Tom Thibodeau, head coach of the Chicago Bulls, is drawing a lot of criticism for his heavy playing of Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. Many are concerned that by giving the two heavy minutes, Thibodeau is jeopardizing the team's postseason hopes, as well as risking injury to the players.
Deng, averaging 41.0 minutes, and Noah, 40.3 minutes, are first and second in the league in minutes per game, which is what the concerns are predicated upon.
In a recent interview with K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Thibodeau defended himself at considerable length when asked about Noah's minutes. Per Johnson, Thibodeau "half mocked," in regards to Noah
Jeez, he's in his 20s.
I sat on the opposing bench when Phil (Jackson) was coaching the Bulls. I used to sit there and say, 'When's he going to take those guys out? Because I don't want to see them on the floor, He never did. Same thing with (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich). We played them in the Finals in 1999. (Tim) Duncan never came out.
Depends on who they are. If you look at a guy like Duncan, he probably could've played the whole game. Wilt (Chamber ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Kelly Scaletta
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