The Jim Boylen experience was always going to be an interesting one for the Bulls. That’s probably the nicest way to put it.
He started off his tenure as an interim coach by putting his players through three two-and-a-half hour practices and making them do wind sprints and military push ups all in his first week. And that was after a back-to-back. His players were done with him right then and there.
I’m happy to inform you all that absolutely nothing has changed about that since he was hired as the Bulls’ full-time head coach. In fact, his players are probably more fed up than they were before.
Case in point: Zach LaVine. The frustration was palpable last night in the Bulls’ 124-122 loss against the Thunder.
LaVine and Boylen got into an argument in the middle of the game when the Thunder were shooting free throws. LaVine yelled “I have [expletive] 40 points” at his coach.
On the next possession, he pulled up and drained a 3-pointer from, like, 200 feet away, so I guess it worked out?
Zach LaVine: "I have f—ing 40 points"
5 seconds later, he drilled a shot from the logo 😯 pic.twitter.com/nyFyIZD8KN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 26, 2020
It’s almost like Boylen’s sole purpose as the Bulls’ head coach is to pester LaVine — even when he’s balling.
He just seems over it. Between his late game timeouts in blowouts and the lack of trust in his star player, LaVine seems ready to give Boylen the Big Boot at any moment.
It’s been a frustrating season, overall, for the Bulls. And it’s not even close to over just yet. So there’s probably a lot more of this to come.
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