Adrian Wojnarowski thinks there may be a connection…
World Wide Wes has been telling everyone that he believes LeBron James(notes) is leaning hard toward signing with the Chicago Bulls. No one can be certain if basketball’s most famous middleman has been whispering honest insights to friends or amping the anxiety of Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert. Just know this: It wasn’t until Tom Thibodeau – who swore he never again wanted an agent – signed with William Wesley’s CAA that the Chicago Bulls grew serious about the coach’s candidacy.
Something pushed Bulls officials to get on a plane, fly to Los Angeles on the eve of the NBA Finals and meet with the Boston Celtics assistant coach. Within 48 hours, the Bulls had a deal for Thibodeau to become their head coach. For several weeks, the Bulls had chances to interview him. They never did. Just a year ago, Thibodeau couldn’t get offers from the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia Sixers and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Celtics see him as a career assistant and wouldn’t even consider him as a candidate to replace Doc Rivers.
Only now, Tom Thibodeau has a three-year contract to coach the Chicago Bulls.
William Wesley is a known confidant of LeBron and if he’s running around telling people that LeBron is headed to Chicago and Thibodeau signed with his agency just before being hired by the Bulls, there could be something here.
Wojnarowski also discusses the Heat’s situation as well as what happened to Danny Ferry in Cleveland. It’s a good read.
Another interesting bit came from an unnamed front office exec:
As one front-office executive with a franchise that has significant salary-cap space this summer said, “I think all the big free-agent deals will be done by July 1, if not the draft. The NBA would have a cow if [it] knew what’s going on now.”
If this is true, it makes LeBron’s planned free agency tour all the more ridiculous.
