How the hiatus affects all 30 NBA teams

Chicago Bulls: Cooling Jim Boylen’s seat down

When the NBA shut down, the Chicago Bulls were eight games behind the 8-seeded Orlando Magic, who were five games below .500 themselves. So yes, suffice it to say it’s been a thoroughly disappointing year for head coach Jim Boylen and a team that was a popular dark horse pick to reach the Eastern Conference playoffs — a low enough bar as it is.

Between the Bulls’ lackluster record, Zach LaVine‘s ongoing passive-aggressive/outright aggressive dance with Boylen, there seemed to be a general consensus about who the worst coach in the league is.

Luckily for the old school, embattled Boylen, and unluckily for Bulls fans, this hiatus alleviates some of the pressure that was building with each passing loss, each inexplicably bad effort and each on-court/in-media squabble with his best players. By the time basketball returns, most people will be too thankful to have the NBA back to pin too much blame of the Bulls’ lost season on him, especially when it was almost lost for everyone due to reasons that transcend the sport.