Tom Thibodeau has no hard feelings toward the Bulls, despite their history

It wasn’t exactly a peaceful divorce when Tom Thibodeau and the Chicago Bulls parted ways two seasons ago. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Thibodeau put together a 255-139 record in his five years coaching the Bulls, winning the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year award and leading his team to five consecutive playoff appearances. Even more, he transformed the Chicago franchise mired in mediocrity into a perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse.

But somewhere along the line, between Year 3 and Year 4 of his five-season tenure, things went awry. The relationship between Thibodeau and the front office soured, culminating with a scolding dismissal statement that cited a “departure” from a culture “unified across the organization.”

“The Chicago Bulls have a history of achieving great success on and off the court,” owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a press release. “These accomplishments have been possible because of an organizational culture where input from all parts of the organization has been welcomed and valued, there has been a willingness to participate in a free flow of information, and there have been clear and consistent goals. While the head of each department of the organization must be free to make final decisions regarding his department, there must be free and open interdepartmental discussion and consideration of everyone’s ideas and opinions. These internal discussions must not be considered an invasion of turf, and must remain private.

“Teams that consistently perform at the highest levels are able to come together and be unified across the organization -- staff, players, coaches, management and ownership,” he continued. “When everyone is on the same page, trust develops and teams can grow and succeed together. Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this culture.”

Now head coach and president of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Thibs will return to the United Center on Tuesday for the first time since Bulls management decided to sack their head coach before the 2014-15 season. His dismissal was an embarrassing, season-long ordeal dragged out through the media that left those on the outside concerned for the inner workings of Chicago’s front office.

But if you ask Thibodeau, as reporters did ahead of his T’Wolves’ game against the Bulls, there are no regrets from a five-season stint that included some of the best basketball in franchise history.

“When you look back, you can focus in on the 10 or 15 percent that didn’t go the way you would have liked. There were a lot of good times,” Thibodeau told reporters Tuesday. “Overall, the organization treated me great. I have no regret. It was a great experience for me and I’m looking forward to this challenge.”

Thibodeau’s time away from Chicago may have caused selective amnesia. It was only January of 2015 when he repudiated all media questions regarding his working relationship with the Chicago front office. And if he doesn’t remember, his close friend and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy certainly remembers bombing Bulls management for having “publicly supported their coach, while privately, oftentimes undermined that same person.”

“You saw it with Vinny Del Negro, Scott Skiles. Think about it, they ran Phil Jackson out after winning all those championships -- and I think it’s wrong,” Van Gundy said during a broadcast. “I think it’s wrong for the town; I think it’s wrong for the team; and it certainly has not been fair to Tom Thibodeau.”

Thibs returns to Chicago on Tuesday as coach of a promising young Minnesota team. He’ll probably get hugs from his old players still in Bulls’ red: Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, and Doug McDermott. He’ll likely even get a standing ovation from the United Center crowd — a .647 winning percentage will do that to a fan base.

But as “great” as he says the organization treated him, only one thing will matter most to Thibodeau come tip-off. It’s the same thing that’s mattered all these years: winning the game.