Is Jim Boylen gone or not? That is all Chicago Bulls fans want to know at this point. They no longer have a season to look forward to after the NBA declined to invite them down to Orlando for an eight-game seeding process before starting an expanded playoffs. So all that's left is for VP Arturas Karnisovas to decide whether he wants Boylen in his future plans for the organization. Crazy as it sounds, a recent discussion involving Wendell Carter Jr. offered strong evidence that the decision is already made.
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago spoke with David Kaplan about the state of the franchise. Specifically are there any players the new management is high or low on. Coby White was the obvious name that came up first for Johnson. However, he then stated that Karnisovas and his new front office also have high opinions of the Bulls' former 7th overall pick from 2018.
"I know for a fact that the new management regime thinks highly of Wendell Carter Jr. I think they view that as an asset that has been underutilized to this point. We've had very rare public access to these new hires. Marc Eversley has talked about diving into why Lauri Markkanen regressed last season. So that speaks to me them viewing that asset highly."
The way Johnson phrased the words like that makes one think Bulls management isn't overly impressed with the job Boylen has done developing these players.
Wendell Carter Jr. showed promise but hasn't quite hit the next gear
Anybody who watched Carter this past season saw the flashes of a good basketball player. He nearly averaged a double-double on the season, going for 11.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Yet at the same time, his defense took a noticeable dip. His block percentage was cut almost in half (4.5 to 2.7) and he just didn't feel like the force he should've been.
The Bulls as a team were 14th in points per game allowed. A modest improvement from 20th the year before. So Boylen's system hasn't exactly had an impact. To say nothing of what happened to Markkanen. It's clear several players weren't happy with his coaching style. He didn't win basketball games. Ownership may like what he's trying to do but that doesn't mean he can actually do it.
Karnisovas seems to think this roster is capable of more than it's accomplished. That points the finger at the head coach.
