Chicago Bulls: 3 most appealing early Jim Boylen replacements
1. Adrian Griffin
A name that is already circulating in fan and media discussion for a potential Bulls Boylen coaching replacement is former NBA big man Adrian Griffin. He played in the NBA from 2000-2008, and found some success as mostly a career journeyman. But his coaching career after looks to be coming to a head in the near future.
Griffin is currently an assistant under a former NBA Coach of the Year, head coach Nick Nurse, with the defending champion Toronto Raptors. He started on the staff of Nurse prior to the 2018-19 regular season.
A report from Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic that was published last month mentioned Griffin and Philadelphia 76ers lead assistant Ime Udoka as two potential looming candidates if the Bulls were to replace Boylen and conduct a full on coaching search. Udoka is a solid candidate too, and would be fourth on this list. But Griffin is a bit more proven and a safer option that comes to mind right away for the Bulls.
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The main connection between Griffin and the Bulls dates back to the years between 2013-2015, when he was a lead assistant on staff under former head coach Tom Thibodeau. In the years between leaving the Bulls staff and joining the Raptors, Griffin was also an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic.
His post-playing NBA coaching/management career started back in 2008 as the player development coordinator for the Bulls divisional foe, the Milwaukee Bucks.