Carlos Boozer: Bulls Should Extend Tom Thibodeau’s Contract ASAP

After a report came out over the weekend that Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was unhappy with his contract situation, his players were asked for their opinions on the matter. Most side-stepped the issue, but Carlos Boozer was quite forthcoming in his support of Thibs. From the Chicago Tribune: “A report Friday not only painted coach Tom Thibodeau as “dismayed” over not having been offered a lucrative contract extension, it alleged that ‘his displeasure with the situation is an open secret in team circles.’ If that’s the case, several Bulls players opted to play dumb. ‘No, I didn’t even know that’s the situation,’ Luol Deng said. ‘He’s not the type of guy to talk to us about it and we’re not the type of team to talk about it.’ Derrick Rose said he wasn’t thinking about it. ‘You know me, I feed off positive energy,’ Rose said. ‘I’m not worried about it at all. (Thibodeau) wants to be here. It has nothing to do with me. That’s all the front office. I know they’ll get it done.’ […] Carlos Boozer also played it cool. ‘Nah, he doesn’t talk about that stuff,’ Boozer said, ‘but we need to get him an extension ASAP. We know how great he has been for us and what he has meant to this team. This is a tough season – 66 games crunched into four months. I think he has done a great job of pushing us when we need to be pushed and taking his foot off the gas pedal when we need some rest. Our record reflects that. And he’s still teaching us great things. That’s the coach we all want to play for until we finish.’ […] For the record, Thibodeau said he is not dismayed: ‘I don’t know where that’s coming from. I’m not worried about any of that stuff. I’m under contract. I’m fine with everything here.’ And even if he were, there’s not much he could do about it. The second-year coach signed in June 2010 for two years plus a team option, so the Bulls control him through next season.”