Where should the Chicago Bulls look if they were to move on from Jim Boylen and conduct a new head coaching search this offseason?
With the recent rumors surrounding potential changes coming along in the Chicago Bulls front office in the midst of them hosting NBA All-Star Weekend at the United Center, could changes happen to the coaching staff too? The Bulls definitely need some fresh faces among their management team in the upcoming offseason.
According to a report from Adam Zagoria of Forbes, the New York Knicks are considering the Villanova Wildcats head coach and two-time National Champion Jay Wright to be their next HC. Wright found extraordinary success at the college basketball level with Villanova, and he would be a legitimately good coaching candidate for a lot of NBA teams.
The Bulls especially could use a shakeup both with the front office and with their coaching staff. Head coach Jim Boylen has constant antics that seem to constantly hurt the Bulls reputation around the NBA. Boylen might not stick around for long if the Bulls were to either replace John Paxson as the president of basketball operations or Gar Forman as the general manager.
The rumor mill that is heating up around GarPax mostly hinted at Forman getting replaced and reassigned to a role in the Bulls scouting department. ESPN reported and NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed that the Bulls were possibly in the early stages of shuffling around their front office.
If the Bulls do make that change and look to shift their coaching staff too, then who would be a good candidate to be the next head coach?
First and foremost, the Bulls would have to conduct an actual coaching search and no do what they did with the hire of Boylen and Fred Hoiberg before him. There’s numerous sources that the Bulls could look to, but searching at the college ranks could be a great option. Wright is a solid coaching candidate, as would be someone like Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Chris Beard.
Hiring Wright would be a welcome sight for the Bulls, as would be Beard. Falling short of winning his first National Championship at the hands of head coach Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers last season, Beard took his Texas Tech program to new heights. Wright also won the Wildcats national titles in 2016 and 2018.
Landing a new head coach would likely do nothing but good for the Bulls. Boylen isn’t a great head coach, and it’s shown in the 19-36 record the Bulls held heading into the All-Star Break. The Bulls new to find a new direction that is a far cry from what GarPax and Boylen bring to the table.
A coaching search for the Bulls, if it were to happen this offseason, should start with quality candidates like that of Wright and Beard. If the Bulls didn’t nab them, then another team with a coaching void like the Knicks could.