The Chicago Bulls found their new GM. This was the primary focus of new Executive VP Arturas Karnisovas. Mark Eversley, a respected assistant GM for the Philadelphia 76ers will be assuming the job vacated by Gar Forman. With that done, pretty much everybody knows what comes next. The million-dollar question. What are the Bulls going to do about Jim Boylen?
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported recently that the head coach is feeling “sky high” about his prospects of keeping his job. He would be “blindsided” if the Bulls ended up making a change. It’s no secret he still has supporters in the building including the Reinsdorfs and senior consultant John Paxson. However, it’s been clear from the start that this show belongs to Karnisovas.
Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic got in touch with a number of rival executives about the subject. They believe Karnisovas will want his own guy, meaning Boylen is likely out.
“While Boylen is hoping to stay, the easiest and most efficient way for Karnisovas to begin building the Bulls in his image is to bring in his own coach.
Multiple rival executives who spoke to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity anticipate that is what the Bulls eventually will do, whether in the coming days or whenever the NBA announces plans for continuing or canceling its interrupted regular season.
Either way, changes are coming.”
Jim Boylen was on borrowed time once Paxson stepped back
The truth is Boylen’s clock began to tick once Paxson decided to step down as Executive VP. He was easily the coach’s biggest supporter in the front office, a safety net to lean on. That net is now gone. Karnisovas has remained tight-lipped about his plans for the head coaching position and perhaps Boylen is interpreting that silence as a favorable sign he’ll remain at his post moving forward.
That seems rather naive on his part. Karnisovas is known for being a guy who keeps things close to the vest. He’s not the outgoing sort. More of a stoic, business-like personality. Silence with him does not mean a lack of thought. These executives know him pretty well, either by personal contact or reputation. They have a solid read on what he’s likely to do. If they’re right, then Boylen is about to be blind-sided.
