The Chicago Bulls could be bracing for a change in management.
Bulls chairman and alternate governor Jerry Reinsdorf, furious with the team's rocky 6-12 start and the organization's poor optics, is starting to scrutinize the job security of general manager Gar Forman, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley.
Mistrust between Forman and players has reportedly been an issue for some time, and he apparently didn't help his cause when the team held an in-game ceremony to honor retired star Luol Deng on Wednesday. One former player in attendance told Cowley that Forman was aloof toward the group of ex-Bulls.
Reinsdorf is specifically targeting Forman for his performance during the Bulls' sluggish rebuild as opposed to executive vice president John Paxson or head coach Jim Boylen, according to Cowley. Paxson, a former point guard with the franchise, is reportedly considered nearly untouchable, while Boylen, who was promoted to head coach in 2018 after Fred Hoiberg was fired, has apparently earned management's respect.
Forman first joined the Bulls in 1998 as a scout and worked his way up through the organization until being named GM in 2009.
Though Forman shared Executive of the Year honors with Miami Heat president Pat Riley in 2011, Bulls fans' criticism of Forman and Paxon has mounted in recent seasons.
Reinsdorf has owned the franchise since 1985. He also serves as chairman of baseball's Chicago White Sox, which he took over in 1981.
