2nd part @jwinfield
Missed Markkanen
Anyone who believed the Bulls would be improved in 2019-20 based their belief in Markkanen.
He was entering his third season after making sizable strides in his second year. He’d also be flanked by a 20-point per game scorer in LaVine, a full season with sharpshooter Porter, a second-year rising star in Wendell Carter Jr. at center, veteran additions Tomáš Satoranský and Thaddeus Young, and explosive rookie guard Coby White.
Internally, the Bulls were betting on Boylen. There would be no more excuses. He had a revamped and maturing roster, as well as a full offseason to devise a plan on how best to use it. Among players, however, no one symbolized Boylen’s shortcomings more than Markkanen.
Despite high expectations, he averaged career lows in points, field-goal attempts, 3-point percentage, rebounds and blocked shots. His 29.8 minutes per night narrowly eclipsed his rookie season career low. The issues were apparent from the start. By early November, the misuse of Markkanen had become a full-blown hindrance.
“Some of it’s on him. Some of it’s on me,” Boylen said after Markkanen played only 29 minutes in the Bulls’ lone nationally televised game.
Markkanen, a 7-footer with shooting touch and versatility, was used as a floor-spacing shooter and asked to put the ball on the floor from the 3-point line, taking him away from the high-post area that he operated in his first two seasons in the name of Boylen’s equal opportunity, multiple-ballhandler offense that was installed before training camp.
There was a consistent buzz during the season that Markkanen and his representatives weren’t happy with how he was being used.
Publicly, Markkanen repeatedly took the high road, resisting the urge to call out the coach’s schemes that had him parked on the perimeter. Boylen had visited Markkanen in Finland last July, prompting Markkanen to rave about the time they spent building their player-coach relationship. At one point, Markkanen giddily showed his private cell phone footage capturing Boylen jumping into a Finnish lake. But the bond, while professional, wouldn’t last.
“We do have a different offense, and we’re trying to figure out where the offense is coming from, where your spots are,” Markkanen said in November. “I’m not running that much in the post right now. I’m more on the perimeter as part of our offense. But we’re trying to figure it out and get to our spots.”
More than half of Markkanen’s shot attempts were 3-pointers, substantial evidence in and of itself that the team’s offense simply wasn’t conducive to his skill set. Though he labored through multiple injuries throughout the season, Markkanen rarely looked comfortable as a scorer, and his career-worst 34.4 percent 3-point percentage effectively rendered his most frequently used weapon suspect.
Markkanen’s 11.8 shots per game weren’t just a career low, they also ranked a distant third behind LaVine and, more disturbingly, White, the rookie who didn’t turn 20 until mid-February. NBA.com tracking data shows Markkanen’s touches plummeted by 20 per game this season, from more than 66 a night last year to a shade over 45 per game this season.
Behind closed doors, Markkanen’s displeasure was never difficult to detect. Without ever admitting it on the record, Markkanen would share occasional off-the-cuff comments that left no doubt where he stood. Following the Bulls’ final game before the All-Star break, an injured Markkanen openly mocked Boylen’s penchant for calling meaningless timeouts late. Markkanen had been named one of five international players selected to help coach the top international prospects in the sixth annual Basketball Without Borders global camp. With several reporters within an earshot, Markkanen turned comedian, casually joking that he would be sure to call late timeouts in any game that has been long decided.
Boylen’s handling of Markkanen wasn’t the only questionable approach with the Bulls’ promising young players. Boylen played Carter only 25.2 minutes per game as a rookie, inexplicably sitting him at strange times and for long stretches. In Carter’s second season, Boylen’s system prevented him from showcasing versatility that includes a workable 3-point shot, solid court vision and passing skills. Meanwhile, the team’s defensive scheme pulled Carter away from the basket, often leaving him powerless to protect the paint as a shot blocker.
Boylen also didn’t start White until the final game of the shortened season. Young was unhappy due to a lack of minutes. He had no use for Denzel Valentine, who also voiced his displeasure.
Boylen played Luke Kornet over rookie Daniel Gafford for much of the season and when Gafford was withering in pain during a game at Dallas on Jan. 6, Boylen refused to call a timeout for the rookie to exit. The Mavs had to intentionally foul so Gafford could leave the court.
The biggest impact Boylen had on player development was seen with limited players, most of them fringe NBA guys. He made good use of Kris Dunn as a second-unit defender this season after Satoranský supplanted him as the starting point guard. But Boylen also unwisely encouraged Dunn to be a 3-point shooter. To his credit, Boylen gave Arcidiacono the opportunity to prove himself as an NBA player and he deployed Shaq Harrison as another shutdown defender.
But head coaches are supposed to win games. Low-ranking assistants are paid to develop the back end of the roster.
‘Cultivating a culture’
Karnisovas insists Boylen was not fired because of his attitude or antics but for one thing.
