Jim Boylen fired as head coach of the Chicago Bulls

Jim Boylen's time in Chicago has come to an end.

Bulls executive Vice President and head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas announced on Friday morning that Jim Boylen has been relieved of his duties as head coach, effective immediately.

The decision comes one day after the conclusion of the 2019-20 regular season, a second consecutive season in which Chicago failed to make a serious run at the postseason.

The Chicago Bulls have fired coach Jim Boylen after two seasons, the team announced Friday.

Boylen was 39-84 without a playoff appearance after taking the head-coaching job in December 2018. https://t.co/W7QT5CfGm2
— ESPN (@espn) August 14, 2020

"After doing a comprehensive evaluation and giving the process the time it deserved, I ultimately decided that a fresh approach and evolution in leadership was necessary," Karnisovas said in a statement. "This was a very difficult decision, but it is time for our franchise to take that next step as we move in a new direction and era of Chicago Bulls basketball."

"Jim is a great human being that cares deeply about this organization and the game of basketball. I want to thank him for his professionalism and commitment to the franchise."

The Bulls were 22-43 when the NBA season shutdown in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Then when the NBA elected to restart during July, Chicago was one of eight teams who weren't chosen to compete, assuring that the squad would miss the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years.

Karnisovas was named executive vice president of basketball operations on April, following the shutdown. One of his first orders of business was to move in a different direction of head coach, thus looking for someone that better suits him rather than Boylen, who was hired as head coach 2018 and has been a member of the Chicago staff since 2015.

Boylen's first head coaching opportunity came on March 27, 2007 when he was hired by Utah.

His first year at the helm was a success when he lead Utah to a winning record and a berth in the postseason, the first time that had happened since 2005. Although the losing to BYU continued, the Utes showed how good they could be when they knocked off New Mexico in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament.

Boylen's second season was by far his best at Utah, leading them to both the regular season and conference tournament championships. Armed with a 21-8 overall record (12-4 Mountain West), the Utes were awarded a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament before being upset by 84-71 by No. 12 Arizona in the first round.

Utah struggled under Boylen the following two seasons, finishing both with a losing record before he was let go on March 12, 2011.

What's next for Boylen is anybody's guess — but it's safe to assume that his prowess as an assistant coach in the NBA will make him a hot commodity.

Former @UtahMBB coach Jim Boylen will be looking to return to the bench in a role he excels at: lead assistant. Such a nice guy, but can’t put things together as a head coach. #UteNation https://t.co/bDzdeaFu6y
— Alex Markham (@AMarkhamRivals) August 14, 2020

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