After 18 years, Tom Thibodeau finally gets his chance to run NBA team and it comes with Bulls

With Bulls, Thibodeau finally gets his chance

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Tom Thibodeau’s long wait is over.

The Chicago Bulls made it official Wednesday, introducing Thibodeau at a news conference 18 days after he accepted a $6.5 million deal that’s guaranteed for two years with a club option for a third.

Thibodeau is the team’s 18th head coach. He calls it a “dream come true” after spending 18 years as an NBA assistant, the past three in Boston as Doc Rivers’ associate head coach. The mastermind behind a dominant defense, he helped the Celtics win the championship in 2008 and get back to the finals this year.

Now, after working with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, Thibodeau takes over a team that boasts one of the game’s best young point guards in All-Star Derrick Rose and enough room to offer a maximum contract in a star-studded free-agent market.