Never an organization to move swiftly, the Chicago Bulls swooped in to hire the best assistant coach in the NBA on Saturday. Tom Thibodeau will be named the 18th coach in Bulls history, once the NBA Finals are over. Quite frankly, I’m shocked at how the Bulls dawdling front office targeted a guy, interviewed him, made him an offer and got the deal done. Thibodeau was the main target of the New Orleans Hornets and the New Jersey Nets ,along with the Bulls. He is deserving of his first head coaching sentence, but he only entered the picture for the Bulls just this week. Something is going on in Deerfield and I think I know what and who it has to deal with.

Tom Thibodeau is a good choice for the Bulls, but he didn't become a serious candidate until he signed with CAA and had a connection to LeBron James.

Thibodeau, apparently, always was against having an agent again. It wasn’t, until recently, that he aligned himself with Creative Artists Agency. That’s important because CAA also reps William “Worldwide” Wes (he just became an agent), Chris Bosh, and– wait for it….LeBron James. What caused the Bulls to hop on a plane and head to Los Angeles last week? Hmm, I wonder. Within about 48 hours, the Bulls had an offer on the table to hire a coach that the new billionaire owner of the Nets, Mikhail Prokorhov, and GM Rod Thorn desperately wanted to hire. There’s a reason the Bulls acted like they actually have a pulse. They know something….This is the same Bulls front office that stalled two years ago when Mike D’Antoni was ready for them to make an offer. This is the same Bulls front office that had a deal with Doug Collins that same summer, as well as this past December, only to F the thing up. Moving swiftly and showing some form of a vision hasn’t been their strong suit. Until now.

According to Yahoo basketball writer Adrian Wojnarowski, some league executives didn’t think Bulls De Facto GM Gar Forman wasn’t that high on Thibodeau, but it doesn’t matter. Jerry Reinsdorf is because he knows he has a great chance at stealing away LeBron from the Cavs and ending pro basketball in Dumpland forever. Dan Gilbert hasn’t slept since this news came out, I can promise you. Why do you think Danny Ferry stepped down this week? It wasn’t, solely, because Gilbert wants to be more hands on– it’s because he has to know there is a great chance LeBron is leaving. The NBA’s free agency signing period has already begun. To quote my favorite wrestling broadcaster Gorilla Monsoon…”You can take that to the bank.” The wheels are in motion, and owners are calling the shots.

Worldwide Wes is telling people that he believes LeBron is strongly leaning towards signing with the Bulls. Thibodeau is part of CAA. His ties to Wesley make the Bulls the front runner for the biggest free agent in the history of sports.

It wasn’t until Thibodeau signed with CAA that he was thought to be a serious target for the Bulls. You better believe that if LeBron didn’t approve of  Thibodeau being the Bulls coach, the Bulls never would have flown to L.A. to get the deal done so quickly. Jerry Reinsdorf is craving for more NBA championships, and is showing he will do anything to make sure the most athletic player in the history of the league signs with his team. Wojnarowski states that the Bulls hiring of Thibodeau doesn’t guarantee them LeBron, but it’s the equivalent of a down payment. Yes, the chairman wants The King that badly that he’ll hire a coach his GM may not have wanted. Reinsdorf knows Bulls fans will always place Michael Jordan number one on the “Why the Bulls have 6 championships” list. And ,rightfully so. Chairman Jerry wants his own legacy, and signing the biggest free agent of all-time will go a long way towards accomplishing that goal. He could silence all of the rumblings Bulls fans have had over the years. He cares more about his horrendous and un-watchable White Sox. He only still owns the Bulls because he makes a sh*t load of money with them. He doesn’t pay coaches. He doesn’t want more rings as long as the United Center is packed every night. With one signature, all of that talk vanishes quicker than weed in an NBA players hotel room. If Reinsdorf pulls this off, his legacy will be cemented. Why? Because adding James means more banners will be hung at the United Center. That’s how big this.

William “Worldwide” Wesley made headlines that have people in New York and Cleveland looking for anything sharp. He thinks LeBron is leaning hard towards signing with the Bulls. I still have no idea why “Wes” has so much power and say with NBA players. No matter how much I read about him, he still seems like he doesn’t exist. Not that I care right about now. If he thinks LeBron is coming to the Bulls, fine. Do your thing worldwide. Remember, if Thibodeau wasn’t a part of CAA, he wouldn’t be coaching the Bulls.

The way the Bulls swooped in to steal Thibodeau from the Nets and Hornets tells me they know something regarding LeBron. The Bulls used to haggle with Phil Jackson about money when he was winning titles for Christ’s sake. Now they get a deal done with a coach in 48 hours? They must know something we don’t. An NBA executive believes most of the big free agent deals will be done by July 1. It’s why Dwyane Wade was doing that slimy rat ,Pat Riley’s,dirty work when he questioned the Bulls loyalty to former players. Wade can’t possibly be that ignorant. Actually hearing and reading about some of his actions, he quite possibly is that ignorant and isn’t the wholesome hometown hero some thought. Whether he believes the Bulls aren’t loyal to former players doesn’t matter. It’s a Riley ploy to keep James and Bosh from coming to the Bulls. Riley is trying to sell James and Bosh on taking less money to go to Miami. Sure Pat, because NBA players always take less money. I still loathe that sneaky piece of crap after all these years.

Random Tangent: Stan Van Jeremy would have won the ‘06 title with the Heat if Riles didn’t abruptly toss him to the curb like a cheap hooker. Riles saw an opportunity to add another ring to his resume, so he fired Van Jeremy and rode Wade’s coattails for that ring. Sorry Pat, but your slimy ways aren’t working right now.

Yes, Tom Thibodeau is the Bulls new head coach, but remember, he only has the gig because he’s with CAA, and LeBron James is on board with it. If he didn’t? There’s no chance the Bulls would have acted big time and made this move. Something is going on in Deerfield alright, and it all has to do with LeBron James. Get those number 6 jerseys ready….