Kenny Atkinson is on Chicago Bulls ‘radar’ as HC candidate
Although Arturas Karnisovas wants to take his time by all accounts, the Chicago Bulls could be looking into coaching candidates already.
The head coaching search is not officially on for the Chicago Bulls yet, despite an abundance of rumors as to who top candidates could be to replace sitting head coach Jim Boylen. At one point recently, the Philadelphia 76ers lead assistant Ime Udoka looked to be the top candidate if Boylen were to replaced. And that could very well still be the case.
Another name that is often mentioned in the discussion of who could potentially replace Boylen is Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin. A former Bulls assistant coach himself, Griffin is familiar with this organization.
Griffin and Udoka certainly encompass two very interesting choices to be the next Bulls head coach. But a name that was recently mentioned amid the rumor mill presents even more intrigue.
On the Complex NBA podcast called “Load Management” Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic opened up on a recent coaching candidate he’s hearing about with connections to the Bulls. He mentioned former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson as a name to watch if a coaching search ensues.
More specifically, Charania was “told he’ll (Atkinson) be a name to look out for in Chicago potentially”.
Atkinson is really the first big name former head coach to be linked as a possible candidate for the Bulls head coaching position. And it makes sense since the Nets somewhat prematurely let go of Atkinson earlier this season.
In his coaching run with the Nets, Atkinson registered a record of 118-190. He consistently improved the team under his wing, even making the playoffs as possibly the surprise team out of the Eastern Conference last season. But he was let go after posting a record of 28-34 during the 2019-20 campaign.
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Meanwhile, Boylen posted a record of 39-84 in his parts of two seasons coaching with the Bulls. He rounded up with a record of 22-43 through 65 games before the Bulls season would come to an end back in the mid-March hiatus.