Chicago Bulls: 3 most appealing early Jim Boylen replacements

3. Dave Joerger

I’ve been a long time fan of the idea of the Bulls pursuing former Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger to replace Boylen. Turning to a solid former NBA head coach is a safe but potentially effective move for the Bulls and definitely one that should be considered.

As one of the two names on this list that seemed to be prematurely let go by their last NBA team as head coach, Joerger brings a proven resume to the table that a lot of other potential Boylen replacements would not. He looked to be guiding a promising young Kings team down a good path until he was let go last season.

At this point, the risk the Kings took to replace Joerger with former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton isn’t paying off. Last season, Joerger posted a record of 39-43 with the Kings and surprisingly remained as a dark horse in playoff contention in the Western Conference. Joerger also registered a total regular season record of 147-99 during his coaching tenure previously with the Memphis Grizzlies.

So far this season, the Kings have a record of 28-36 under Walton’s direction. The Kings also sit in a good bit of turmoil in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic-induced NBA season hiatus. Shooting guard Buddy Hield could want out, big man Marvin Bagley can’t stay healthy, and wing Bogdan Bogdanovic could also hit the trade market this coming offseason.

These are all points that helps Joerger’s case as a solid coaching candidate elsewhere.