Fallout from Forman Rumblings, Paxson Likely Safe, Warriors on Tap, and Other Bulls Bullets

November 27, 2019, by Elias Schuster Chicago Bulls

If the Bulls lose to the Warriors (3-15) tonight the season will just abruptly end, right? So can be put out of our misery?

Cool. Just checking.

ICYMI: Real change could be on the horizon for the Chicago Bulls.

Is This Real: Bulls GM Gar Forman Reportedly on The Hot Seathttps://t.co/i0wC3aSPYe
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 26, 2019

You know, maybe.
Any executive change is always a big deal, but it’s fair to ask how much of a difference this would actually make within the organization if a change at this level even does occur. Don’t misinterpret that though as me defending Forman – he should be gone already. Instead, I’m alluding to the fact that the Sun-Times report states that both John Paxson and Jim Boylen still have the full support of the organization. It’s no secret Paxson has stepped in as the “face” of the front office, and he’s been arguably a larger part of this Bulls’ debacle than anyone else, so ditching Forman might initiate the sort of change we hope to see. Indeed, I wonder if the Reinsdorfs would even give a new GM enough of a leash to steer things in a new direction.
I don’t want to get into too many “what if” scenarios here (especially because we don’t actually know how likely this firing really is), but … NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson chipped in his two cents on the matter, sharing that “a source emphasized that nobody’s job is in imminent jeopardy, including Forman’s.” Imminent jeopardy doesn’t mean Forman’s seat isn’t slowing getting hotter, but the integrity of his pants are still fine. Now, Johnson did go on to say Bulls’ ownership could continue to mix up the front office: “Ownership will continue to evaluate and possibly evolve the front office further.” But, like the Sun-Times report, Johnson double-down on the respect for Paxson. The VP’s butt must be cool as ice.

Stepping down a peg, we haven’t heard any rumors about Jim Boylen’s job security – as much as Chicagoland would like to. Therefore, the screams for the head coach to be fired by those on the outside are growing louder. SBNation’s Ricky O’Donnell hopped on Sports Feed last night to give his input, and I think it’s safe to say he’s angry.

As usual Ricky does not hold back on his opinion of Jim Boylen pic.twitter.com/ElUi2Z3zW5
— Ⓜ️arcusD ▶️ (@_MarcusD3_) November 27, 2019

The Athletic’s Stephen Noh is aboard the same boat, publishing a column that flat-out calls for Boylen’s firing.

Stating the obvious for the guys in charge, because everyone else already knows. Jim Boylen ain't it: https://t.co/3bHiIk08TY
— Stephen Noh (@StephNoh) November 27, 2019

From dumb quotes to bad stats to sad losses, Noh shares all of Boylen’s shortcomings since the 2019-20 season tipped-off. Nothing about Boylen has proven to be head coach material. While he may have been at the forefront of some solid offseason traction, his in-game management and decision-making have only proven to be lethal to this team’s success. His systems are flawed, and his attitude is discouraging. It’s all bad.
Johnson also – interestingly – shared in his mailbag that, while he doesn’t know what Reinsdorf’s opinion on the Boylen and LaVine feud was, he does know there was more support for LaVine being “unfairly singled out.” Hm.

Anyway, the Bulls are in San Francisco tonight for the first time in a while.

Tonight marks the Bulls first game in San Francisco since January 23, 1971, an 87-83 win with Bob Love scoring 34 points.
Pregame at 9:15 on @670TheScore
— Jeff Mangurten (@JeffGurt) November 27, 2019

If you’re wondering how much respect the Bulls are getting around the league right now, here you go:

The Warriors are +2.5 against the Bulls tonight. That's the smallest underdog they've been since Steph Curry went down against the Suns. In games since, they've been +7, 8, 12, 16, 11.5, 12, 8, 9, 7, 3.5, 6, 14.5, 16, 7.5.
— Mark Strotman (@markstrot) November 27, 2019