CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 25: Head coach Jim Boylen of the Chicago Bulls yells instructions to his team against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the United Center on February 25, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The Thunder beat the Bulls 124-122. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Since Jim Boylen took over head coaching duties for the Chicago Bulls, he’s been often blamed the most for the team’s struggles. Based on the reality of NBA coaching, that should not be the case.
Jim Boylen is considered by many to be a “lame-duck” head coach. He’s often a punch-line for media-talking heads who want to poke fun of the way Chicago Bulls players interact with him during blowout losses; the puzzling, irritated look Zach LaVine among others give to a head coach who has made a habit of calling unnecessary timeouts with a minute left in games that have already been decided early, to teach his players a valuable lesson, when all they and everyone watching the game wants is to head out the exit doors.
By all accounts Boylen has not been a good fit for this Bulls organization. Then again, what coach has been considered a good fit under the “GarPax” Era? The front office tarnished Tom Thibodeau’s reputation by the end of his tenure with the Bulls. Same goes with Fred Hoiberg, Vinny Del Negro, and Scott Skiles. In short, it appears that no matter who is coaching the Bulls, sustainable success is going to be extremely hard to come by.
There are so many factors that determine whether or not an NBA franchise is going to experience success, many of which are completely outside of the head coach’s control. Injuries to key players can hamstring an organization for years. Same goes with ill-advised trades, free-agent signings, and missing badly in the draft.
Unfortunately, the Bulls have habitually experienced all of these misfortunes simultaneously, making Boylen’s job nearly impossible to do well.
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Even the most highly regarded coaches in the NBA experience seasons that go poorly. Steve Kerr‘s Golden State Warriors currently have the worst record in the league thanks to injuries and recent departures of star players. Kerr hardly knew what losing felt like prior to this season, given the string of championships his teams had won.
On the other hand, Frank Vogel is coaching the Los Angeles Lakers right now to the best record in the Western Conference. And this is the same head coach who got fired from the Orlando Magic following the 2017-18 regular season, after posting a dismal 54-110 record.
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In short, if your team isn’t surrounded by top-fight talent, or if that talent is hardly available to manifest itself during games, good luck finding success.
If Boylen and Vogel swapped places, there is no doubt Boylen’s reputation as a head coach would be entirely opposite of what it currently is. That’s what happens when you get to enjoy the perks of sitting back and watching LeBron James and Anthony Davis take over for the Lakers.
Without a great supporting cast to lean on, it becomes increasingly difficult for people to flourish, regardless of what profession they’re in. Boylen is especially experiencing this, because the front office has failed to put together a great supporting cast to help steer him in the right direction in competing for a championship.
Boylen is no different than any other head coach in the NBA. It just feels like he is, because of circumstances he just can’t control.