Report: Bulls could let coaching vacancies be filled before letting Thibodeau go

Chicken is a dangerous game.

The Chicago Bulls and head coach Tom Thibodeau continue to wait each other out, despite the relationship being damaged beyond repair and essentially over, according to multiple reports since the season ended.

What was originally believed to be an impending "game of chicken" has so far played out exactly that way, with Thibodeau maintaining that he plans to coach the team next season and the team reportedly refusing to let him go without compensation. Thibodeau still has two years and $9 million remaining on his contract, and the Bulls appear to be holding out to avoid paying him to leave. And possibly to spite him.

The growing belief around the NBA is that the Bulls will wait until the other coaching vacancies around the league are filled before letting Thibodeau go, according to a report from Marc Stein of ESPN.

That would essentially force Thibodeau to take a year off of coaching, barring a team changing its coaching plans at a later juncture. The teams waiting to interview Thibodeau will eventually be forced to move on to other options, a process that already appears to be underway.

The New Orleans Pelicans, thought to be the primary suitor for Thibodeau, have interviewed Alvin Gentry, who is also believed to be one of the leading candidates to replace Thibodeau in Chicago. The Orlando Magic have narrowed in on Scott Skiles. The Denver Nuggets may wind up keeping interim coach Melvin Hunt.

And that's it. After back-to-back tumultuous offseasons for the NBA coaching ranks, there aren't many openings for 2015-16. With Gentry, Skiles, Jeff Van Gundy, Adrian Griffin, Monty Williams, and more - including, perhaps, Fred Hoiberg - available, the Bulls can feel somewhat safe in waiting to make a move.

If that sounds somewhat childish or inefficient, it is, but the relationship between the two sides reads such that this is hardly surprising. Thibodeau could wind up getting paid handsomely to sit at home for a year, hardly a terrible fate but a somewhat unfortunate one given how intriguing an option he'd be behind several benches.