New Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen has been a hot topic of discussion over the past week after his players held a players-only meeting last Sunday, but things seem to be improving.
After a controversial few days, the Bulls rallied from a 21-point deficit against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, emerging from the AT&T Center with a stunning 98-93 victory.
For Boylen, it was a particularly special win, as he served as an assistant under Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich for two years, including the 2013-14 campaign when San Antonio defeated the Miami Heat for its fifth NBA championship.
Boylen says he learned a lot from Popovich, according to The Associated Press:
“He has helped me grow as a coach and a man,” Boylen said. “In a strange way, he's got a lot to do with this, too.”
Boylen took over as head coach for Chicago earlier in the month after the team fired Fred Hoiberg. Since taking the reins, Boylen has gone 2-4, nabbing victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder and his former Spurs club.
Of course, it's going to be a long road ahead for Boylen and the Bulls. Right now, Chicago is just 7-23 and is in all-out rebuilding mode. The good news is that the Bulls do have some nice young pieces, such as big men Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. and guards Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn.
Still, even with some decent young talent, Chicago has to make sure it hits on its draft picks and makes some shrewd free-agent signings and trades over the next couple of years before it can seriously start to think of contending again.
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