NBA Rumors: Things Fell Apart For Thibodeau After Jimmy Butler Trade

Double duty in the NBA has grown rampant through the years, but it does not immediately translate to success. For one to be considered for such a position, he needs a good track record of accomplishments. Unfortunately, Tom Thibodeau was not so lucky.

Thibodeau grew to prominence when he was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Furthermore, his performance resulted in being named NBA Coach of the Year back in 2011 after steering the Bulls to the 62-win season.

Despite the feat, things just did not fall into place with him in the Chicago front office. He would move on and join the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he became not only the head coach but also the president of basketball operations. The best finish he could come up with was a first-round playoff stint back in 2017, his second year. That wasn't enough to convince team owner Glen Taylor, resulting in Thibodeau's firing just recently.

The pressure of holding dual roles is enormous, with only a select few somehow proving to be efficient. This includes Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers who has so far managed to stick with the roles. Mike Budenholzer once had that honor with the Atlanta Hawks, along with Stan Van Gundy for the Detroit Pistons. Both ended up getting the boot, posing the question of whether having dual roles for a team makes sense.

Moving forward, The Ringer reported that these powers and responsibilities may be too much for one person to handle. Being a coach is already tedious, meaning their focus may be diverted to addressing a team's entire basketball operations.

For his part, Rivers did give up his post as president of basketball operations to focus on coaching last year. But despite that move, he continues to be partly responsible for basketball matters together with executive vice president Lawrence Frank.

As one can see, two heads are better than one. There is a fine line between a front office job and a coach calling the shots from the bench. It is not a good mix, and it remains to be seen if the trend will finally come to an end.

As for Thibodeau, it remains to be seen what lies ahead. He could eventually land a new coaching gig, perhaps something where he is completely focused to it. A front office job is grand, but only if it is the only responsibility he has to undertake.