ESPN

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Tuesday that Derrick Rose made the smart decision by sitting out all season after undergoing ACL surgery, and he also said the team will consider all options in trying to prevent further foot problems for Joakim Noah.

"Going into the season we knew Derrick would be out for an extended amount of time," Thibodeau said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "We didn't know how long. And in the end it just didn't work out. I think a byproduct of him being out, and of course a few other injuries, we saw the emergence of Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah had a career year."

That career year, however, did not come without a recurrence of his plantar fasciitis.

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We're trying to figure (out how to prevent more foot problems)," Thibodeau said. "He needs rest right now to get completely healthy, and then we're going to look at the possibility of doing some corrective exercises, and things like that.

"So we'll look at the entire picture, but the main thing is to make sure he gets completely healthy this summer."

Noah has battled plantar fasciitis for years. He missed two months in the 2010-11 season with it and it flared up again this season as he missed 12 of the last 15 games of the regular season and limped through an inspired playoff performance.

Thibodeau was asked specifically if the team has considered asking Noah to change shoes. He's the only player in the NBA to wear Le Coq Sportif, which is made in France and was worn by his father Yannick when he was a tennis champion in the 1980s.

"As I said, we're going to look at everything, and then we're going to determine what we think is best for him," Thibodeau said. "But I think he's comfortable with the shoes, but we will re-examine all things that we can look at."

Thibodeau also was asked about the amount of minutes he demands from his players. Noah was tied for 16th in the league at 36.8 minutes in the regular season while teammate Luol Deng, who has battled wrist issues, led the league at 38.7 minutes per game.

"Luol has shown us that he can handle big minutes," Thibodeau said. "Now the thing that we're concerned about with Joakim is that he's been hurt whether he's played short minutes, long minutes and really this is the only year that he's played extended minutes. His minutes have been on the low side for a long time. But we will look at everything."

CHICAGO -- One of the biggest luxuries of having a successful system in place in the NBA is the ability to draft whomever you want, not necessarily bound by need as are many teams. The Bulls have been so consistent over the past three years under Tom Thibodeau that they have the ability to go in a number of directions as they get set to pick at No. 20 in the NBA Draft next week.

The Bulls have developed that consistency in large part due to the types of players Gar Forman and John Paxson have selected and signed over the past few years. Forman has said over the years that Bulls aren't just looking for solid players, they're looking for solid character guys who will fit into the fabric of their locker room.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen said Bulls guard Derrick Rose didn't deserve to be criticized by fans for sitting out the entire the 2012-13 season while rehabbing from a torn ACL in his left knee.

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Fifteen years ago today, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Chicago Bulls to their third straight NBA Championship and sixth title in an eight-year span.

Jordan's game-winning shot over Bryon Russell signaled the end of the Bulls dynasty.

Fifteen years later, another dynamic duo -- LeBron James and Dwyane Wade -- is potentially on the verge of a second straight NBA Championship while competing in its third straight NBA Finals.

Which is the better duo: Jordan/Pippen or James/Wade? Let's compare their three-year playoff runs.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Friday he has received congratulatory text messages from Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"Tom texted the other day," Quenneville said after Friday's practice at the United Center. "It was nice to hear from him. … He was happy for us. He's texted a couple times. I told him he was doing a nice job shoveling the other day (at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bulls practice facility)."

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Today marks the 15th anniversary of one of the greatest shots in NBA history.

In Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan drained his infamous 17-footer to give the Bulls an 87-86 lead over the Jazz with 5.2 second remaining. That shot proved to be the game-winner, sealing Chicago's sixth and last NBA title.

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Tom Thibodeau's appointment as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball team couldn't have come at a much better time for the Chicago Bulls. Not only is it a personal honor for one of the best coaches in the league, but it could also serve as a huge asset for an organization that wants to add another star to pair with Derrick Rose in the future.

Thibodeau has developed a reputation as one of the league's best coaches and All-Star players always sing his praises when asked about the Bulls. With Rose’s knee injury looming over the start of last season, Kevin Durant said last summer he knew the Bulls would be just fine because of the veteran coach's presence.

"Thibodeau is an unbelievable coach," Durant said. "They have an unbelievable system. Their defense is great and they play together. So if you have that combination, no matter what, you're going to be a good team."

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CHICAGO -- When Jerry Reinsdorf's group bought the Chicago Bulls in 1985, the team practiced at no-frills Angel Guardian Gym, a shuttered high school/orphanage, on the North Side.

"I remember walking in and talking to the players for the first time and you couldn't even stand up," Reinsdorf said Monday. "I was shocked at that."

The Bulls quickly moved to the Deerfield Multiplex fitness club, a tremendous upgrade, albeit with limited privacy, before moving to the Berto Center in Deerfield in 1992.

The Bulls had a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday in parking lot J for their new practice facility, which will be adjacent to the United Center. The 60,000-square-foot facility should be ready for the 2014-15 season and will be a major upgrade from Berto, as far as space and modern amenities. It also provides closer proximity for the basketball and business operations departments; the latter is housed in the United Center. The team will sell naming rights to the facility.

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CHICAGO -- Summer means vacation for NBA players who don't make the Finals, and the Chicago Bulls hope their players use this free time to recharge for what hopes to be a healthy regular season.

From Derrick Rose's much-debated knee rehab to Kirk Hinrich's never-ending injuries to Luol Deng's season-ending illness, the Bulls season recap needed American Medical Association approval.

The Bulls have put together great regular seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau, but haven't been able to field healthy lineups in the postseason the last two years. With no money for new players, the Bulls need the expensive ones they have to be healthy. Something has to change.

