Despite rumors that the Chicago Bulls would try to go after LeBron James in free agency and let him pick their head coach, things turned out differently. More precisely, the franchise from Illinois opted to sign former Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau to a three-year deal worth approximately $10 million.

Even though Thibodeau has never been the head coach of a NBA team, he could very well be the most deserving assistant coach in the entire league to step up. After all, he did not only help the Houston Rockets to improve their defensive schemes between 2003 and 2006, but also was a substantial part in the Celtics' championship run in 2008 as he is believed to be the primary driving force behind Boston's excellent team defense. Considering that the Bulls are already one of the better defensive teams in the league, he can be expected to continue this trend while providing excellent services at just $3 million a year.

Yet, Thibodeau is bound to face some challenges in the upcoming NBA campaign. Albeit it remains to be seen which star caliber free agent might sign in Chicago eventually, the Bulls' offense left much to be desired in the past and will be no easy problem to tackle. Most importantly, franchise cornerstone Derrick Rose will have to continue to create off the dribble rather than being stuck in an inflexible half-court set. His ability to penetrate in the lane and find the open man rests to a great extent on his 1-on-1 skills and preventing him from doing so would certainly be detrimental to his development. Likewise, starting center Joakim Noah has yet to reach his prime, but will need some guidance to get there. For instance, his offensive shot selection will have to be addressed as he has been putting up a large number of mid-range jumpshots in 2009-10 which turned out to be a rather low-percentage shot for him.

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