Tom Thibodeau Must Fully Utilize Brand-New Chicago Bulls “Bench Mob”

The knock on Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has also been his saving grace: his drive.

The same pedal-pressing intensity that squeezes every ounce of effort and determination out of his roster—and has led him to an impressive 205-107 record as a head coach—has also likely been a huge factor in his squads' lack of health. Thibodeau’s Bulls tend to overachieve in the regular season and fizzle out with injuries in the postseason.

Thibodeau apologists are quick to note that the coach hasn’t had rosters deep enough rosters to manage otherwise. But now he’s got arguably his best collection of talent yet, and the Bulls need to develop a new “Bench Mob”—a moniker used during the 2010-11 season, when Thibodeau regularly used a super-sub unit including Kyle Korver, Omer Asik and C.J. Watson on the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

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The Bulls haven’t gone that deep in the playoffs since then. Derrick Rose tore his ACL on the first day of the 2012 playoffs, then Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich both fell out with injuries in the 2013 postseason. This past spring, Joakim Noah struggled with a secret knee injury against the Washington Wizards’ front line in a first-round exit. All these results point to one suggestion: Thibodeau needs to ease his starters’ minutes.

Thibodeau surprised Bulls fans on Day 1 of training camp by already revealing who his starters will be. Typically withholding from the media, he said his scrimmage A-squad of Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah will begin games in 2014-15. But regarding who closes games, Thibodeau said he’s undecided.

“You can’t overlook Taj (Gibson),” Thibodeau told reporters: "Taj was probably our best fourth-quarter player last year. We’re going to finish with the guys who give us the best chance to win. ... We have three guys (Noah, Gasol and Gibson) that I know we can finish with. I’m going to ask them all to sacrifice."

Gibson was the runner-up in last year’s Sixth Man of the Year voting and would be a starter on virtually any other team. He’ll be the de facto leader of the new Bench Mob, augmented by any combination of Nikola Mirotic, Doug McDermott, Aaron Brooks, Tony Snell and Hinrich. While it's unclear who the Bulls' closers will be, their starters should get to sit big minutes.

Thibodeau has ample options behind them now. In his bench crew he has shooting (McDermott and Mirotic), defense (Hinrich and Snell) and a one-man offense in Aaron Brooks who will look to carry on the Thibodeau tradition of point guard rehabilitation held formerly by Watson, Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin.

The more Bulls fans see of a second unit, the more optimistic they’ll be about a postseason campaign. It’s not just Rose’s health that’s in question if he’s pushed too hard, since Noah had surgery on his hurt knee over the summer and is only getting older. The wily center is obviously integral to what Chicago does, and it’s safe to worry about his body. From Blog a Bull’s Jason Patt:

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Looking at the big picture, there is a cause for concern about how Noah will hold up over the course of the year and moving forward. He turns 30 in February and has dealt with lower-body injuries at the end of each of the last few seasons. The Bulls can't afford Noah to not be healthy if they're going to win a championship, and he hasn't proven that he can stay in one piece in quite some time.

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There are two tacts Thibodeau can take with his new depth, to keep Noah and the rest of his primetime players healthier. A hockey-style second unit like the one used in 2010-11 is an option, but so is heavy substitution minutes alongside starters.

With two rookies (McDermott and Mirotic) and a sophomore (Snell) on the bench, the second path may be preferable to Thibodeau, as only veterans tend to have a firm sense of his ever-important defensive principles.

There's also the fact that the Bulls are adding a lot of new pieces to the rotation. Mixing and matching between mainstays and fresh acquisitions could be a good way to maintain some continuity while also integrating more weapons. Thibodeau's defense is all about communication and habit, and it'll take time and the comfort of their peers' expertise for his new soldiers to absorb his methods.

2014-15 will be the biggest season of Thibodeau’s tenure. The most important thing he can do to meet expectations (anything less than another Eastern Conference Finals berth would be a disappointment) is make sure his team is in one piece by the time April rolls around. A Bench Mob redux is his greatest asset in meeting that goal.