Let’s be honest, the Bulls were a train wreck this year. Sure there were quite a few injuries that contributed, but overall there were a lot of issues. The Bulls morale was low and there were quite a few things that went into that. From the players to the coach, and upper management there was a lot of dysfunction that made its way outside of the team and to the media. We saw clear moments of frustration and conflict on the court with the players and Jim Boylen this season. LaVine wants to put an end to that next season.
Media wise, there was a lot going on around the team this season. The city was calling for the firing of Gar Forman, John Paxson, and Jim Boylen the entire season. This put the spotlight on the team and turned any frustration into a media spectacle. With the changes in the front office, it sounds like Zach is taking this as the perfect opportunity to come into the season with no BS. The focus needs to be on basketball and not on how the team is being run. Though there is still one piece that hasn’t been removed from the team, Jim Boylen, the Bulls need to adapt the no bullshit attitude. LaVine may be pulling inspiration from The Last Dance as he wants to bring the Bulls back to glory. Either way, it’s good to see the leader of the team taking action going into next season.
The Zach and Coby Show
The Bulls rookie PG Coby White put on a show after the All-Star break and was getting better with each passing week.
Then the NBA season was suspended and it doesn’t appear to be coming back anytime soon. However, it looks like LaVine shifted his focus on building something special with Coby starting next season. LaVine had nothing but praise when talking about Coby, calling him the human flamethrower. This duo can be deadly if they can build off this season. The scoring ability of both of these players would be a huge boost to this team. There’s one major factor that’s going to make or break this duo’s ability on the court. Something we have talked about constantly since the beginning of this season, Jim Boylen.
The Jim Boylen Situation
We all know that LaVine doesn’t support Jim Boylen as his head coach. We didn’t hear anything publicly from Coby but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some frustration between him and his head coach. It took Boylen entirely too long to start Coby during his incredible string of games. If the new front office believes this team is going to be built around Lavine, White, Markkanen, and Carter Jr. then a head coaching change needs to be made. That young core has had problems with him since he became head coach of this team and those problems won’t go away.
While we wait for the final decision with Boylen it’s good to know that the current face of the team is focused on next season. Even if this season were to continue we know the Bulls don’t have much to play for. Going into next season the Bulls need to be focused on bringing the team back to glory and making it cool to be a Chicago Bull again. Though there are many unknowns ahead for this team it’s good to see the focus shifting to improvement.
