Although James chose to team with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, the Tribune reported in 2010 how impressed James was by coach Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls' presentation.
Asked Thursday to reflect on his dealings with James during that visit, Thibodeau said: "He was great. He's a fierce competitor. I thought (Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf) said it best: He earned the right to do what he did. I thought he handled himself overall well. He's not perfect. Nobody is. He was great with us. That's all I base it on."
James received a backlash of criticism after his televised announcement called "The Decision," an event the two-time MVP has said was a mistake. Thibodeau offered James support.
"With those things, you're never going to please everybody," Thibodeau said. "At the end of the day, you have to be true to yourself. And I think he was. That's the decision that he felt was best for him. It didn't work out for us. He moved on. We moved on. It's all good."
Bench Mob: With Derrick Rose back, the Bulls remained 16-7 without their best player. That winning percentage of .696 ranks behind only the Thunder, Heat and Spurs, albeit with fewer games.
"I love the versatility of our bench," Thibodeau said. "I feel that whatever is needed in the game, you can go down the bench and find it. That's a testament to the guys we have, how they stay ready and how they work."
Layups: Playoff tickets for the first two rounds go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday at Bulls.com, 1-800-462-2849, the United Center and Ticketmaster. … The Bulls and Joakim Noah are asking fans to bring new or unused art supplies to Saturday's home game for an art drive to support Noah's Arc Foundation. The first 250 fans who do will meet Noah and receive his autograph after the game. … Brian Scalabrine was the lone inactive for the second time in three games. Eddy Curry was inactive for the Heat.
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