In a story published on Tuesday afternoon, ESPN reported that Zach LaVine had a one-one-one meeting with Jim Boylen on Sunday.
This meeting apparently came on the heels of the "near mutiny", when Bulls players discussed skipping out on practice.
The one-on-one between Boylen and LaVine was for both sides to "clear the air" and work on forming a solid working relationship, which included the idea of forming a "leadership committee" to act as a mediator between the coaches and players.
LaVine stated that he considers himself one of the leaders of the Bulls, thus he wanted to make sure his voice was heard.
This is a business, this isn't a dictatorship. We are all grown men, so everybody has a voice.
The story filed by Mailika Andrews and Ramona Shelburne went on to reiterate that the front office supports Boylen's tough coaching style, but most concerning was the apparent disconnect over what was the team's initial plan for the week:
Boylen told reporters that initially he had planned on having a tougher practice but after thinking it over, changed his mind. He said that his change in plans had nothing to do with getting wind of players' plans to not show up.
"I have the prerogative to change my mind," Boylen said on Monday night before the Bulls' 108-89 loss to the Kings.
NBA
Boylen is obviously 110 percent correct. He has the right to change his mind about practice plans—or anything else for that matter—but it of course becomes a serious issue if he is telling the players one thing and then doing something completely different. No matter what took place on Sunday, it is clear that the two sides—Boylen and the players—are trying to make things work.
It has been a tumultuous start to Jim Boylen's NBA head coaching career, but his one-on-one meeting with LaVine is a huge step towards normality for a Bulls franchise that has been anything but in 2018.