Candidates to replace Jim Boylen as Chicago Bulls head coach
3. Jeff Van Gundy
You have definitely heard Jeff Van Gundy’s voice on a broadcast if you didn’t watch him as a coach. He’s been alongside Mike Breen and Mark Jackson commenting on some of the biggest games in recent history, like game 7 of the 2016 Finals. So if offered a head coaching role with the Bulls he wouldn’t be blindsided by how the game is played today like some other older coaches.
Van Gundy has still been coaching with USA Basketball. His most recent gig was coaching the qualifying team for the 2019 World Cup in China, then handling the reigns to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, so he has kept in touch with the modern game.
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His last head coaching job in the NBA was the 2006-07 season with the Houston Rockets, but Van Gundy has shown real promise working with young athletes with Team USA from the aforementioned qualifying team in 2019 and winning gold in FIBA’s AmeriCup in 2017.
The Bulls lack discipline, playing man to man, and keeping track of defensive assignments as well as just getting a functional offense running. They also struggle to get players like Lauri Markkanen more involved in the offense. Markkanen averaged 18.7 points per game in the 2018-19 season but his output dropped to 14.7 points per game in the 50 games he played this season.
Jeff Van Gundy is the right kind of general to lead this team and teach them a thing or two get them to play hard-nosed defense and get into the playoffs.