Jim Boylen is out as the Chicago Bulls head coach, per the team’s announcement Friday morning.
Boylen first came to Chicago in 2015-16 to serve as the team’s assistant head coach. Then in December of 2018, he was announced as the franchise’s 23rd head coach. During his tenure, the Bulls’ record was 39-84 (.317). The team was not part of the Orlando restart and has missed the playoffs four of the last five seasons.
Report: Jim Boylen Relieved as Bulls Head Coach
Bulls Looking to Begin Another Fresh Start
In a statement Friday, Bulls VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas expressed his appreciation for Boylen and that the decision was strictly the for the best for the team to evolve.
“Jim is a great human being that cares deeply about this organization and the game of basketball. I want to thank him for his professionalism and commitment to the franchise,” Karnisovas said in the statement Friday.
The Bulls began to clean house within their leadership department in April, hiring Karnisovas as VP-Basketball Operations, and Marc Eversley as General Manager, replacing Gar Forman. Jon Paxson moved into an advisory role after leading basketball operations for 17 years.
Chicago was hoping to contend for a spot in the Eastern Conference, but their plans fell short. Even before the season was postponed in March, their record was 22-43.
A coaching search will begin immediately, as the Bulls intend to look for candidates that will help drive their future and develop their young stars like Lauri Markkanen and rookie Coby White. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson and Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham are some of the many coaches that pose as potential candidates.
Arturas Karnisovas makes the change on Boylen and will start a search right away for his replacement. Among many expected to be considered: Denver assistant Wes Unseld, Jr., former Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson; Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin; Bucks assistant Darvin Ham. https://t.co/SxGYny4Biy
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 14, 2020
Chicago continues to look for sustained success since its dynasty days from the late 1990s. However, once again, the team is starting over while being stuck towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
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