Barely half a month into his new job, Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen is already in hot water after not seeing eye to eye with his players ever since his appointment as the team's interim coach.

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale, who himself spent time with Boylen as part of the Golden State Warriors coaching staff, was quick to defend his colleague and friend, sharing how much he learned from Boylen.

“I’m a friend of Jim Boylen,” Fizdale said, via Marc Berman of the New York Post. “Me and [Knicks assistant] Keith Smart were on staff with him, and he’s a heck of a coach, so you never want to see him go through that. This guy, he taught me so much. Man, he overwhelmed me with information as an assistant coach. Between him and Keith Smart, I was getting this flood of education.”

Fizdale went on to share his thoughts on Boylen's recent struggles with his players, who reportedly went as far as reporting the coach to the NBPA following a “forced practice” that occurred during a back-to-back set.

“This guy is a brilliant coach, so I never want to see that happen to my friend,
he added. “I’m hoping that they can figure that thing out, and he can get to where he can coach that team.”

The Bulls are in an absolute mess right now, and at this point, it is hard to imagine how Boylen and his players will be able to move past these issues without any ill will. As Fizdale says, though, we are still all hoping that this situation finally finds a resolution sooner rather than later.