NBA Rumors: Why Chicago Bulls Is Charging Into Wrong Direction

The Chicago Bulls need a wake-up call, but perhaps in the right and professional way. The team is now handled by a new head coach, Jim Boylen, but it seems that the change has created even more chaos for the franchise.

According to Yahoo Sports, Boylen has been employing extreme tactics on the Bulls ever since taking over from Fred Hoiberg, who was fired last Dec. 3. In his first week, he held three two-and-a-half-hour practices, including extra wind sprints and military style push-ups.

The lengthy practices have drawn the ire of players and allegedly led to a near mutiny, with the players eventually reaching out to the National Basketball Players Association for help.

Instead of turning things around, it has been the exact opposite for the Bulls so far. The Bulls have so far been 1-3 since the exit of Hoiberg. They fell to the Indiana Pacers last Dec. 5, 96-90, but bounced back when they nipped the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 8, 114-112.

The Bulls got blasted by the Boston Celtics last Dec 9, 133-77, and again lost to the Sacramento Kings earlier today, 108-90. At the rate they are going, it will be interesting if some changes will happen.

Unless Chicago Bulls team owner Jerry Reinsdorf or even general manager Gar Forman comes forward to address this issue, the team will find itself in a pretty big mess. Boylen has scoffed reports on the disharmony from within and singled out his days with the San Antonio Spurs and how Gregg Popovich did it to send a message to his players, according to Bleacher Report.

But of course, there were a lot of loopholes from there. One is that Boylen is no Popovich, or at least not yet. One source said that there was a player who actually told Boylen (in essence) that they were not the Spurs and that he isn’t Popovich.

Tony Parker, a known Popovich descendant, can attest to the player’s reasoning. He said that mimicking Popovich only works once trust is established with the people inside the team’s circle.

Boylen apparently does not have that one important thing, indicating that his system may not be suited for the Bulls. His era has started out on the wrong foot, pushing Chicago further back. With disgruntled players around him, it remains to be seen if the Bulls will stick with the 53-year-old or opt to find someone players will respect and trust.