Jim Boylen reportedly remains unpopular among Bulls players.
Why?
Because he’s so hard on them? They might not always like his demanding approach, but that’s not a deal-breaker. As Boylen reportedly once pointed out to his team, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is also tough on his players.
As a Chicago player reportedly responded: Boylen is no Popovich. Players tolerate and even embrace Popovich’s methods because he has proven he can help them succeed. Amid all his bluster, Boylen has shown little ability to develop players and win.
The latest issue came in the Bulls’ loss to the Pacers last night. Domantas Sabonis missed a putback amid contact. Then, T.J. Warren made a putback amid contact. Somewhere in the sequence, an official whistled a foul.
The possibilities:
- No basket, Sabonis (73% this season, 72% career) attempting two free throws
- Basket good, Warren (82% this season, 78% career) attempting one free throw
Sabonis stepped to the line.
That’s when Boylen started yelling toward referee Mitchell Ervin.
Stephen Noh of The Athletic:
The refs mistakenly sent 72% career FT shooter Domantas Sabonis to the line, when in fact 78% FT shooter TJ Warren was the player that was fouled.
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) January 30, 2020
Boylen: "You got the wrong shooter!"
Luckily, the refs rectified the situation and Warren got in there to hit the FT. pic.twitter.com/D9FsJZ8uGk
My best attempt transcribing what Boylen said:
Charitably, Boylen knew the officials would eventually sort it out and administer the foul as called. They’re not Pac-12 football refs. Maybe Boylen was upset only with the delay, which left him coaching with incomplete information.
But the result of Boylen’s lobbying ensured Chicago faced the more disadvantageous situation.
Boylen should have saved all his ire with the officials for the final play of regulation, when Victor Oladipo seemingly got away with fouling Zach LaVine.
NBC Sports Chicago:
How do you miss that call? pic.twitter.com/UgDcReJHS7
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) January 30, 2020