Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Craig given permission to interview for Bulls opening
4-year assistant won title in G League as head coach
Miami Heat assistant coach Dan Craig has been granted permission to talk to the Chicago Bulls about their coaching vacancy, an NBA source confirmed Wednesday to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The Bulls, who overhauled their front office this summer, have been seeking a replacement for Jim Boylen, who was dismissed on Aug. 14, after going 39-84 over two seasons with the Bulls, failing to make the playoffs in either season.
Craig is the latest Erik Spoelstra assistant to draw interest for an NBA coaching vacancy. Former Spoelstra lead assistant David Fizdale eventually moved on to coach the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks, with former Spoelstra assistant Juwan Howard interviewing for several NBA openings before last year taking over as coach at the University of Michigan.
Craig, 38, is with the Heat at the NBA’s quarantine bubble at Disney World, where the Heat are playing in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Among others linked to interest by the Bulls are former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, and current NBA assistants Chris Fleming, Darvin Ham, Jamahl Mosely, Stephen Silas, Ime Udoka and West Unseld Jr.
Craig is in his 17th year with the Heat and fourth as assistant coach, after spending 2015-16 as coach of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, guiding the Heat’s affiliate that season to the G League championship.
Also on Craig’s resume is time on Gregg Popovich’s coaching staff at USA Basketball’s Senior National Team training camp in 2018
Craig has twice served as Heat coach in games Spoelstra has missed for the birth of his sons, also having served as coach of Heat teams in summer league.
“DC’s a well-schooled, well-drilled basketball coach,” Spoelstra has said of Craig. “This guy’s ready to be a head coach right now in the league.”
Craig coached the Heat this season in a loss in Boston. During the Heat’s previous visit to Boston, Spoelstra spoke of Craig’s rise from his New England basketball roots.
“DC is much like myself, he started at the bottom,” Spoelstra said. “Learning the business from the video room of the Miami Heat is different, to say the least. The workload, the expectations, everything behind the scenes, it’s grunt work.
“It’s not for everybody. We’ve had a lot of people that quit and said this just wasn’t for them, but those that have been able to survive it end up gaining such an incredible wealth of knowledge in this profession at all levels.
“He is extremely polished now. He’s done basically everything, including coaching at Sioux Falls, and he’s somebody that I lean on a lot. I lean on him like he’s a head coach, but he’s also one of my closest friends.”
After beginning his Heat career as a video intern in 2003-04, Craig was named assistant video coordinator in 2004-05 and two years later was promoted to video coordinator, a role he served for five seasons before being elevated to video coordinator/player development coach prior to 2011-12. The following season, Craig was named assistant coach/video coordinator and then in 2013-14 was promoted to assistant coach/player development. During 2014-15, he served as assistant coach/ director of player development.
He played at Plymouth State from 1999 to 2003.
Spoelstra also mentioned assistant Chris Quinn and video coordinator Eric Glass as potential future NBA coaches. Both Quinn and Glass also have worked with the Heat’s G League affiliate in South Dakota.