Bulls/Cavs series heats up, but what's to become of the coaches?

Each head coach in the Bulls-Cavaliers playoff is dangling precariously.

Both their futures are uncertain beyond the best-of-seven series, which is tied at 2-2 and resumes Tuesday in Cleveland.

Around here, it's viewed as a foregone conclusion that Tom Thibodeau won't be back with the Bulls next season.

In Cleveland, they have to be wondering whether David Blatt should even coach the rest of this postseason.

So here's a fun scenario to ponder regardless of who survives this series and whether either wins the NBA title.

Wouldn't it be odd if the Cavs hired Thibodeau to replace Blatt in Cleveland?

The chances are remote, of course, because Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf controls Thibodeau's fate.

The Bulls have the coach under contract for two more years, which means he can't be the one that forces a divorce.

It's up to the Bulls to conclude that Thibodeau is too difficult to manage and to decide what to do about it.

The wound is open, for sure. The impression is that the acrimony has festered for a couple seasons at least.

General manager Gar Forman and executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson don't seem capable of coexisting with Thibodeau and vice versa.

One unknown variable is whether Reinsdorf, Forman, Paxson, club president Michael Reinsdorf or a combination would have final say on Thibodeau's fate.

The Bulls' coach is considered one of the NBA's best, so getting rid of him would be controversial around here and around the league.

In other words, Bulls management has to handle this with care.

But men have to do what men have to do, testosterone flows freely, egos get in the way of common sense and suddenly a good team to coach appears prepared to lose a good coach to coach it.

In Cleveland, the equation is nearly the polar opposite in that Blatt has looked overmatched at times during the season and during this series.

Thibodeau hasn't exactly distinguished himself during the first two playoff rounds but he's still Vince Lombardi compared to Blatt's Marc Trestman.

Even in the Game 4 victory in the United Center, Blatt was like a nuisance that the Cavs had to navigate around.

First, assistant coach Tyronn Lue frantically prevented Blatt from potentially losing the game by calling a timeout that he didn't have.

Then Blatt diagramed a play with the score tied and 1.5 seconds remaining, only to be overruled.

“I scratched the play,” Cavaliers' superstar LeBron James was glad to say.

Blatt wanted James to make the inbound pass. James wanted to receive the ball, called his own number and made the winning shot.

The world's best basketball player is going to do what he wants when he wants to do it ... but James embarrassed Blatt by publicly revealing the series of events.

This all adds up to both head coaches being dispatched after the playoffs.

Thibodeau would love to coach a player like James. Meanwhile, James just might welcome to the Cavs a demanding coach like Thibodeau.

The Bulls could block the move by, yes, turning Thibodeau loose but, no, not letting him go to Cleveland.

Or the Bulls could demand more in compensation than the Cavs would pay. Or they could just make Thibodeau coach out his contract here.

Still, it's intriguing to imagine Tom Thibodeau coaching LeBron James in Cleveland next season.

mimrem@dailyherald.com