I'm constantly on record berating VanGundy's coaching chops for riding Charlie Football through the '99 Finals, so I can't fault Thibs in a firefight with the Hawks to fully demote Elfred J. Fudd.
He was a part of getting us to the 4th seed (gee whiz, did we really finish in the top 5?), and maybe Thibs thought Rose had enough in the tank after not starting all season to go into 8th gear for the playoffs.
We had a good season with Elf on the floor, and we got the COY.