CLEVELAND – The second-floor offices aren’t the only places in the Advocate Center with sound-proof walls.
Yes, Jim Boylen isn’t ignorant to the fact that his own fan base continues to show growing disdain for Year 3 of the rebuild. And even if the coach was that unaware, all of the empty red seats at the United Center during Friday night’s loss to Sacramento were yet another reminder.
What Boylen has been able to do, however, is keep the noise from seeping into his locker room. Or at least do his best to try and keep the focus elsewhere.
“The fans have been great to me,’’ Boylen said on Saturday, when discussing the perception Bulls fans currently have for this organization. “For the most part, they understand what we’re trying to do. There’s always going to be people that don’t like where it’s at or where it’s going. I can’t control any of that. All I can control is my attitude, my work, my connection to this team. That’s what I’m going to try and do.’’
Maybe a smart move by Boylen to put that focus away from the standings or his record as head coach.
Since taking that seat from Fred Hoiberg last December, Boylen has gone a disappointing 34-71 (.324) entering the game against the Cavaliers.
Have there been injuries? Yes. Has he had to remake the culture, as well as try and establish an identity on the fly? Absolutely.
No one has doubted that.
But in a pass-fail business like the NBA, wins and losses is what goes on the resume. It’s all the losses that has the fan base questioning the direction of the team, and if Boylen is the right one to captain that course.
“We have the best fans in the world, we have the best fans in the league,’’ Boylen said. “Are they frustrated, do they get frustrated at times? Of course. That’s OK. I think that’s why they’re the greatest fans because they care.
“We’ll keep working at this.’’
That’s why Boylen is holding onto the idea that a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs is still there for the taking.
In his eyes, sure, they are an injured group right now, but if they can start getting some of those bodies back sooner than later and stay mathematically in range of the Orlandos and Brooklyns, he’ll roll those dice.
“We’ve got kind of a next-man-up mentality,’’ Boylen said. “We’ve got some young guys playing. This gives us an opportunity to build even more depth, and hopefully around the break or after the break we can get back to full strength and get after this thing. We’re within striking distance, we’ve got to stay there, and hopefully we can do that and fight our way through.’’
Whether the fans want to hear that or not.
Rookie blues
Without a true consistent second scorer now that Lauri Markkanen is sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks, Boylen was asked about trying to unleash streaky shooter Coby White for more minutes.
If the rookie gets hot, Boylen said he will ride him like he has in certain games all season. But the idea of force-feeding the No. 7 overall pick from the 2019 NBA Draft more minutes isn’t in the cards. Instead, it’s about keeping him playing both guard spots and development.
“His plan won’t change much,’’ Boylen said. “He plays a different position than Markkanen. We’ll get Coby involved and keep developing him as a guard that can lead the team, but also score the ball. Keep pushing him to be a two-way player, which I think is really important for him.’’
