Chicago Bulls executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas made his first major move on Friday, relieving head coach Jim Boylen of his duties after five seasons and a 39-84 record. Boylen spent over three years as Fred Hoiberg's associate head coach prior to being promoted upon Hoiberg's dismissal.
Boylen expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity.
“I loved every minute of working for the Bulls, even the hard ones,” Boylen said to NBC Sports Chicago. “And I invested myself fully in every aspect of the job.”
“Artūras was very respectful. I understand why he would want to have his own guy,” he added. “I’ve got 13- and 15-year-old girls that miss their dad. So I’m going to do a little carpooling and just prepare myself for the next opportunity.”
Boylen's old-school approach felt somewhat out of step with the modern NBA, but it philosophically aligned with the previous Bulls regime led by John Paxson and Gar Forman, who tasked Boylen with improving the team's defensive effort. In January, Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle called the Bulls “the hardest-playing team in the NBA.”
“Jerry and Michael (Reinsdorf) and (former executive vice president) John (Paxson) asked me to bring more discipline to the practice facility and practice floor,” Boylen said. “My marching orders were for us to practice harder, play harder and defend better.”
However, Boylen was unable to implement an efficient, modern offense and his teams struggled in close games. In his defense, Boylen was usually working with a roster that was neither fully healthy nor supremely talented.
“People could turn that around and say, ‘You should’ve won more of them,’” said Boylen. “With a young team and injuries, that doesn’t always happen. But we competed,” Boylen said. “We practiced hard. We competed. We fought through some tough losses.”
Boylen's demanding practices and unconventional methods raised eyebrows, but he isn't apologizing for his style.
“I don’t worry about people who haven’t coached critiquing me,” he said. “I don’t try to be a doctor.”
Beyond basketball, Boylen evidently built strong relationships with Bulls players and employees—many of whom he called Friday to thank. Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen reached out to him, as well.
“I had great relationships in the facility, both front office and business side,” Boylen said. “I tried to treat everybody well and with respect. I tried to raise people up and support everybody. I’m just thankful, man.”
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