NEWSLETTER
The Bulls’ extension of Jim Boylen’s contract was met with plenty of negative pushback, but one of the positives about the deal is that it was supposed to allow the head coach to put together a strong staff of assistants without worrying about a regime change lurking at any given moment.
So I was intrigued when the Bulls were rumored to be interested in hiring Texas Tech assistant Mark Adams, who was essentially the defensive coordinator for college basketball’s best unit. Unfortunately, it appears as if Adams has turned down an opportunity to come to Chicago in order to return to campus.
Texas Tech assistant Mark Adams had discussions with the Chicago Bulls, but will return to Lubbock, source told @Stadium. Adams and Bulls coach Jim Boylen have known each other for years.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 16, 2019
College basketball insider Jeff Goodman reports that despite having discussions with the Bulls, Adams is going back to Texas Tech. It’s a multi-layered bummer from a Bulls perspective.
For starters, Adams presented a potential upgrade on Boylen’s staff. Any time a coach with an underwhelming résumé can bring on some highly regarded assistants, it’s going to be a move welcomed with open arms. Particularly one with Adams’ expertise as a defensive guru when the Bulls were one of basketball’s least efficient defensive teams. It’s also a tough look that the Bulls couldn’t coax a college coach out with the allure of a gig in the NBA. Sure, Adams probably had his reasons to stay at Texas Tech. He is probably comfortable with his job and working under Chris Beard. And with another strong year, he could find himself as a head-coaching candidate at the college level as soon as next year.
But still … you’d like to think that the opportunity to work at the highest level with a long-time friend/associate would be a perk. Maybe it was, but it’s possible that wasn’t enough to entice Adams to make the jump. Tough break for the Bulls, who haven’t had a good run of luck when it comes to luring others into town as of late.
