For fans the idea of firing Jim Boylen is easy. He hasn’t even reached 40 wins in his career as Chicago Bulls head coach. Players expressed deep frustration with how he’s handled the team. Nothing about his mode of operation says he has a plan or is in control of what’s happening. Most see him as a bumbling buffoon. So why hasn’t new VP of Basketball Operations done the obvious and sent him packing already?
The answer is he has more pressing matters at the moment. With the NBA season on hiatus, dealing with Boylen doesn’t make sense. His priorities are filling out the front office and finding a new GM. Karnisovas is correct in this thinking. Still, the longer the Boylen decision gets put off the more people will start to think that the Bulls will just end up keeping him.
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports warned that there might be another factor in his favor. One that people have overlooked to this point.
“Another layer to this decision is that Karnisovas has a strong relationship with assistant coach Chris Fleming, who he helped hire for one season in Denver. Their association dates back to Fleming’s days as a successful head coach in Germany. Boylen targeted Fleming last offseason, and Fleming’s offensive philosophy sounds similar to Karnisovas’. Fleming’s presence could benefit Boylen, at least in the short-term.”
Hiring Fleming might save the bacon of Jim Boylen
Fleming was a star coach over in Germany. He won four BBL championships during his time there. Eventually, the Denver Nuggets lured him to the U.S. as an assistant coach. From there he went over to the Brooklyn Nets before being called north to Chicago by Boylen. It’s amazing to think such a non-descript move last year might be one of the biggest factors that ends up helping the coach save his job.
If Fleming puts in a good word for him, that could be what sways the decision for Karnisovas. Either that or the Bulls VP could just dump Boylen and promote Fleming in his place. It’s not hard to wonder which option Bulls fans would take. Either way, his presence combined with the support of the Reinsdorfs is not something that can just be summarily dismissed. These things matter and Bulls fans best prepare themselves for the worst-case scenario.
