No One Looks Good in Bulls-Thibs Brawl

Well, that got ugly.

After years of leaks, denials and - oh yeah - wins, the Chicago Bulls fired Coach Tom Thibodeau on Thursday, ending one of the strangest and most destructive power struggles in sports history.

Given the chance to finally let loose on Thibs, Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf issued as passive-aggressive a press release as ever there were, effectively calling his coach insubordinate, intractable and ineffective.

As satisfying as that might have been for Reinsdorf - and as accurate - it was also the stupidest thing he could possibly have done.

It's probably not a coincidence Thibodeau worked as an NBA assistant for 21 years waiting to get a head job. He proved abrasive and stuck in his ways, including neglecting to use young players and running his favorites into the ground to the point he almost killed former All-Star Luol Deng.

But we know this. It's not up to management to excoriate Thibodeau, especially when they're in the market for a coach who, regardless who it will be, is almost certainly watching their conduct and judging them accordingly.

More on this guy - maybe a lot more - soon.

For Thibodeau's part, he'll almost certainly land a new head coaching gig, but his reputation takes a major hit on the way out the door, and he's now lost the chance, however remote, to become the legend who brought the Bulls their first title since Jordan. A roster downgrade is an inevitability.

The roster, by the way, may or may not be culpable in driving away the best Bulls coach since Phil Jackson, so forget about the players looking like angels either.

#Bulls sources: at least three starters ripped Thibs in exit interview, said they'd avoid team facility this summer if he were still there.

— Dan Bernstein (@dan_bernstein) May 28, 2015

Ultimately, the only people connected to the Bulls who don't look bad today are the fans, who are left wondering why Mommy and Daddy can't stop fighting long enough to take one of the NBA's most successful teams over the top.

The only thing I can feel now is disappointment: that Thibodeau doesn't have softer edges, that the front office - not only Reinsdorf but Vice President John Paxson and General Manager Gar Forman - isn't more patient, that Derrick Rose's knees couldn't hold up, that the team quit in embarrassing fashion during a must-win home playoff game.

This should have been the core of Chicago's next dynasty.

The only thing that looks good is the prospect of a new coach, which points to Iowa State University Coach Fred Hoiberg and, if the Bulls are smart, part of my second-favorite almost-dynasty:

Didn't get this into today's story, but plugged-in source considers Alvin Gentry the favorite to coach Bulls. "The guy I'd put my money on."

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) May 15, 2015

EDIT: Hours after this was posted, Hoiberg became the choice. (End edit)

The question, as former Bulls coaches flood the market, is simple:

Or that they keep firing good coaches. I'm not sure. Let me think about it.

— Derek Beigh (@derekbeigh) May 29, 2015

Here's hoping it's the former. Our basketball lives depend on it.