Chicago Bulls erred in extending Jim Boylen, Cleveland’s hire is proof

On Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced they had hired University of Michigan’s head coach John Beilein. The hiring shows why the Chicago Bulls erred in extending Jim Boylen’s contract without a proper search.

In the midst of their rebuilding project, the Chicago Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg, the coach they had specifically anointed as the one who could take the team to the next level — a level they couldn’t, for various reasons, reach under Tom Thibodeau. Despite injuries and a strange roster mix, Hoiberg was dismissed 24 games into his fourth season.

Enter Jim Boylen, a longtime NBA assistant coach and former University of Utah head coach. Instead of placing the interim label on Boylen, the front office tagged Boylen with the permanent job and tasked him with toughening up the finesse squad they had put together.

For whatever reason, GarPax (John Paxson and Gar Forman) had a strong belief that this time, they had it right. After Scott Skiles, Vinny Del Negro, Thibodeau and Hoiberg, they still had the opportunity to pick another new coach.

That’s where the problem lies. As we see with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who just hired University of Michigan’s John Beilein to oversee their own rebuilding project, the Bulls’ approach is fraught with errors. Boylen, who was 69-60 in four seasons running the Utes from 2007-11, was hardly a top candidate for any other NBA top job.

Meanwhile, Beilein led the Wolverines for 12 seasons, took them to two Big Ten championships and two NCAA championship game appearances. After being approached by the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons, he finally made the jump to the association.

Let’s compare the two situations. Both teams are in rebuilding modes, though the Bulls are further down the road. Chicago already has established starters in Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr., as well as last year’s lottery pick in Wendell Carter Jr.

Cleveland has promising point guard Collin Sexton and Kevin Love, who may turn into a valuable trade asset at some point. The Cavs also are armed with a 14 percent chance of securing the top pick in Tuesday’s draft lottery.

Both teams are hoping for some lottery luck, but when it comes to coaching searches, the Cavaliers have a leg up on their Central Division counterparts. The Bulls decided there was no need to actually conduct a search, convinced there was no one out there better for their squad than Boylen.

In addition, both teams were searching for a coach who could change the culture and instill values. Cleveland is getting an established coached with a proven track record. The Bulls stuck with a long-time NBA assistant with limited NCAA success. Interestingly, Beilein has never been an assistant on any level.

Instead of sticking with Larry Drew, their interim coach who replaced Tyronn Lue six games into the 2018-19 season, the Cavs conducted a true search. How many candidates did they approach? Reports say general manager Koby Altman discussed the job with 10 potential candidates. Yes, 10.

Let’s do a quick review, the Cavaliers interviewed 10, while the Bulls interviewed … none.

Beilein may or may not be successful, but the Cavaliers did their work while the Bulls were just lazy

Let’s face it: When comparing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, one team was serious about returning to the top of the NBA, while the other was content with the current state of things.

Maybe Jim Boylen turns out to be a successful coach. After all, he did make headway with LaVine toward the end of the season. He had a nice February after the Porter trade as well. The front office knew him and felt comfortable with him at the helm. So maybe he will succeed, and let’s hope he does.

The issue is, if the Bulls were serious about getting to the next level, they would have exhausted all options before deciding that no one besides Boylen was better prepared, better equipped and the proper candidate to lead the team.

When a team interviews 10 candidates for its coaching position, it means that the front office will leave no stone unturned in finding the right person for the job. You never know what will happen or who will surprise you.

When you interview no one and turn over the job to the incumbent, who may or may not be qualified for the position in the first place, that’s just laziness.

It could be worse, though. At least they aren’t the Los Angeles Lakers.