Word Is Fate of Jim Boylen Rests In Hands of Unexpected Name

The Chicago Bulls have gone silent running in the past month or so. After a flurry of major moves to overhaul their front office led by new VP Arturas Karnisovas, the team hasn't been heard from since. This doesn't sit well with a lot of fans. They are anxious to see what happens regarding the fate of head coach Jim Boylen. A man with a stint covering less than two seasons but featured lots of losing and tons of moments that make it easy to question his intelligence for the job he holds.

Yet nothing has happened. Word is Boylen is more confident than ever the job will remain his. The Reinsdorfs are in his corner. Meanwhile, others like Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times insist the decision is already made and Boylen is as good as gone. Still, nothing is happening. Is Karnisovas just biding his time? Is ownership putting pressure on him to keep the head coach? The silence is not helping.

Brian Geltzeiler of Hoopscritic.com doesn't know what the decision is, but he does know how management might be weighing it. He told Dan Bernstein of 670 The Score that player input is being weighed heavily in the matter. One name in particular.

"I do know there is some player involvement in what's happening here. That Zach Lavine is continuing to be kind of consulted in the process in terms of what occurs. So that's something to keep an eye on in terms of what happens."

Jim Boylen is screwed if Lavine's opinion carries that kind of weight

Karnisovas made it clear that players come first under his watch in Chicago. So it makes sense he'd weigh their feelings quite a bit in his decision. One thing about the NBA is the smart organizations always make sure to keep their stars happy. Lavine is the only star the Bulls have and it's not even close. He deserved All-Star recognition this past season but playing on a horrible team kept him off.

He is the type of talent the franchise can build around. Provided of course if he's committed to staying there. Given the public confrontations Lavine has had with Boylen already, it's hard to imagine he voiced a strong opinion to keep the coach around. If Karnisovas is making his opinion a central part of his ultimate decision, then Boylen is pretty much done for.

It will be interesting to see how the process plays out.