During this NBA hiatus, the Bulls restructured their front office to bring the Bulls back to greatness. To do that it appeared that the Reinsdorf’s were going to hand over the reins to Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley. However, at this point, it is tough to tell if they have given them full control. Since the duo of Karnisovas and Eversley took over they have parted ways with the head athletic trainer, added a new VP of player personnel, and added an assistant GM. They are remolding this front office into what they believe is going to be a successful one. One major person remains on this Bulls team that doesn’t seem to belong, Jim Boylen.
It seems like we have heard conflicting rumors about Jim Boylen almost daily. One day he is for sure out the door and the next he is going to be brought back. It is tough to know what is actually going to happen with Boylen. One thing that consistently comes up is the support for Boylen from the Reinsdorfs.
They have gone out publicly and praised Boylen throughout this subpar season that the Bulls had. If Karnisovas and Eversley want to part ways with Boylen then that should be the final word. The Reinsdorf’s brought in Karnisovas to transform this team and if that requires a head coaching change then that’s what the team should do. This leaves us with one question.
Who’s the boss?
Obviously, as the owner and chairman of the Bulls Jerry is the boss. However, now most of the big decisions flow through Michael Reinsdorf the team president and COO. They brought in Karnisovas to bring this franchise back to greatness and to do that he needs to be allowed to make key decisions that will impact this franchise. The Reinsdorfs can share their thoughts but they should give full freedom to this duo to make the right decisions for this franchise. We all know that the players have issues with Boylen, now the front office knows that as well. It seems like regardless of what the players are saying the Reinsdorfs want Boylen to be given another chance.
The fact that Reinsdorf wants the front office to take Jim Boylen seriously is a joke. At this point in his career with the Bulls, he is 39-84 and he has more than shown what he is capable of as a head coach. At this point, any of the players who had issues with Boylen have aired them out with the front office. Imagine Boylen coming back after this. Everything the Bulls did to restructure this front office will take a step back. The players will not feel like their opinions matter and in a day and age where the players have A LOT of power, this could be catastrophic for this new front office.
Having pressure from your boss/owner of the team to give a guy a chance must weigh on your decision. This would be a big stand for Karnisovas and Eversley to show Jerry who is going to be molding the future of this franchise. If Boylen isn’t fired this will just create tension between ownership and management. If you are trying to create a winning culture and a successful franchise that isn’t the best way to start.
