According to a source close to the situation, Boylen has let it be known to members of his staff that he will accept any fate coming his way from his new front office and ownership, but fully expects that he will return to the head coaching seat next season.
His one concern, according to the source, is with Arturas Karnisovas now calling the shots, Boylen was at least hoping for a chance to sit down with his new bosses and discuss his year-and-a-half on the job before they make a final decision.
Whether Boylen will get that opportunity is obviously yet to be decided, but even his biggest supporters — Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf — won’t be throwing a life preserver his way if Karnisovas wants to go in a different direction.
This sounds like Boylen is jumping on the grenade for his staff and praying they don't get hit with the shrapnel when he's inevitably fired by the Bulls in the coming weeks. Jim seems like a genuinely nice guy from everything I've come across, but it comes to a point when players don't want to feel like they're in the basement of a church running ladders for their CYO team in fourth grade anymore. I'll be the first to admit that I started to buy into Boylen a bit when he started making his players clock in and out of team functions. I loved the idea, but then I remembered I'm not in the NBA and think everyone should have the mentality of a walk-on slot receiver.
I then immediately lost confidence in Boylen the minute he started rolling out three point guard lineups because they "match up well" defensively. The Bulls tasked Boylen with creating an identity for this Bulls' team, and he did. He may see it as playing hard defense and limiting midrange jumpshots, but his player development has Lauri looking worse, Wendell Carter has publicly laughed at Boylen and Coby White didn't start a game until March 10th. In what seemed like it was impossible, Boylen made players want to come to Chicago even less than before with GarPax leading the charge, and that's pretty damn impressive.
Looking back on it, I understand why the Bulls fired Tibs. Understanding why something was done and doing the right thing are completely different, and he should have never gone anywhere. I'm not saying to bring Tibs back, hell who knows maybe Boylen does stay, but I'd be pretty damn surprised if Arturas Karnisovas' first move isn't to move on from Boylen. Who do the Bulls hire? Who the fuck knows, I'd be intrigued in David Blatt if he still wants to coach. I'm sure Karnisovas and Blatt have some sort of European connection that can make Lauri want to stay in Chicago.
Here's a name to think about for the future vacant Head Coach Position though- Stacey King. Just sit on that, and convince me it wouldn't be an interesting fit. God knows he hates Jim Boylen just as much as the rest of us.
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