Thibs speaks, but doesn't offer much more than usual
Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau spoke publicly for the first time since being fired on May 28.
What he said during a live visit to the Mike & Mike Show on ESPN Radio wasn't much different from what he'd tell reporters before a March game against Charlotte.
"Obviously, there were some issues (with Bulls management), and I don't want to get into all that," Thibodeau said. "I'm very proud of what the team did. ... I think any time when you have a pro franchise, there's going to be some carping that goes on along the way.
"I know for me, I put everything I have into each and every day. So I have no regrets. I'm going to let the record speak for itself."
Thibodeau dipped into a couple of his familiar themes. Asked if the discord with team management affected the results on the floor, Thibodeau talked about how you can make excuses every day in the NBA if you look for them.
As far as moving on from the Bulls, Thibodeau essentially used another old favorite: The important thing is understanding why you win or lose, learn from it and make your corrections.
Here's the actual quote: "I think the big thing is to study and prepare, and try to do it better the next time," Thibodeau said. "So there's a lot of things that I learned from the experience. .Whatever the next opportunity is, I'll take those lessons and try to use them.
"It was a great experience for me. I loved our players; I loved my staff Derrick (Rose) going down was a big hit for us. But the team always found a way, and sometimes I sat there and I didn't know how. They did an incredible job, they fought through that adversity, made the playoffs every year. We gave it our best shot. We fell short in the end."
Hoiberg says goodbye:
New Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg was back in Ames, Iowa on Friday to say goodbye to his players. He also met with reporters and talked about how much he'll miss Iowa State.
"Walking into this building today, for me, it was emotional," Hoiberg said, according to the Ames Tribune. "I would have been happy being here for my entire career. I wasn't lying about that. I really would have. … I counted 11 teams have called me the last three years. I've never really let them get anywhere except for this last one with Chicago.
"I wouldn't have left this opportunity for many situations, Chicago being one that I would at least entertain. We just looked at it as such an unbelievable opportunity, to eventually want to coach in that league, that was too good to pass up."
Hoiberg talked about missing the popcorn smell at Hilton Coliseum and promised to return to Iowa State for September football games for the rest of his life.
Tellem changes jobs:
Longtime NBA agent Arn Tellem surprisingly announced Friday he is leaving the business to join the Detroit Pistons front office.
Tellem represented Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol (and brother Marc) and Mike Dunleavy. Rose and Gasol are still under contract with the Bulls, while Dunleavy is a free agent.