Chicago Bulls: Karnisovas still patient with Boylen decision

Jim Boylen, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
Jim Boylen, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bulls could do the right move eventually this offseason by parting ways with the current head coach Jim Boylen.

Most would think that if the Chicago Bulls were going to be making a coaching change at some point this offseason, that it would’ve already happened by now. Current Bulls head coach Jim Boylen is about to enter his second full season in this role, and it will be his third in total. He took over for former Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg in the interim role back in December 2018.

Up to this point, Boylen owns a career head coaching record with the Bulls of 39-84. His poor record in this position was pushed by another rough year during the 2019-20 campaign. Prior to the novel coronavirus pandemic-induced season hiatus, the Bulls owned a record of 22-43 through their first 65 games.

The last game the Bulls played in came way back on March 10 at home against the divisional foe Cleveland Cavaliers. That game seems like a year ago at this point.

It would be such a popular move now for the Bulls to part ways with Boylen and find another answer in the head coaching role. But it could be a while before recently hired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general Marc Eversley make their next decision on Boylen and the rest of his coaching staff.

According to a report from K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago on Aug. 12, the Bulls are still giving “full autonomy” to the new lead voice in the front office. Despite conflicting reports and the same usual pattern that fans have seen out of Jerry Reinsdorf since the 1980’s, there are some like Johnson insisting that the lead voice in the front office now has full autonomy.

Johnson is also pushing the envelope on the approach that Karnisovas and Eversley are far from making their final coaching decision since the NBA’s season restart is far from over at Disney World. This is a more popular opinion of late, even ranging up to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski from last week.

While it is hard to believe that Reinsdorf gave complete and full autonomy to Karnisovas with the lack of material changes within the rest of the organization since all of those front office changes were made, this report could still hold some bearing to it. We won’t know the official Bulls head coaching decision until the offseason arrives post-restart NBA Finals.

Not only would moving on from Boylen make the Bulls more popular in the public eye, it could help rejuvenate the rebuild as soon as the start of the 2020-21 season. Karnisovas will hopefully make the right move this offseason in this regard.