Bulls finish cleaning house by (finally) firing Jim Boylen
After 618 days and 123 games (39–84) as head coach for the Chicago Bulls, Jim Boylen will no longer have a role in the Chicago Bulls locker room. In a moment that seems long overdue for most fans, Jim Boylen was finally fired by Arturas Karnisovas on August 14, 2020, which is about four months after Karnisovas was hired (April 13, 2020) as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.
Boylen’s longevity in his position as head coach was rumored to be due to ownership being enamored with him but that favor subsided once the decision-making keys were handed over to Arturas Karnisovas who was told by Reinsdorf to get to know Boylen and properly evaluate him before making his decision.
Jim Boylen was a passionate and relentless head coach that unfortunately made egregious mistakes, had quirky antics, created an offense that settled at a bottom tier, and could not really figure out how to beat winning teams, going 2–23 against teams with a record above .500 during the 2019–2020 season. He never really focused on the Bulls’ record but was more so locked in on player development despite some key players regressing, and was extremely confident that he would retain his job prior to this announcement.
The Bulls front office vowed to become a player-first organization after Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley were hired during this offseason and adhered to that by firing Jim Boylen, who seemed abhorred by most players on the team. Specifically, Denzel Valentine and Daniel Gafford have spoken publicly about Boylen prior to his firing. Well, its safe to say the players’ requests have been answered.
“After doing a comprehensive evaluation and giving the process the time It deserved, I ultimately decided that a fresh approach and evolution In leadership was necessary,” Karnisovas said in a statement.
While it should never be good news to hear of someone losing their job, especially amidst a pandemic such as COVID-19 where unemployment has peaked to its highest levels in US history, I would not be surprised if Bulls fans all across the world are celebrating the firing of Jim Boylen from the Chicago Bulls.
Karnisovas made it clear that the Bulls will begin the search right away for a replacement. Top considerations at the moment are Denver assistant Wes Unseld, Jr., former Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson, Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin, and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Bulls have had three coaches in the past five years and have not had much progress towards a successful rebuild over the last few years. The Bulls are in a critical position where expertise, creativity, and team-building will be vital qualities they will look for in a new head coach.
