Two current assistant coaches are standing out as increasingly possible Boylen replacements whenever the job may open: Toronto’s Adrian Griffin and Philadelphia’s Ime Udoka.
Both have ties to the new front-office regime. Both have long been mentioned in coaching circles as lead-man material. And on multiple levels, both fit the mold the Bulls previously have pursued.
Griffin played for the Bulls for three seasons on two separate occasions, both under former coach Scott Skiles. During the Tom Thibodeau era, Griffin served as an assistant coach for all five of Thibodeau’s seasons. Together, they ushered in the most success Chicago has seen since Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance,” compiling a 394-255 record. Thibodeau’s .647 winning percentage is second to only Phil Jackson among all-time Bulls head coaches.
Long before Karnisovas accepted the chief executive job,
Griffin was a popular candidate. Now, no one would be surprised if the Bulls plucked Griffin from the Raptors. Karnisovas teamed with Griffin for two seasons at Seton Hall under P.J. Carlesimo in the early 1990s, and Griffin now has a dozen years of coaching experience, with additional stops in Milwaukee, Orlando and Oklahoma City. Griffin also carries a reputation for having a special touch with young players, something the organization has struggled with in recent years.
Like Griffin, the 42-year-old Udoka is respected for how he thinks the game and his ability to relate to today’s players.
Udoka and Griffin both would be first-year head coaches, which is on brand for the Bulls based on their past five head coaching hires. Chicago hasn’t brought in a head coach with previous NBA head coaching experience since hiring Skiles early in the 2003-04 season. Without a roster that is ready to contend for a championship, the Bulls could once again turn to up-and-comers to help mold and mentor their current crop of talented young players without splurging on a marquee name.
The job is already was an appealing one and is only getting better by the day. The Bulls offer an intriguing young roster headlined by Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Coby White. They have a lottery pick this year and a clean cap sheet going forward. More than that, anyone walking into the job now has the benefit of refurbished leadership that is expected to bring new ideas, philosophies and strategies. None of the previous five Bulls head coaches had that luxury — and all five became engulfed by a franchise that admittedly has been “too set in our ways.”