“It was strictly a basketball decision,” Karnisovas said in some fashion seven times during his 15-minute conference call with local reporters Friday.
It’s hard to argue with that answer. Boylen departs with the second-worst winning percentage in franchise history, his .317 mark ahead of only Tim Floyd. Yet it’s difficult to separate Boylen’s wretched results from the previous management team’s supervision. Boylen assumed so much authority because Paxson and former general manager Gar Forman either didn’t want the responsibility or couldn’t handle it. They constructed this roster, and they empowered Boylen to figure out how to make it work.
Meanwhile, the circus continued.
With the team floundering in mid-December, Paxson declined to so much as rate Boylen’s performance. Yet he was unflinching in his fidelity to his handpicked coach.
“I’m not into rating performances. I’m really not,” Paxson told The Athletic. “What I can tell you is that we’re committed to Jim.”
Paxson even declined to offer specifics on which areas he thought Boylen could grow.
“Honestly, I don’t want to share the internal discussions he and I have,” Paxson said. “What I will tell you is that he’s very receptive to how he can be a better coach. And I think that’s a good thing.”
Karnisovas, on the other hand, is methodically cleaning up the mess he inherited. He immediately fired Forman and brought on Marc Eversley as general manager, along with respected executives J.J. Polk and Pat Connelly. He parted ways with longtime head athletic trainer Jeff Tanaka, whose contract was expiring. And after four months of what he deemed comprehensive evaluation, he cut ties with Boylen on Aug. 14, the makeshift final day of the 2019-20 regular season.
“I respectfully acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all of those in this organization who have come before me,” Karnisovas said. “But I’m dedicated and committed to cultivating a culture that creates winning and has its sights set on championships.”
After all the angst and handwringing over Boylen’s future, Karnisovas made what now appears to have been the smart call all along. And by waiting until the final day of the regular season, Karnisovas sent a clear message that he will proceed with not just patience but also prudence. There is sound logic behind his decisions, right down to the timing.
In the end, Boylen’s dismissal was an unmistakable sign of change, perhaps even the first true step toward long-awaited progress.
A new management team is in place. A new coach, finally, is on the way.
“We just felt this program needed a change and needed a change now,” Karnisovas said. “And I can’t wait to find the next coach for this group.
“In terms of what we’re going to be looking for, we’re going to continue focusing on player development, someone who puts relationships with players first and is a good communicator. There are a lot of factors going on in terms of criteria that we’re looking for in a coach. But those are the main ones. And we will start the search immediately.”
Anyone who believed the Bulls would be improved in 2019-20 based their belief in Markkanen.
He was entering his third season after making sizable strides in his second year. He’d also be flanked by a 20-point per game scorer in LaVine, a full season with sharpshooter Porter, a second-year rising star in Wendell Carter Jr. at center, veteran additions Tomáš Satoranský and Thaddeus Young, and explosive rookie guard Coby White.
Internally, the Bulls were betting on Boylen. There would be no more excuses. He had a revamped and maturing roster, as well as a full offseason to devise a plan on how best to use it. Among players, however, no one symbolized Boylen’s shortcomings more than Markkanen.
Despite high expectations, he averaged career lows in points, field-goal attempts, 3-point percentage, rebounds and blocked shots. His 29.8 minutes per night narrowly eclipsed his rookie season career low. The issues were apparent from the start. By early November, the misuse of Markkanen had become a full-blown hindrance.
“Some of it’s on him. Some of it’s on me,” Boylen said after Markkanen played only 29 minutes in the Bulls’ lone nationally televised game.
Markkanen, a 7-footer with shooting touch and versatility, was used as a floor-spacing shooter and asked to put the ball on the floor from the 3-point line, taking him away from the high-post area that he operated in his first two seasons in the name of Boylen’s equal opportunity, multiple-ballhandler offense that was installed before training camp.
There was a consistent buzz during the season that Markkanen and his representatives weren’t happy with how he was being used.
Publicly, Markkanen repeatedly took the high road, resisting the urge to call out the coach’s schemes that had him parked on the perimeter. Boylen had visited Markkanen in Finland last July, prompting Markkanen to rave about the time they spent building their player-coach relationship. At one point, Markkanen giddily showed his private cell phone footage capturing Boylen jumping into a Finnish lake. But the bond, while professional, wouldn’t last.
“We do have a different offense, and we’re trying to figure out where the offense is coming from, where your spots are,” Markkanen said in November. “I’m not running that much in the post right now. I’m more on the perimeter as part of our offense. But we’re trying to figure it out and get to our spots.”
More than half of Markkanen’s shot attempts were 3-pointers, substantial evidence in and of itself that the team’s offense simply wasn’t conducive to his skill set. Though he labored through multiple injuries throughout the season, Markkanen rarely looked comfortable as a scorer, and his career-worst 34.4 percent 3-point percentage effectively rendered his most frequently used weapon suspect.
