Source: Bulls near deal with Spurs' Boylen
The Chicago Bulls are closing in on a deal with San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Jim Boylen to become an associate head coach on Fred Hoiberg’s staff, according to a league source. While the deal hasn’t become official yet, the hope is that it will be done in the next few days. Yahoo Sports first reported that Boylen accepted the Bulls’ offer on Saturday.
Boylen has been an assistant coach for the Spurs the past two seasons, was the head coach at the University of Utah from 2007-11, and was an assistant both in college and the NBA for parts of two decades.
Hoiberg, who was hired from Iowa State on June 2 without any previous NBA head-coaching experience, stressed at his introductory news conference that he wanted to add a veteran NBA coach to his bench next season.
“I want to get a veteran assistant in here who can really help me through things,” Hoiberg said. “Whether he’s been a head coach or he’s been around the game for a long time, that hire’s going to be really important.”
It remains to be seen how the rest of the staff will be filled. Veteran NBA assistant Andy Greer was let go when Tom Thibodeau was fired on May 28. Ed Pinckney, Mike Wilhelm and Adrian Griffin, who all served on Thibodeau’s staff, remain in flux as Hoiberg fills out the rest of his slots. Hoiberg spoke highly of all three during that news conference.
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