Report: Bulls players, coaches discuss forming leadership group

Through the simmering drama between the Chicago Bulls' youngster-laden roster and hard-nosed head coach Jim Boylen - promoted after Fred Hoiberg's dismissal last week - several players appear to have emerged as the proverbial cooler heads.

One of the outcomes of Sunday's all-hands-on-deck meeting between Bulls players, coaching staff, and front-office management is the possibility of appointing a leadership group to serve as the bridge between the players and coaches moving forward, sources told ESPN's Malika Andrews.

When some players were considering the possibility of not showing up to the practice facility Sunday in protest of Boylen's abrasive tactics, veteran center Robin Lopez and power forward Lauri Markkanen - the team's oldest and second-youngest players, respectively - were said to have played key roles in diffusing tensions and curtailing an outright mutiny, according to The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry.

And after the initial players-only meeting and subsequent meeting that also included Boylen, team president John Paxton, and general manager Gar Forman, fifth-year guard Zach LaVine met with Boylen separately.

"You just want to be real with people," LaVine told ESPN of his one-on-one with Boylen. "There shouldn't be any clouds. I think of myself as one of the leaders on the team. I just wanted to voice my opinion to them."

"This is a business, this isn't a dictatorship," LaVine added. "We are all grown men, so everybody has a voice."