Report: Bulls may not let Thibodeau go without compensation; could be 'game of chicken'

At some point, he's going to Tom Thibo-go.

When exactly that will happen remains a matter of speculation and, quite possibly, gamesmanship.

What's perfectly clear is that the Chicago Bulls and head coach Tom Thibodeau have come to the end of their working relationship, with the seasons-long rumors about the issues between coach and front office coming to a crescendo on Thursday. With the Bulls eliminated from the playoffs, the offseason has begun in earnest, and the biggest change at United Center will be behind the bench.

While nobody has said anything publicly, reports surfaced as the final buzzer sounded that both sides accept that Thibodeau will be gone. After years of clashing over playing time, assistant coaches and more, the situations appears to have become untenable.

Replacements are already being speculated upon - Fred Hoiberg from Iowa State, Thibodeau's assistant Adrian Griffin, and Golden State Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry are chief among them - and it's believed Thibodeau would be the favorite to fill vacancies for the Orlando Magic or New Orleans Pelicans. Because of his relationship with Anthony Davis, it seems most likely that he'd Thibo-geaux to Louisiana.

But there could be a major impediment to the proceedings, with the next few weeks expected to play out like a "game of chicken," one league executive told Sports Illustrated.

The game of chicken essentially comes down to the following:

• Thibodeau has two years and $9 million remaining on his contract, money he surely believes the Bulls will eventually pay to make him go away. He's saying publicly that he expects to be back with the team, making sure to maintain his leverage in this regard.
• The Bulls won't want to pay that amount and could hold up Thibodeau's job search by asking teams for compensation to poach him, even if they plan to fire him.
• Chicago won't engage in compensation discussions with other teams until they have a commitment from a replacement, according to a report from CBS Sports.
• Thibodeau could also hold up the Bulls' search for a replacement by proceeding as if he's not leaving.

It's in the best interests of both sides to split earlier, giving Thibodeau a full spate of job options and the Bulls more time to get a coach in place ahead of free agency. But $9 million is a lot of money, and the relationship between the sides is said to be quite sour. So there's room for pettiness - and some game theory - when it comes to negotiations.

It remains almost certain that Thibodeau will be a head coach in the NBA somewhere other than Chicago next season, and that the Bulls will have a new head coach in kind. How and when those certainties become realities could be one of the offseason's most interesting developments.