"That way to Chicago?"

payday loans

Tom Thibodeau turned down an offer to be head coach of the New Orleans Hornets, and the Hornets quickly signed backup plan Monty Williams.

Meanwhile, Thibodeau set his sights on the one team he’s wanted to coach all along: The Chicago Bulls. It looks like Thibodeau will get his way. If a Chicago Tribune report is to be trusted, Thibs will soon be the Bulls’ head coach.

Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf spent part of Friday at the Berto Center, where sources said positive discussions about Tom Thibodeau continued with executive vice president John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman and that a formal offer is expected shortly.

The Celtics’ associate head coach quickly emerged as the front-runner to succeed Vinny Del Negro as Bulls coach after Paxson and Forman flew to Los Angeles for a Wednesday night interview on the eve of the NBA Finals.

Two sources familiar with the Bulls’ thinking continued to paint the situation as Thibodeau’s job to lose and that an offer is expected to come this weekend.

Now that all this head coaching interview stuff is almost over with, can Thibodeau please get back to doing what he does best — preparing the Celtics to play lockdown defense against any opponent? After the Game 1 debacle, the Celtics could use a fully-focused Thibodeau concentrated on nothing but shackling Kobe Bryant.