Bulls intend to keep coach Jim Boylen through next season

The Chicago Bulls continue to affirm that they are absolutely committed to coach Jim Boylen.

Boylen was named the team’s permanent coach Monday after the firing of Fred Hoiberg, and in a subsequent press conference, Bulls vice president John Paxson made clear that they don’t view Boylen as a stopgap.

Paxson: “We’re not putting a Band-aid on anything. Jim Boylen is our head coach…We want Jim to be our coach next season.”

— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) December 3, 2018

The decision to skip an interim tag and make Boylen the coach is slightly unusual, though the Cleveland Cavaliers did something similar this season, albeit after a bit of public negotiating. Boylen’s only head coaching experience is at the college level, and it’s a bit strange to see the Bulls passing up the chance to launch a full-scale search. We’ll see if they stick to that, especially if the team continues struggling, but they’re certainly making a public statement suggesting that Boylen doesn’t have to sweat his employment.