The Los Angeles Lakers are beginning their search for a new head coach, and one of the candidates on their list might be Tom Thibodeau.
ESPN LA’s Dave McMenamin reported Thursday that the Lakers plan to reach out to the Chicago Bulls to ask permission to interview Thibodeau.
The Lakers plan to reach out to the Chicago Bulls for permission to interview Tom Thibodeau, a league source tells http://t.co/8DsJGhr2Pi
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 1, 2014
David Kaplan of CSN Chicago later reported that the Lakers had not yet asked permission from the Bulls to interview Thibs, but that doesn’t mean anything; he team still has plenty of time to ask for permission.
Thibs is under contract through 2016-2017, but his name has come up in connection with other jobs. There was a report earlier this year that there was an agreement in place for Thibodeau to become the Knicks coach this summer, but with Phil Jackson taking over the team, it doesn’t look like that will happen.
Even if the Lakers ask permission to speak with Thibodeau, there’s no guarantee the Bulls would grant it. Why would they? Thibs is an excellent coach with a great reputation. Despite the Bulls’ first-round playoff exit to the Wizards, he’s still a defensive genius. Just that the Lakers have interest in him speaks to the level of respect teams have for him.
