An altercation involving head coach Jim Boylen and shooting guard Zach LaVine for the Chicago Bulls against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday boiled over.
Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen was ejected from the game against the Los Angeles Clippers, along with Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. Boylen is expected to pay some fines due to technicals and ejection. It seems like Zach LaVine wants to pay Boylen’s fine.
Per Malika Andrews of ESPN, LaVine contacted the Bulls front office and Bulls management will let LaVine pay the fine. The fine is expected to be $7,000, sources told Andrews. However, per league rules, it could be tricky for LaVine to pay for it because Boylen, himself has to pay the fine to the league.
Here is the breakdown of the fines.
"Boylen, who already had four technical fouls heading into Friday’s game, will be fined $5,000 for the two technical fouls he picked up. He also will receive an additional $2,000 fine for the ejection."
What is interesting of LaVine to pay the fine is due to the relationship between the two, as it always hasn’t been that great.
"When Boylen took over as head coach of the Bulls in December, LaVine was publicly skeptical of some of his coaching decisions. Boylen, known for being an old-school disciplinarian who prized defense, challenged LaVine’s defensive efforts."
Then, if you recall, LaVine and several other players almost boycotted a practice after the team got destroyed by the Boston Celtics.
"A few weeks in, their relationship continued to be tense. LaVine played a significant role in the December meeting between the front office, coaching staff and players. The meeting was the result of several players discussing boycotting a practice scheduled after the team’s 56-point loss to the Boston Celtics."
Here is what LaVine told reporters after the game against the Clippers about Boylen’s ejection.
"“What Jim did, I personally respect that a lot,” LaVine told reporters after the game. “He really cares about us and he’s going to fight for us. That shows his true character the way he feels about us.”"
This is a pretty interesting twist to these two relationship with one another. If they can continue this positive relationship, big things are expected between the two for next season. It seems for now, LaVine has warmed up to the idea of Boylen being the head coach and is respecting him.
This will be something to keep an eye on going forward throughout the rest of the season to see how the relationship between the two and if it continues to grow, or something happens down the line.
Either way, it is a very nice gesture by LaVine and it certainly sends a message to the rest of the locker room. The Chicago Bulls can look up to LaVine for what he did here for Boylen and his team.