New Bulls Rumors on Possible Tom Thibodeau Reunion Amid HC Search to Replace Billy Donovan

It has been 11 full seasons since the Chicago Bulls won a playoff series.

It has also been 11 full seasons since Tom Thibodeau was their head coach, and a reunion reportedly could be in store as Chicago looks to return to the form it demonstrated during his five seasons with the position.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Tuesday that Thibodeau is "very interested in a comeback" and "looking for the right fit for his coaching future again," which could include the Bulls if the front office was interested.

That front office just added a new presence Monday when the Bulls hired Bryson Graham as their executive vice president of basketball operations.

Finding a new coach will surely be Graham's first significant priority, and Thibodeau has an obvious connection to the franchise seeing how he was the coach from the 2010-11 campaign through the 2014-15 one.

Chicago made the playoffs in each of his five seasons and reached the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in 2011. In all, it went 255-139 during his tenure, but it is also a span that is as remembered for what could have been as it is the overall winning.

After all, the Bulls were the top seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2012 playoffs. It seemed like years of battles with the James-led Heat were on the horizon, and it would have home-court advantage if there was a rematch.

However, Derrick Rose tore his ACL in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers in what was his age-23 season. The Bulls lost that series and never advanced past the second round again under Thibodeau.

Rose, who won the 2010-11 MVP and was known for his explosiveness in the open floor, was never quite the same, and Thibodeau's tenure ended without a championship and questions about the heavy minutes he played his primary players during the regular season.

He has since coached the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks and is an impressive 578-420 overall with 10 playoff appearances in 13 seasons. The most recent of those came just last season when he led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, they parted ways with the veteran coach following a loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The 68-year-old wants to return to the sidelines, though, and Chicago will surely at least explore the possibility as it looks to turn a rebuilding process into playoff appearances in the near future.