Bulls players reportedly confronted Jim Boylen over aggressive coaching tactics

The issues the Chicago Bulls are experiencing appear to run pretty deep.

According to Vincent Goodwill and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Bulls players went as far as to contact the National Basketball Players’ Association over coach Jim Boylen’s handling at the team. Grievances include Boylen’s decision to call for a two-and-a-half hour Sunday practice after the Bulls had played back-to-back games. The second of those back-to-backs saw the entire Chicago starting five off as a group twice. They were the latest instances in conduct unusual of an NBA head coach, including Boylen forcing his team to watch game film immediately after one loss to Indiana despite emotions still being high.

As previously reported, the Bulls considered skipping the Sunday practice entirely, but ultimately showed up and demanded to meet instead. Boylen defended himself when confronting, citing his time as a San Antonio Spurs assistant under Gregg Popovich, who has occasionally used the same approach of pulling all five players when dissatisfied with performance. One player responded by noting simply that Boylen is no Popovich.

Some executives feel that Boylen has already lost the team, perhaps irreparably. His efforts to put a stamp of authority on the team appear to have backfired and done nothing but break trust and lead to negative feelings.