CHICAGO -- I’m not sure if Chicago Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wrote or dictated his 230-word fire emoji of a statement explaining the Tom Thibodeau firing. But a simple “We wish him well but are going in a different direction” would have sufficed.

In any event, the words attributed to Reinsdorf served to carpet bomb Thibodeau on his way out as Bulls coach. Thibodeau’s fractious relationship with bosses John Paxson and Gar Forman was well-known in Chicago and around the league, but this was excessive.

Here is Reinsdorf’s full statement:

“The Chicago Bulls have a history of achieving great success on and off the court. These accomplishments have been possible because of an organizational culture where input from all parts of the organization has been welcomed and valued, there has been a willingness to participate in a free flow of information, and there have been clear and consistent goals. While the head of each department of the organization must be free to make final decisions regarding his department, there must be free and open interdepartmental discussion and consideration of everyone's ideas and opinions. These internal discussions must not be considered an invasion of turf, and must remain private. Teams that consistently perform at the highest levels are able to come together and be unified across the organization -- staff, players, coaches, management and ownership. When everyone is on the same page, trust develops and teams can grow and succeed together. Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this culture. To ensure that the Chicago Bulls can continue to grow and succeed, we have decided that a change in the head coaching position is required. Days like today are difficult, but necessary for us to achieve our goals and fulfill our commitments to our fans. I appreciate the contributions that Tom Thibodeau made to the Bulls organization. I have always respected his love of the game and wish him well in the future.”

The Bulls then noted that Thibodeau was an assistant coach for 21 years, as well as an advance scout for a year, before the team hired him.

Here is how his five-year tenure was described: “Thibodeau’s teams compiled an overall record of 255-139 (.647). The Bulls advanced to the playoffs five times during Thibodeau’s tenure, where he posted a postseason record of 23-28 (.451).”

Or as Forman put it in the release: "When Tom was hired in 2010, he was right for our team and system at that time, and over the last five years we have had some success with Tom as our head coach.”

Some success!

What was left unsaid is that Thibodeau’s .647 winning percentage ranks eighth all-time among coaches who have worked at least 100 games. Or that his best player, Derrick Rose, only played in 181 of those 394 games.

It wasn't noted that Rose became the youngest MVP in league history under Thibodeau. Or that Joakim Noah became an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year and an MVP candidate. Or that Luol Deng became an All-Star. Or that Jimmy Butler became a potential max player and All-Star. You get the picture.

Don't get me wrong, this divorce needed to happen for both parties. The relationship between Thibodeau and the front office was too toxic to continue. Thibodeau, in turn, needs to be in a situation where he feels safe and trusted. He’s a difficult, intelligent person and he’s very good at his job, but he has blame in this mess too.

But for all his faults -- he wasn’t an easy person to work for or with -- Thibodeau was a culture changer.

If you want to pin playoff losses on him, go for it. But in his one season with a fully healthy Rose, the Bulls went to the conference finals, where they lost to LeBron Freaking James. In this muddled rollercoaster of a season, the Bulls were dispatched by the best player in the world again.

The three playoff appearances without Rose: How do you judge Thibodeau for those? Beating the Nets in the first round in 2012 was actually pretty amazing.

Hey, at least Thibodeau was quoted about in this release, sharp as the remarks were. When the Bulls fired Vinny Del Negro in 2010, he got a 65-word press release with no comments.

Then again, Thibodeau is one of the winningest regular-season coaches in NBA history. Maybe he deserved a little better.