NBA Rumors: Is Dwight Howard Spurning the Chicago Bulls Due to Tom Thibodeau?

According to ESPN, the Orlando Magic's center Dwight Howard has declared that he isn't interested in joining the reigning MVP Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, ending all possible rumors of the two All-Stars teaming up.

In the meantime, he has declared that he would be interested in joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets or even his own Magic. So what gives?

Perhaps it is the work ethic of the Bulls' head coach, Tom Thibodeau.

Thibodeau is known as being a coach who makes his players work extremely hard. While there was a lot of payoff for the the regular season, where the Bulls went 62-20, there were definitely signs of wear and tear when playoff time arrived.

Last season, Thibodeau was named coach of the year, and he proved that he could get the best of his players. That didn't come without hard work, as the Bulls were known to be one of the hardest working teams in the NBA. 

While Howard is a great athlete, and no doubt one of the best players in today's game, is he avoiding the Bulls for this reason?

It is weird to imagine any other reason, considering the Bulls are already considered contenders, and teaming with Rose would definitely make them one of the best teams in the NBA—possibly the best.

If Howard is OK with going to a team like the Nets, it is strange that he wouldn't want to go to a huge market to increase his brand like what Chicago presents.

The Bulls really didn't need Howard, but there was a lot of appeal to him joining the Bulls. With big men in Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and Omer Asik, the Bulls are arguably set with some of the best depth for a big man rotation.

Howard certainly would have trumped them all, especially considering the Bulls would have kept at least two of the four previously mentioned.

For now, fans will never know why Howard eliminated Chicago as a possible destination. Perhaps one of these days he will explain his reasoning, but for now the Bulls must focus on improving their team in other areas.

The Bulls can find enough depth to fill out this team to contend, and after what Thibs did a season ago, he is just too valuable to even consider over any single player.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for B/R, and writes for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State Football.