North: Will Thibs suffer same fate at Brooks?

I hope Chicago Bulls fans take a look at Scott Brooks, the head coach of the Oklahoma Thunder who was just fired even though he had a .620 winning percentage.

The Bulls have an excellent head coach in Tom Thibodeau, who has a .647 winning percentage, yet there have been persistent rumors about his future with the club.

If the Bulls decided to part ways with Thibs, he would definitely not have any trouble getting another head coaching position. It wouldn't be the first time a quality manager or head coach would be let go under the Jerry Reinsdorf banner. Doug Collins and Tony LaRussa come to mind, for example.

While Thibs remains the head coach until further notice, let's compare the situation with Brooks to Thibodeau's tenure.

Supposedly Brooks was backed by the Thunders' two main stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but since Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who let superstar James Harden go, needed a scapegoat for not yet winning a championship, Brooks got the ax.

Thibodeau and Brooks have many similarities - they are both hard-nosed, driven to win and their superstars have had countless injury problems. Both coaches have produced winning teams under difficult conditions and managed to keep those teams together.

What could the expectations have been for Oklahoma City with an injured Durant, Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison all sidelined and missing significant time this year? There is just no way you can win without your star players, and if they are consistently unavailable there are issues.

Take a look at the Miami Heat's head coach Eric Spoeltra. He has won a championship, but did he suddenly get dumb this year? No, he lost LeBron James.

Let's be real, though: if the Bulls let Thibodeau walk, it will be with Derrick Rose's stamp of approval, just like Durant and Westbrook must have given to their coach's dismissal.

I am a Thibs fan and I hope he stays with the Bulls, but maybe Presti is right. Look at how well Steve Kerr has done at Golden State (.817 winning percentage) after they let Mark Jackson go as head coach because of perceived tensions and likability.

I'm hoping Thibs stays put, but if coaching longevity is based on the health of your players instead of your record, he's in trouble.

I just hope the Bulls win and Thibodeau stays here for a long time.

Remembering Buffone:

I have heard from so many people about the death of my good friend, Doug Buffone, and I appreciate all the kind words.

I taped a two-minute tribute to Doug, the football player. If you haven't see it yet, go to dailyherald.com, my twitter at north2north or my Facebook page.

Doug was just a tremendous person, and our sincere condolences to his wife, Dana, and his whole family from the North household.

Visitation is at Old St. Patrick's Church, 700 W. Adams in Chicago, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday with a service following.

Doug - rest in peace.

Program notes:

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• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.