Chicago Bulls Get Defensive With the (Alleged) Hiring of Tom Thibodeau

When the Chicago Bulls relieved Vinny Del Negro of his duties a little over a month ago, they preached that they weren't in a hurry to find a replacement, and that they were searching for someone with prior head coaching experience.

So of course it made sense when they (reportedly) hired Boston Celtics assistant and defensive guru Tom Thibodeau to take the reins in Chicago...just 32 days after the spot became vacant.

"Tibs" as I'm now going to call him (based on my lack of knowledge of the French language) becomes the second straight head coach hired by the Bulls with no previous head coaching experience (unless you count his one season heading the Salem State Vikings).

However, his resume is still much more polished than his predecessor.

He's been a part of 153 playoff games, three NBA Finals appearances, and one NBA Championship.

He's helped his team finish in the top-10 in team defense 15 times, including the 2008 Celtics who led the league in most major defensive categories, ultimately leading them to that season's NBA title.

And let's not forget the praise that he's heralded from many of his former players.

"If a team is looking for a guy who can limit the ways you beat yourself, he's the guy you'd want to hire," current Celtic Brian Scalabrine said recently. "He's prepared for all situations because of the work he puts in."

Known as a hard worker, Tibs comes to a city built on blue collars and to a team traditionally built on defense.

As I've said from the beginning, Tibs is a perfect fit for the Bulls and for the personnel already set in place in Chicago.

And for all of the pundits out there that have thought that without an experienced head coach manning the ship, there wouldn't be an opportunity to land The King. Well, try this tidbit on for size.

William Wesley, a well known figure in the NBA, was recently hired by CAA, the same company that represents LeBron James (agent Leon Rose) and Chris Bosh (Henry Thomas). Wesley, or "World Wide Wes" as he's known in the NBA community, has been associated with Rose (no relation to the Bulls' Derrick) for over two decades.

So what's this mean for the Bulls? Well, a few weeks ago, Wesley made one of his first moves, quietly signing Tibs to be one of his first clients.

It's been well known throughout the league that Wesley is going to have an impact on this year's free agent class as he's become good friends with the ultimate prize, LeBron James. Oh, and did I mention that he was also good friends with someone the city of Chicago is very familiar with, Michael Jordan?

Now I'm not saying that all of this has ultimately linked Thibodeau and LeBron for the future, but it sure has the sounding of a six-degrees of Kevin Bacon bit.

Whatever the outcome, Tibs seems to be a prime pickup for the Bulls as they look past the last ten years and start looking towards the future.