The Bulls were in Mexico on the day in December 2018 in which I criticized Boylen in a Chicago Tribune column for taking such a militaristic approach to his new job that it nearly sparked a mutiny. The front office’s attempt at a culture change by replacing Fred Hoiberg with Boylen instead caused a culture shock, a basketball reverberation from which the Bulls really never recovered. Naturally, Boylen didn’t see it that way, so he skipped an afternoon siesta to push his agenda from his Mexican hotel suite.
"This is going to work, you’ll see," Boylen insisted in a 30-minute conversation that sounded like a recruiting pitch. "One day, everybody is going to look back at this period as the beginning of something special."
Hmmm. Just 20 months later, in retrospect, it really was the beginning of the end.
Boylen never truly recovered from the credibility deficit he created for himself early, never fulfilled the bold promises he made to the writers and broadcasters who chronicled his unorthodox ways, never felt like the right man for the job no matter how hard he or Bulls officials tried to tell us otherwise. More confident than competent, Boylen never showed the ability to adapt his outdated coaching style for the modern NBA player or game, so now he goes down with Terry Bevington and Marc Trestman, among others, in Chicago sports lore as good guys who were bad hires.
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Passion only can carry someone so far in any profession; at some point, the purpose of the hire must become more obvious than Boylen ever made it. Nobody ever could doubt how badly Boylen wanted to succeed as an NBA head coach in Chicago, but anyone familiar with the game plainly saw how much he struggled sending the message from his heart to his players’ heads.
This always was inevitable, a necessary move for the Bulls to continue building trust and keep moving forward after the recent front office upheaval. This was important to show players their input mattered, assuming their exit interviews revealed several reticent to the idea of bringing Boylen back.
The fresh start precipitated by team president Michael Reinsdorf – hiring Arturas Karnisovas as new executive vice president of basketball operations and Marc Eversley as general manager -- required a new coach to make the metamorphosis complete. Nobody takes over a failing restaurant and changes everything but the chef. Good for the Reinsdorfs that, in the midst of a pandemic that has narrowed revenue streams for professional sports teams, they didn’t let the two-year contract extension Boylen signed 15 months ago stand in their way.
"No one could question Jim’s passion for our team and our organization," Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. "We sincerely appreciate his tireless efforts and contributions during his time with the Bulls, and we wish him and his family the very best."
Karnisovas respectably took his time, allowing himself to meet and get to know Boylen before making a final decision that came as little surprise to anyone. You wonder if Bulls officials admired how the young and talented Suns responded to their first-year coach Monty Williams by going 8-0 inside the NBA bubble after arriving with the worst record among Western Conference qualifiers. You wonder what impression that left. The Suns’ remarkable mini-run provided an example of what happens when players connect with a coach. The challenge for the Bulls now becomes finding the right one for a roster better than Boylen’s record suggested.
Bad health contributed to many of the Bulls’ problems but, as much as anything, the stunted development of Lauri Markkanen can’t be dismissed as a big reason for firing Boylen. The next coach needs to find more ways to allow Markkanen, a potential All-Star, the freedom to utilize his versatility so he reaches the basketball ceiling that Boylen’s offensive approach limited. The right coach will feel excited about the promise of the players he will inherit. With Zach LaVine and Coby White, the Bulls have a potentially explosive backcourt. In Wendell Carter Jr., they have a strong interior defender and rebounder with offensive skill. In Markkanen, they have a player capable of a double-double every game.
Becoming a championship contender still will come down to the Bulls finding a star, whether it’s via free agency or the draft. That’s why Karnisovas and Eversley replaced John Paxson and Gar Forman. It’s up to the executives to find the make the shrewd maneuvers and acquire the right players. It’s up to the coach to put those players in the best position to win.
Maybe that coach will be Kenny Atkinson, the former Nets coach whom I believe represents the safest and smartest choice. Maybe it will be Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr., whom K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported was in the mix. Or maybe 76ers assistant Ime Udoka will emerge as a candidate or another qualified up-and-comer on an NBA staff will receive consideration. Whoever it is, replacing Boylen now continues the progress the Bulls have made since March.
And, perhaps, one day everybody will look back at this period as the beginning of something special.