Chicago Bulls: 5 intriguing head coaching candidates
Days before the NCAA college basketball tournament kicked off, a media whirlwind surrounded the Chicago Bulls alleged interest in hiring longtime Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self. In a strange turn of events, gambling expert Brandon Lang announced through NBC Sports podcast ‘The Daily Line’ that there was evidently a mutual interest between both parties.
"The biggest rumor mill that I found out today from a very reliable source, [is] that Bill Self will be leaving Kansas at the end of the year to become the head coach of the Chicago Bulls."
Chicago Bulls fans should be awfully familiar with Self by now, given their histories have intertwined on more than one occasion. He coached the University of Illinois basketball program for three years, leading them to an impressive 78-24 record and three trips to the NCAA tournament. Self also coached the 2008 Kansas team that defeated the Derrick Rose-led Memphis Tigers for the national championship.
On paper, the hiring would make sense. Self has accumulated a superb 680-211 record as a head coach. Since joining Kansas in 2003, he has been to the NCAA National Championship game three times, taken home 14 Big 12 conference titles, and had 26 players selected in the NBA Draft.
Although he’s never coached an NBA game in his life, Self could potentially have huge success in the league similar to former Butler and current Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens. You could spend all night reading Self’s accolades and accomplishments; however, history proves that the league may be a tougher code to crack for even the best collegiate coaches.
Since the rumors first began circling, Self has gone on record to dismiss the claims that he has his eyes set on the NBA.
"“The Bulls thing is as far-fetched… I don’t know where that came from. I’ve never talked to anybody from the Bulls about any employment opportunities. They have a coach and I’m not a candidate for that position and will not be.”"
You can excuse Bulls media if they’re a little apprehensive about his claims, it wouldn’t be the first time he betrayed their trust. Self previously opted out of his contract with the Fighting Illini to pursue a better basketball opportunity in Kansas.
Considering the Jayhawks’ streak of consecutive Big 12 titles has finally been broken– and that Kansas may soon be undergoing serious investigation for corruption– history may repeat itself as Self leaps on the opportunity to transition into the NBA.