The Gregg Popovich coaching tree has another bud ready to start blooming.
The Chicago Bulls had been pursuing Popovich's No. 2 assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, Jim Boylen. New Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg wanted Boylen as his lead assistant, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, and the Bulls were willing to discuss giving Boylen the associate head coach title.
Wojnarowski reported on Saturday afternoon that Boylen has accepted the position and will indeed be joining Hoiberg's staff.
Spurs assistant Jim Boylen has accepted Associate Head Coach job with Chicago Bulls, league source tells Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 13, 2015
While it must be tough to leave San Antonio, this could be a good opportunity for Boylen. Popovich has Ettore Messina installed as his top assistant, and while Wojnarowski reports that the Spurs are "determined to keep him," Boylen may see the Bulls opportunity as the next step toward an eventual head coaching opportunity. That seems to be a goal of his, as he reportedly met with the Utah Jazz about their job opening in 2014 before they hired Quin Snyder.
Formerly a head coach at Utah, Boylen spent two years as an assistant with the Indiana Pacers before joining Popovich's staff in 2013. He also works as an assistant under Jay Triano for the Canadian national team, who have a pivotal summer ahead of them with Olympic qualifications in the balance and a commitment from Andrew Wiggins.
The 50-year-old Boylen could eventually join Mike Brown, P.J. Carlesimo, Mike Budenholzer, Avery Johnson, Vinny Del Negro, Monty Williams and Jacque Vaughn as Popovich assistants to land head coaching jobs. Steve Kerr is also somewhat of a Popovich disciple, having played under Pop as a member of the Spurs.
