Chicago Bulls Start Head Coaching Search Following Boylen Axing

Jim Boylen unsurprisingly got the boot after the Chicago Bulls opted to move forward without the 55-year-old coach. Though he was able to weave some magic with the Bulls, there were a lot of loose ends that needed addressing. It was a fact that Boylen did not exactly have the full backing and trust of his player, something that started with his military-like practices to push players to their limits.

The Bulls fired Boylen on Friday, a move that is expected to spark a revamp for a club that has missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, The Associated Press reported. The move comes not long after the ESPN documentary "The Last Dance," recalling the best run in Chicago history anchored on Michael Jordan.

Things have just not been the same for the Bulls since the Jordan era. The coach who came close to pushing the Bulls back to success was Tom Thibodeau. He led the club bannered by Derrick Rose during the 2010-11 season. That Bulls squad reached the Eastern Conference Finals, bowing only to the Miami Heat, 1-4.

When Boylen took over as head coach during the 2018-19 season, he was hardly able to get anything going. Only Tim Floyd (.205) had a lower winning percentage than Boylen (.317).

“This was a very difficult decision, but it is time for our franchise to take that next step as we move in a new direction and era of Chicago Bulls basketball,” said Arturas Karnisovas, the team’s new executive vice president of basketball operations. “Jim is a great human being that cares deeply about this organization and the game of basketball.”

Boylen also had promising stars at his disposal. Among the big names he had were Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter. Though these players had their share of injuries, things just did not click.

Now, the Bulls start their search for a new head coach and several names have been suggested. Among the names include former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson and Toronto Raptors lead assistant Adrian Griffin. Griffin played with Karnisovas at Seton Hall in the early 1990s.

Aside from the two coaches, other names in consideration include Stephen Silas, Darvin Ham, Wes Unseld Jr. and Ime Udoka, the Chicago Tribune reported. Atkinson should be high on the list, being a former head coach. However, he is also being considered by the New York Knicks to take over the head coaching position currently handled by Mike Miller on an interim basis.