"After this year, which was about as tough a year, we started out with Derrick's injury and then all the other things that happened, we really need to focus on getting our guys right and healthy," Bulls vice president for basketball operations John Paxson said at the team's groundbreaking for its new practice facility adjacent to the United Center.

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Nick Friedell looks at each member of the Chicago Bulls roster and how they fit in for the future.

Gar Forman, general manager

Season recap: Forman was crushed by critics last summer for saying that the Bulls would be making "basketball decisions, not financial ones" in regards to the upcoming free agency process only to allow Omer Asik to go to the Houston Rockets by not matching the poison pill deal he was offered last July. The Bulls made an organizational decision to keep open potential flexibility in the future instead of bringing back the popular Bench Mob. Forman deserves credit for sticking to his guns and putting trust into the fact that Tom Thibodeau would form the Bulls into a respectable product in a season without Derrick Rose.

Season highlight: Game 7 in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Brooklyn Nets might as well have been the Bulls' Super Bowl this season. The fact that they won despite playing without Kirk Hinrich (calf), Luol Deng (illness) and Rose only underscores the job that Forman did in putting together the roster with Executive VP John Paxson and the work that Thibodeau did on the bench. The fact that the Bulls won that game in large part due to bench stalwarts Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson as well as Joakim Noah, the man the Bulls invested $60 million into before last season, surely made Forman happy about his decisions in a season that many fans figured would be completely lost without Rose.

Season lowlight: The loss of Asik. While the Bulls' bench performed admirably this season, there's no question the loss of Asik hurt more than anything else. The fact that he ended up going to Houston without any compensation has to eat at Forman and the rest of the front office.

Final grades: Regular season: B Postseason: B

Notes: Forman and Paxson have done a good job over the past three years of identifying players that fit well into Thibodeau's system. Not any player can play for a demanding coach like Thibodeau. Forman and Paxson have done a good job filling up their roster with players who will embrace hard work and won't complain.

Quotes: "We're really, really excited about him," Forman said in April on ESPN Chicago's "Waddle and Silvy" of Bulls' draft pick Nikola Mirotic. "We built a relationship with him, we're in constant communication. John (Paxson) and I went up and saw him this fall when he played at Memphis and at Toronto in a couple NBA exhibitions, and we think the ceiling there is incredible.

"He's probably a four, but he's very, very skilled. He shoots it from 3, can handle it, good mobility. And he's a tough, tough kid."

What's next?: Forman has a tough job ahead of him in trying to recreate a bench for the second summer in a row while also deciding what to do with Luol Deng. The front office understands that it needs another star to pair alongside Rose but it will be tough for the Bulls to make such a move given their long-term cap issues.

Nick Friedell looks at each member of the Chicago Bulls and how they fit in for the future.

Tom Thibodeau

Season recap: Thibodeau proved again why he is one of the best coaches in the NBA. He took a team led by Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and a lot of spare parts on the bench and turned them into a 45-game winner and into the second round against the Miami Heat. The Bulls knew they were going to take a step back this year without Derrick Rose, but Thibodeau made sure it wasn't much as the Bulls played hard almost every night and set a tone defensively that was respected throughout the league.

Season highlight: Playing without Kirk Hinrich (calf) and Luol Deng (illness), the Bulls still found a way to win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in Brooklyn against the Nets. It was the defining win of the Thibodeau era in Chicago and one he has to be proud of as he starts the offseason.

Season lowlight: In November, Thibodeau's team lost three straight regular season games for the first time in his tenure. The three-game losing skid included losses to the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets.

Final grades: Regular season: A Postseason: A

Notes: Thibodeau's big challenge will be integrating Rose back into the lineup this summer. He will need to find a way to make his former MVP most comfortable. He definitely did that in the public eye this past season by standing behind Rose throughout the process. Thibodeau never wavered in his support for Rose and that should pay dividends in that relationship moving forward.

Quotes: "We're not satisfied because we feel like there's still a lot to accomplish," Thibodeau said after the Game 7 win in Brooklyn. "You begin the season with the end in mind knowing that you're going to be going through a lot of different things and you have to have the perseverance and mental toughness to get through a lot of tough things. And this was one of those things. We lost some guys along the way, they had homecourt ... we took a big punch in Game 1 and we kept fighting back and that's been the story of the season."

What's next?: Thibodeau continues to squeeze the most out of his roster but for the third year in a row his team hobbled its way to the finish line. He is always going to coach with the same passion and fire but he is facing more critics about the way he splits up his minutes. The front office will likely sit down with Thibodeau this summer and see if they can get him to take his foot off the gas just a little bit during the regular season.

A person with knowledge of the details says Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams will join the returning Jim Boeheim as assistant coaches for the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.

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Dennis Rodman says LeBron James would be "average" if he played in the 1990s, and insists James' Miami Heat would be no match for his old Chicago Bulls team.

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Nick Friedell enters the Bulls chat room at 2:30 CT.

Submit questions here and come back for the chat.

CHICAGO -- Tom Thibodeau is not one to run from pressure, which is a good thing given there will be greater expectations on the veteran coach heading into next season than at any other point in his Bulls' tenure.

Plenty of fans and critics have pointed to Derrick Rose having the most to prove after sitting out the season while rehabbing from ACL surgery, but if Rose comes back and dominates, much of the focus will turn to the man who has earned a reputation as one of the top coaches in basketball.

Thibodeau will be charged with getting the Bulls to the next level. Being the competitor that he is, it's a challenge he's willing to accept. Up until this point in Chicago, Thibodeau has yet to face much serious criticism. He has been criticized for his insistence to play his young leaders heavy minutes in games, notably Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Rose, but he has been given the benefit of the doubt in almost all cases because of his work ethic and ability to pile up regular-season wins no matter who is on the floor.

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