Everything Tiago Splitter Said As Bulls Introduce New HC to Replace Billy Donovan

Let a new era begin for the Chicago Bulls.

New Chicago head coach Tiago Splitter addressed the media for the first time since he was hired Wednesday after he joined the fold following an interim stint with the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite taking over for Chauncey Billups in a surprising development just one game into the past season, he led Portland to a 42-39 record and playoff appearance.

Yet the Trail Blazers did not bring him back, and he told reporters "I really want to leave that behind" when asked about his departure from the Western Conference team.

"I'm going to think about the Bulls, that's my goal right now," he added.

If he is going to find success with Chicago like he enjoyed in his brief time with Portland, he will need to connect with the players. That was a focal point of much of his press conference Wednesday, as he opened up about how to connect with them beyond the X's and O's and called those relationships "the foundation of everything you do."

Splitter is taking over a team starving for success after not enjoying much during the Billy Donovan era.

Despite a rich history that includes six championships in the 1990s, the Bulls haven't won a playoff series in 11 years and last reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011. They were an ugly 31-51 last season and failed to reach 40 wins in any of the last three years.

So what should fans expect in Splitter's first season?

"I can guarantee you one thing: we are going to compete every night, and we are going to have high standards with everything we do," he said Wednesday.

While there hasn't been much recent success, there is reason for optimism for the Bulls. In addition to their new head coach, they have some building blocks in Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.

Perhaps most importantly, they have the Nos. 4 and 15 picks in what is expected to be a loaded 2026 NBA draft. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected them to add North Carolina's Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Texas Tech's Christian Anderson at No. 15 in his most recent mock draft.

That would give Chicago two more building blocks as it attempts to turn the corner and become a contender in the Eastern Conference under Splitter's leadership.

For now, though, the head coach is focused on making some early connections as he takes over a new role.