It appears Philadelphia 76ers assistant Ime Udoka is still the favorite to land the Chicago Bulls' head coaching job, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Bulls finally fired Jim Boylen and now new executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas can begin his coaching search.
However, NBA scouts believe Udoka is the guy Karnisovas wants, per Cowley:
Assistant coach Ime Udoka of the 76ers was said to be the early leader in the clubhouse, according to several NBA scouts, and there have been no indications that Udoka’s high standing has changed, especially with official interviews still being scheduled.
The Bulls need a coach who is good at player development and connecting with guys, both on and off the court. The roster in Chicago is headlined by Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., Coby White and Otto Porter Jr.
Before the 2019-20 season was suspended in March, the Bulls racked up only 22 wins. They weren't invited to Walt Disney World for the season's restart and haven't made the playoffs since 2017. That was the final season All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler was on the team.
Since the back half of the Eastern Conference is so putrid, the Bulls aren't too far away from competing for the eighth seed. Most pundits around the league believe LaVine and Markkanen will break out even more now that Boylen is gone. Both Zach and Lauri didn't enjoy playing for Jimbo and it showed on film.
The Bulls have the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft. It's the highest Chicago will draft since 2008 when they landed the No. 1 overall pick and selected Derrick Rose.
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