Markkanen’s 11.8 shots per game weren’t just a career low, they also ranked a distant third behind LaVine and, more disturbingly, White, the rookie who didn’t turn 20 until mid-February. NBA.com tracking data shows Markkanen’s touches plummeted by 20 per game this season, from more than 66 a night last year to a shade over 45 per game this season.
Behind closed doors, Markkanen’s displeasure was never difficult to detect. Without ever admitting it on the record, Markkanen would share occasional off-the-cuff comments that left no doubt where he stood. Following the Bulls’ final game before the All-Star break, an injured Markkanen openly mocked Boylen’s penchant for calling meaningless timeouts late. Markkanen had been named one of five international players selected to help coach the top international prospects in the sixth annual Basketball Without Borders global camp. With several reporters within an earshot, Markkanen turned comedian, casually joking that he would be sure to call late timeouts in any game that has been long decided.
Boylen’s handling of Markkanen wasn’t the only questionable approach with the Bulls’ promising young players. Boylen played Carter only 25.2 minutes per game as a rookie, inexplicably sitting him at strange times and for long stretches. In Carter’s second season, Boylen’s system prevented him from showcasing versatility that includes a workable 3-point shot, solid court vision and passing skills. Meanwhile, the team’s defensive scheme pulled Carter away from the basket, often leaving him powerless to protect the paint as a shot blocker.
Boylen also didn’t start White until the final game of the shortened season. Young was unhappy due to a lack of minutes. He had no use for Denzel Valentine, who also voiced his displeasure.
Boylen played Luke Kornet over rookie Daniel Gafford for much of the season and when Gafford was withering in pain during a game at Dallas on Jan. 6, Boylen refused to call a timeout for the rookie to exit. The Mavs had to intentionally foul so Gafford could leave the court.
The biggest impact Boylen had on player development was seen with limited players, most of them fringe NBA guys. He made good use of Kris Dunn as a second-unit defender this season after Satoranský supplanted him as the starting point guard. But Boylen also unwisely encouraged Dunn to be a 3-point shooter. To his credit, Boylen gave Arcidiacono the opportunity to prove himself as an NBA player and he deployed Shaq Harrison as another shutdown defender.
But head coaches are supposed to win games. Low-ranking assistants are paid to develop the back end of the roster.
‘Cultivating a culture’
Karnisovas insists Boylen was not fired because of his attitude or antics but for one thing.
“It was strictly a basketball decision,” Karnisovas said in some fashion seven times during his 15-minute conference call with local reporters Friday.
It’s hard to argue with that answer. Boylen departs with the second-worst winning percentage in franchise history, his .317 mark ahead of only Tim Floyd. Yet it’s difficult to separate Boylen’s wretched results from the previous management team’s supervision. Boylen assumed so much authority because Paxson and former general manager Gar Forman either didn’t want the responsibility or couldn’t handle it. They constructed this roster, and they empowered Boylen to figure out how to make it work.
Meanwhile, the circus continued.
With the team floundering in mid-December, Paxson declined to so much as rate Boylen’s performance. Yet he was unflinching in his fidelity to his handpicked coach.
“I’m not into rating performances. I’m really not,” Paxson told The Athletic. “What I can tell you is that we’re committed to Jim.”
Paxson even declined to offer specifics on which areas he thought Boylen could grow.
“Honestly, I don’t want to share the internal discussions he and I have,” Paxson said. “What I will tell you is that he’s very receptive to how he can be a better coach. And I think that’s a good thing.”
Karnisovas, on the other hand, is methodically cleaning up the mess he inherited. He immediately fired Forman and brought on Marc Eversley as general manager, along with respected executives J.J. Polk and Pat Connelly. He parted ways with longtime head athletic trainer Jeff Tanaka, whose contract was expiring. And after four months of what he deemed comprehensive evaluation, he cut ties with Boylen on Aug. 14, the makeshift final day of the 2019-20 regular season.
“I respectfully acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all of those in this organization who have come before me,” Karnisovas said. “But I’m dedicated and committed to cultivating a culture that creates winning and has its sights set on championships.”
After all the angst and handwringing over Boylen’s future, Karnisovas made what now appears to have been the smart call all along. And by waiting until the final day of the regular season, Karnisovas sent a clear message that he will proceed with not just patience but also prudence. There is sound logic behind his decisions, right down to the timing.
In the end, Boylen’s dismissal was an unmistakable sign of change, perhaps even the first true step toward long-awaited progress.
A new management team is in place. A new coach, finally, is on the way.
“We just felt this program needed a change and needed a change now,” Karnisovas said. “And I can’t wait to find the next coach for this group.
“In terms of what we’re going to be looking for, we’re going to continue focusing on player development, someone who puts relationships with players first and is a good communicator. There are a lot of factors going on in terms of criteria that we’re looking for in a coach. But those are the main ones. And we will start the search immediately.”