A new era is truly being ushered in for the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City.
After a few weeks of speculation that the franchise may retain Jim Boylen as head coach for another year, the team made a big announcement on Friday. They have officially relieved Boylen of his duties as head coach and will move in a new direction:
OFFICIAL: Boylen relieved as Bulls head coach.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 14, 2020
Boylen took over for Fred Hoiberg and went 39-84 in his first two seasons as head coach. The team struggled to really develop any sort of chemistry under Boylen despite having some talent on the roster.
With the franchise hiring Artavius Karsavious as President of Basketball Operations and Marc Eversley as General Manager, it’s clear they want to go in a new direction. Rumors swirled over the Summer that Karsavious could have his hands tied in terms of picking a new head coach due to financial situations but on Friday, that wasn’t the case.
The search now begins (or continues) to find a new head coach for the franchise ahead of the 2021-22 season, whenever that starts. Adrian Griffin is a name that has been floated out there with ties to the new regime and might make the most sense for the Bulls.
Ime Udoka is another name to keep an eye on and has been called a “front runner” to win the job due to his connections inside the franchise.
I imagine that list could continue to grow as the team gets through the process over these next few weeks in Chicago.