Bulls name Thibodeau head coach
Basketball Betting Lines
06/23/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have named Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau their new head coach, finalizing a move reported earlier this month.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but on June 5, the Chicago Tribune reported Thibodeau accepted the Bulls' offer of a three-year contract, with the move becoming official following the NBA Finals. Boston lost Game 7 of the Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers last Thursday.
"I am very excited to be here and to join the Bulls organization. Chicago is a great city with great fans and a storied history," said Thibodeau. "I would like to thank [owner] Jerry Reinsdorf and [general manager] Gar Forman for presenting me with such a terrific opportunity. We have a talented team with a good nucleus of players, and I am eager to get started."
This will be Thibodeau's first shot at a head coaching job after serving as an assistant for seven teams over 18 seasons. A defensive specialist, his teams have finished in the top 10 in team defense 16 times, including this year's Celtics, who were fifth in points allowed per game.
"As I went through the process to search for the next head coach of the Chicago Bulls, the longer the process went it became apparent that Tom was a perfect fit for the Bulls," said Forman. "He is a great communicator and teacher of the game, and he fits our organizational philosophy from a defensive standpoint. With his experience and knowledge of the NBA, I am confident he will be a great leader for our team."
Thibodeau, 52, began his NBA career as an assistant with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989 and joined the Seattle SuperSonics in 1991-92 as a scout. He then worked for the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets before joining Boston prior to the 2007-08 season.
Thibodeau will take over for Vinny Del Negro, who was fired on May 4 following two seasons in Chicago.
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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.