Tom Thibodeau Fired As Chicago Bulls Coach; Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans And Orlando Magic Interested In His Services?

It's official, Tom Thibodeau will no longer be coaching the Chicago Bulls next season as he was fired Thursday afternoon. When news broke out, the head coach who led the Bulls to a second round trip in the post season is rumored to be pursued by Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Orlando Magic.

Here's the official statement from Chicago Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

"The Chicago Bulls have a history of achieving great success on and off the court. These accomplishments have been possible because of an organizational culture where input from all parts of the organization has been welcomed and valued, there has been a willingness to participate in a free flow of information, and there have been clear and consistent goals. While the head of each department of the organization must be free to make final decisions regarding his department, there must be free and open interdepartmental discussion and consideration of everyone's ideas and opinions. These internal discussions must not be considered an invasion of turf, and must remain private. Teams that consistently perform at the highest levels are able to come together and be unified across the organization-staff, players, coaches, management and ownership. When everyone is on the same page, trust develops and teams can grow and succeed together. Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this culture. To ensure that the Chicago Bulls can continue to grow and succeed, we have decided that a change in the head coaching position is required. Days like today are difficult, but necessary for us to achieve our goals and fulfill our commitments to our fans. I appreciate the contributions that Tom Thibodeau made to the Bulls organization. I have always respected his love of the game and wish him well in the future."

With that said and done, it's time for both parties to move on. For coach Tim Thibodeau, ESPN's Mark Stein reported that the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans will try to gain his services.

While Jordan Schultz reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are also interested in Thibs.

Meanwhile, Bleacher Report's Rich Bucher said that the Chicago Bulls are not willing to pay a top-tier coach and possible candidates for the vacancy are Adrian Griffin, Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg, and Nate McMillan.