NBA PM: What Went Wrong With Bulls, Thibodeau?

Everyone knows of the tension that exists between Tom Thibodeau and the Chicago Bulls’ front office, but why has this marriage failed? What occurred between these two sides that led to Thibodeau’s seemingly inevitable exit from Chicago?

In the video above, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders and Noah Coslov of CineSport discuss what behind-the-scenes issues led to this tension, how the Bulls’ players feel about the situation and where Thibodeau may be coaching next.

Conley is Key to Grizzlies’ Success

This postseason, the Memphis Grizzlies are undefeated (4-0) in the games that Mike Conley has played. If you watched his performance on Tuesday night in Memphis’ Game 2 victory over the Golden State Warriors, it’s clear that this is no coincidence. The Grizzlies are a much better team on both ends of the court with Conley, and his performance on Tuesday was extremely impressive.

Conley finished Game 2 with 22 points on 8-12 shooting from the field, despite undergoing surgery to repair a facial fracture just last week and wearing an in-game mask for the first time.

Remember, this is the same guy who was in pain on the Grizzlies’ bench during Game 1 because the lights and loud noises in the arena aggravated his head. To return with a lights-out shooting performance is amazing, especially considering he helped hand the Warriors their first loss of the postseason and their first home loss since January.

“I didn’t expect to come out and score the ball or score 22 points or anything like that,” Conley admitted after the game. “I just wanted to come out and do what I do for the team – run the team, take advantage of what I see.  I was aggressive early and I had some good looks, and that really [helped] my confidence. I just wanted to come in here and run the team and try to win the game.”

He wasn’t even sure if he was going to play in Game 2, but decided to tough it out because he realized his team needed him and he didn’t want to have to sit through another game without being able to contribute.

“It was tough to watch,” Conley said. “Anytime you’re in a high‑stakes game, you want to be out there. I saw how much my presence was missed. Monday was tough because I’m getting all these people telling me they want me to play, they want me to play. My parents are like, ‘No, you need to sit, make sure you’re healthy.’ And I’ve got all these people pulling me left and right and I don’t know what to do.  [I decided] I’m just going to sacrifice and do what I’ve got to do for the team regardless if I score 20 or 0. … I had to tell my mom and dad, ‘No, I’m playing regardless.’

“For us as professional athletes, this is what we look forward to – to play at the highest level against the best teams and the best players. That’s what we have an opportunity to do right now, playing against Golden State: the best team in the league, MVP, All‑Stars across the board. You want that competition, take that challenge. I hated that I had to miss Game 1, but I think I made the right decision, and I was able to do alright [in Game 2].”

Conley’s teammates were thrilled to have their floor general back on the court and were extremely impressed with his performance.

“I think he did a great job,” Marc Gasol said. “He just let the game come. He took whatever the defense was giving him. Of course you want to see the ball go in a couple of times and your confidence builds up, and he did a great job. Honestly, outstanding.

“I’m just happy for him that he’s able to play because the mental part that you’ve got to push through [is tough] and nobody but yourself can do it. So I’m happy that Mike is able to not only push through that, but to succeed and help the team win. That makes everything worth it.  Of course I’m very happy to have him out there. That’s easy to say because how much he means to the team, how much he means to me. He gives us toughness, and he gives us a lot of things that nobody else can.”

Conley said he wasn’t experiencing much pain before the game, but his face was sore and throbbing after getting hit a few times (including a controversial collision with Draymond Green, who claims it was unintentional). And as if his performance wasn’t already impressive enough, he dealt with cramping late in the game since he hadn’t been very active since the surgery and, according to him, “probably didn’t drink enough water over the last week.”

He should continue to feel better with each passing day and, lucky for him, he’ll get three days off before Game 3 is played on Saturday evening. Even as he improves, he’ll keep wearing the mask to protect his face. Fortunately, Conley hasn’t experienced any issues with the mask. Sometimes players struggle when wearing something on their face since it’s uncomfortable, hot and can limit their visibility. However, Conley wasn’t too bothered by it.

“I’ve had a few days with the mask, so I think having played in it in practice a couple times really helped me develop some type of comfort with it,” Conley said. “I didn’t think about it too much, I just played the game. My eyesight was pretty good. I didn’t have too many times where I felt like my vision was impaired by looking too fast or the mask getting in the way. Luckily, I didn’t have any of those [issues].”

Conley said his return not only helped the Grizzles on the court, but also gave the team a mental boost.

“I think my presence, being out there with the guys, has just helped everybody mentally knowing that I’m going to push through and fight for them,” Conley said. “And they pick me up as well.”

Now, the Grizzlies have stolen home-court advantage away from the Warriors and enter Game 3 at home with momentum. Memphis has been viewed as a huge underdog in this series and a ton of attention has been given to the Warriors and especially MVP Steph Curry. But don’t sleep on Conley, who can have a huge impact on this series as well and will look to stay undefeated in the playoffs in Saturday’s crucial Game 3.