Chicago Bulls players as characters from “The Office”

Jim Boylen = Michael Scott

I know Jim Boylen isn’t a player, but how can I not talk about the Bulls’ fearless leader?

Michael Scott is a lot of things. He’s caring, unaware, lovable, detestable, passionate, unorthodox, funny and hard-working (sometimes). How can one be lovable and detestable at the same time? Michael finds a way to do it. Michael also zigs when everyone else zags. That’s what gets him positive results and also what gets him in trouble.

If there’s one guy in the NBA who fits the mold of Michael Scott, it’s Jim Boylen. He is definitely zigging when everyone else is zagging. Pace and space? Forget that. Let’s play slow. Three-pointers? Nah, let’s get paint touches. (To Boylen’s credit, he’s come around on some of his unorthodox ideas.)

Like Michael, Boylen is also a weird combination of lovable and detestable. He’ll do things that make you put your hands on your head and question whether or not you still want to be a Bulls fan. But then you see the passion he has for the team, for the players and for the culture, and it makes you understand why he is the way he is. One thing’s for sure: his heart is in the right place.

Is Boylen the right coach for the Bulls? Maybe, maybe not. It’s tough to say at this point. At the beginning of The Office, it was hard to understand why Michael Scott was the Regional Manager of the Scranton branch. It seemed like a disaster. And while Michael definitely had some disastrous moments, he also had a lot of successful moments. Maybe Jim Boylen will slowly find some successful moments as well.

Plus, doesn’t Boylen seem like the kind of guy that would quote himself reciting a famous quote?

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

-Wayne Gretzky”

-Jim Boylen

(For those that don’t know, Jim Boylen didn’t actually do this, but I would do anything to find out that he actually did do this and had it written out on a whiteboard in the locker room.)