For the past decade, the Chicago Bulls haven’t exactly been at the peak of their basketball existence. Two years ago, they snapped a four-year playoff drought, but outside of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, no one has consistently led them to the postseason.
Throughout the dog days, the Bulls went through different coaching options, and not all of them were favorites of the fan base. One coach in particular, Jim Boylen, received heavy criticism from fans. He took over as head coach 24 games into the 2018-19 season and was fired after the 2019-20 season. Now, he’s back in the league.
The Indiana Pacers named Boylen to their coaching staff, where he will serve under Rick Carlisle, per KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
“After serving as a consultant last season for the Indiana Pacers, the franchise named him an assistant coach on Rick Carlisle’s coaching staff on Saturday. The former Bulls coach has over two decades of NBA experience and has developed a reputation as a defensive strategist.
This will be Boylen’s second stint with the Pacers. He previously served as Frank Vogel’s assistant from 2011-13,” Johnson wrote.
Boylen has been floating around the NBA since the 1992 season, when he began his coaching career. He spent 11 seasons with the Houston Rockets. He has also spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs.
Now, Boylen will make his official return to an NBA bench and will be in the same division as the Bulls, the only spot where he’s landed a head coaching position thus far.
