Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen recently sat down with Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic to define what he believes to be the most important aspect of coaching is.
According to the 53-year-old, it all boils down to leadership:
“Everything rises and falls on leadership,” Boylen stated. “I know that. It’s a priority to me. I’m going to lead this thing, and I’m going to run it within my boundaries, with respect to John and Gar (Forman) and Jerry and Michael (Reinsdorf). But I’m going to run it. And they’ve asked me to do that. So I take great pride in the leadership of where we’re going and what we’re doing.”
Boylen definitely has full control over his team, and this is primarily because of the strong characteristics he has exhibited as a leader. Moreover, Boylen is also more than willing to accept the pitfalls of the same, including taking on the blame for his team's shortcomings:
“And I’ll take all the criticism,” he continued. “And I’ll take all the negativity I’ve felt. But I was never not certain of where we’re going. You know that. I stuck to my guns. I’m not saying that ego-wise, like, ‘Yeah, I was right!' I’m not saying that. I just knew I had to do it the way I thought I had to do it.”
Finally, the strong-willed coach expressed his passion for his profession, and why being a head coach in the NBA is much more than just a prestigious title:
“And I love the leadership part of this,” Boylen said. “I like leading as much as I do teaching and coaching. Some guys just want to teach and coach. Some guys just want to be part of the league and get the benefits from what the league does. This is not a freaking hobby for me. It’s not.”
Jim Boylen is certainly one of the more no-nonsense coaches in the league today, and this is exactly the type of man needed to resurrect the Bulls from the abyss.
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