The Bulls procrastinated this summer before ultimately deciding to part ways with head coach Jim Boylen. The new front office is moving much more quickly to find a replacement.
They have begun conducting interviews and received permission to talk to more candidates on the staffs of playoff teams. They may look to hire a coach by the middle of the month, when organized team activities begin for the teams that weren’t invited to the Orlando campus.
That biggest name that has surfaced is former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson.
Otherwise, the front office appears to be focused on hiring an NBA assistant. That group includes the Sixers’ Ime Udoka, the Nuggets’ Wes Unseld Jr., the Bucks’ Darvin Ham, the Mavericks’ Stephen Silas, the Timberwolves’ David Vanterpool, the Mavericks’ Jamahl Mosley and the Heat’s Dan Craig.
Bulls assistants Chris Fleming and Roy Rogers could also get a look from Bulls executive VP Arturas Karnisovas.
Karnisovas has stated that Chicago is seeking a head coach who “puts the relationship with players first” and is “a good communicator.” It’s still possible other former head coaches besides Atkinson could be added to the list.
That leads us to our question of the day: Should the Bulls hire a former head coach like Kenny Atkinson or find an up-and-coming assistant to turn the team into a playoff contender?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Whoever ticks the boxes really, no particular need to have previous head coach experience but they shouldn’t prioritize inexperienced coaches either. I feel that Udoka would be the best fit but Atkinson has a proven track record, so I’d be fine with either of them.
BTW man why on earth do you use a swear word for your user name? Not cool! Lots of young eyes around here for that, dude!
@El Don, it is just my nickname here in Spain, nothing offensive since I am Belgian. I’m pretty sure young audience can survive reading this harmless word out of context without any trauma, especially given everything they can see on TV or Internet these days.
You probably right dude! If that is your nickname that is cool with me! Now I understand the reason for it! Saludos amigo!
just want an average coach at the very least. That Boylen thing left many Bulls fans traumatized
Serach bat Asher
Speaking of curses in foreign languages ;)
Does it matter? The Bulls are a long way away from being worth paying attention to. By the time they get good again, whoever thy hire will be gone anyway. Just hire whoever is cheapest and move on.
IDK about being not worth paying attention too. There’s a lot of talent there. If LaVine and White can make it work in the backcourt.
If Carter along with Markannen and Porter can bounce back from their injuries.
They also have the makings of a solid bench with vets like Young and Satoransky. Hutchinson and Arcidiacono have also shown flashes.
Maybe with the right coach they won’t be a contender but could be a solid 5-8th seed.
I don’t know. You are correct that if everything works out positively for them, they could be a 6 seed or so. But everything would have to work perfectly and that 6 seed and a possible first round upset is probably their ceiling. But everything working out perfectly almost never happens. The unit they have is likely to never win more than 35-40 games. To me, that is nothing worth paying attention to.
Realistically the only thing that many Chicagoans will ask is if he is black. It’s a tough town
I actually would love Becky Hammon but I guess it’s too long a shot. And also, it would make more sense for her to take over after Pop in San Antonio.
I would offer job to Atkinson. There is talent there and he has proven record of being able to coach guys up and instill culture of hard work. However he may not want the job for a variety of reasons including prior management’s past reputation for cheapness and other things. If there is a level of trust with the new management and they offer a market rate contract for an experienced coach who has helped players to achieve then KA is the guy.