Chicago Bulls fans along with those of 29 other teams have waited with baited breath on what the NBA would do regarding the current 2019-2020 season. There was a genuine fear for a time that the COVID-19 pandemic might force the league to just cancel the rest of the season. Let the virus burn itself out and start fresh in 2021. Nobody wanted that and thus Commissioner Adam Silver and the Board of Governors have worked tirelessly on a plan to start things back up.
At last, after weeks and weeks of deliberation, the league seems to have found their point of embarkation. According to Sham Charania of The Athletic, the NBA is hoping for the season to resume on July 31st this summer. It will likely take place down in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The park has the necessary playing, practice, and hotel facilities to make such a thing work while keeping the risk of exposing players to the virus low.
Belief is the top executives around the league are pushing to go straight into some kind of playoff format. One that would allow things to conclude as quickly and fairly as possible. This way things can get back on schedule as swiftly as possible moving into subsequent years.
Chicago Bulls now have a deadline to make a Jim Boylen decision
If that date holds, then the Bulls have a themselves a fixed deadline for one last big decision. What do they do about head coach Jim Boylen? Word is that ownership is interested in keeping him on while Executive VP Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley are leaning towards making a change. It’s hard to say whether pressure from the Reinsdorfs might sway them one way or another.
It’s honestly hard to imagine any argument that can be made in Boylen’s favor. Then again, the Bulls might decide it’s better to just let him finish the year out and then start fresh with a new coach next season. One thing is for sure, they don’t have a lot of time left to figure it out. Two months can go by fast.