Reaction from fans/media to Jim Boylen
The idea of a “demanding” head coach for the Chicago Bulls ties back a long time with this franchise. The front office and ownership tends to believe that the culture with the Bulls needs to match that of the mantra of the entire city of Chicago. The Windy City doesn’t have much need for a losing team consistently, though, on the hardwood at the United Center.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago-Sun Times sat down with LaVine to ask him about his ideas comparing Thibodeau and Jim Boylen. There were some interesting answers from LaVine, including who he felt was the head coach that could be more difficult to play for:
"Tougher coach – not physically – but more demanding, Jim [Boylen] or Thibs [Tom Thibodeau]? ZL: “I’d say Thibs.’’"
Who's the more demanding coach, Jim Boylen or Tom Thibodeau?
— Sun-Times Sports (@suntimes_sports) April 28, 2019
We asked Zach LaVine that and much more: https://t.co/Wrw7tZpDlW
The SB Nation Chicago Bulls fan site, Blog a Bull, has never been a fan of Boylen either. The FanSided Chicago sports site, Da Windy City, also went in on the reasoning from Gar Forman and John Paxson for the rumored extension of Boylen. Boylen isn’t a popular figure in the Windy City with the fans and media alike.
It seems like it’s a commonly shared opinion across the fan base that Boylen isn’t the answer for this franchise in the long-term. In the short-term, he could be a good footing for GarPax to get this rebuild moving in the right direction. But, Boylen doesn’t have the type of coaching style or schemes that are beneficial for today’s NBA.