Chicago Bulls: Top 3 coaching candidates, per report

Candidate 1: Ime Udoka

The most likely of these three candidates to be hired by Karnisovas is current Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach and former player Ime Udoka. Right now, Udoka is prepping for his 76ers to resume their season and make a postseason run. But, soon, he may be part of another infamous Bulls rebuild.

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One fact to bring into this conversation would be that Udoka already knows new Bulls general manager Marc Eversley, who formerly worked in Philly’s front office. That connection is an important one to note.

Udoka got his start as an assistant coach in a spot where the Bulls found Boylen — under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. Now, as funny as that similarity is, Udoka is a far different coach than Boylen.

I think we could expect Udoka to bring a lot of similar aspects to the table as Popovich, but unlike Boylen, he is more of a player’s coach. Obviously, being a younger, former player, that should be a given.

Even all the way back in April, Bleacher Report noted how well a fit Udoka would be in Chicago. They brought up a report by Darnell Mayberry out of The Athletic which hinted that Udoka would be on the Bulls’ radar as a very likely replacement. Not only was Udoka named in that report, but the second candidate on our list was included as well.