Chicago Bulls: Jim Boylen throwing a Hail Mary

It sounds like the seat is getting hotter by the day for the Chicago Bulls head coach.

Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen has to know his days in that role are likely numbered. He has had one of the most disastrous starts to his tenure than any other Bulls coach in recent memory. From a near players mutiny to his terse interactions with the Chicago media, to the spurious relationship with his key players, including Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen, the writing has been on the wall for a bit, and it appears Boylen is finally getting around to reading it.

After the Bulls hired new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Arturan Karnisovas, the seat was obviously going to get hotter. Boylen was hired by John Paxson, who formerly held the same position, but has been relegated to the role of “senior advisor” and will not be around the team on a daily basis. In other words, it’s the front office equivalent of a “golden parachute.”

Karnisovas has no allegiance to Boylen. The only “ally” Boylen has left in the building isn’t likely to be in it much, if at all. So if you’re Jim Boylen, and you’re sitting at home assessing your chances of being retained, you probably don’t like your chances.

Although initially, at least publicly, Boylen seemed optimistic about his future, that outlook changed quickly. While his confidence seemed to waver intraday, the reality is that he has to be worried about his job.

So what do you do when you don’t have a stellar track record, and feel like you’re losing your grip on your job? Well, you throw a Hail Mary — and that’s just what Boylen is doing in his latest attempt to ingratiate himself with the new man in charge.

In a statement released by the Bulls, Boylen thanked Paxson and Gar Forman for their support and expressed appreciation for giving him an opportunity to lead the team. It was a nice gesture by Boylen and exactly what you’d expect.

But in the same statement, Boylen sounded like he was trying to cozy up to Karnisovas. We already know Boylen is hoping to get a sit down with Arturas before any decisions are made about his future, perhaps he is getting the sense that might not go well and is trying to grease the skids before the meeting.

To that end, Boylen made sure he made it clear how excited he is to have Arturas in Chicago. According to K.C. Johnson’s piece for NBCSports Chicago, Boylen said:

"I want to welcome Arturas to the Chicago Bulls. He has a wealth of experience as a player and executive, and a strong reputation within the basketball community. I commend Jerry and Michael for bringing Arturas on board."

Sort of odd that he used this press release to smooch a little cheek. Certainly, if he wanted to get such a message to Arturas, there are other ways, right? Was it really necessary to suck up to y our new boss in a public statement?

Well, again, desperate times call for desperate measures. And let’s face it — Jim Boylen is desperate.