough to quell the hoopla, so enter Gar Forman to shed more light on how this contract situation is being handled.

ESPNChicago.com relayed that during an appearance on The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show, Forman called the hyped dispute a “non-issue.”

The Bulls GM went on to clarify that discussions about extending Thibodeau took place before the start of the season and were very productive; he added that they have been tabled out of respect for minimizing distractions during the season, but are expected to resume once the season concludes.

There is no reason not to believe Forman about the nature of this so-called contract dispute. If there’s one thing the Bulls' management has a great track record of, it's getting business done.

Although this collection of talent is a winning team, the leadership of Thibodeau makes them a championship-caliber team.

The team knows it, as shown through Carlos Boozer’s public expression in favor of an extension ASAP, and Forman knows it, which is why he will see to it that the extended deal is sealed over the summer.

Seeing as how Chicago has been able to largely avoid controversial press this season, it seems like this is an attempt to add a little sizzle to the Bulls’ business-as-usual aroma.

The ease in which this situation will work itself out will show that all of this fuss was really for nothing.