Bulls Rumors: Jim Boylen Finalizing 3-Year Contract Extension with Chicago

Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen had a rocky start when he took over for the fired Fred Hoiberg in December, but he seems to have made a lasting impression since then.

The Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley reported on Thursday the Bulls and Boylen are actively finalizing a three-year contract extension. 

John Paxson, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations, said in his final press conference of the season that Boylen landing an extension with the franchise this offseason is "very possible." Cowley's source then took Paxson's comments one step further.

Chicago is in the midst of a rebuild and finished 2018-19 at 22-60, the fourth-worst record in the NBA.

The 58 games Boylen was in charge for the Bulls mark his first head coaching experience. Prior to that, Boylen had built an assistant coaching resume dating back to 1992 with the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and Chicago.

As an associate head coach for the Bulls, Boylen developed a reputation as "bad cop" alongside Hoiberg. Without Hoiberg to balance that out, Bulls players had difficulty adjusting to Boylen's coaching style.

The drama quickly culminated with Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill and Chris Haynes revealing that Bulls players had contacted the NBA Players Association to complain about Boylen's "extreme tactics," such as scheduling Sunday practices and holding practices exceeding two-and-a-half hours. 

Paxson admitted during his season-ending presser, per Cowley, that the first week with Boylen as head coach "was like dynamite blowing up." However, Paxson went on to praise how the 53-year-old has evolved since:  

Evidence that Boylen has repaired his relationship with his players came on March 17 when point guard Zach LaVine offered to pay his coach's fine following an ejection against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 15.

The NBA eventually prohibited LaVine's gesture, but it shows how far the two have come as the 24-year-old was one of the most vocal Bulls publicly against Boylen at the beginning. 

Now, the franchise can focus on adding a crucial building block through the lottery. The NBA draft lottery will take place in Chicago on May 14 with draft night set for June 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.