Chicago Bulls fire coach Jim Boylen after missing the playoffs once again

Months after the world was reminded of the best run in Chicago Bulls history, the franchise closed a chapter on one of its worst.

The Chicago Bulls fired coach Jim Boylen on Friday as the new front office begins its remake of a team that missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years — a tough stretch for a franchise whose dominance in the 1990s was chronicled in the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance.”

The Bulls finished 22-43 this season and were one of the eight teams that didn't qualify for the NBA's restart at Walt Disney World, where the playoffs begin next week. Kris Dunn, the former New London High School star, plays for the Bulls.

The move was hardly a surprise. Only Tim Floyd (.205) had a lower winning percentage than Boylen (.317) in franchise history.

“This was a very difficult decision, but it is time for our franchise to take that next step as we move in a new direction and era of Chicago Bulls basketball,” said rturas Karnisovas, the team's new executive vice president of basketball operations. “Jim is a great human being that cares deeply about this organization and the game of basketball.”

A longtime NBA assistant, Boylen got his first head coaching job in the league in December 2018 when the Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg after a 5-19 start. Boylen led the Bulls to a 17-41 record the rest of the way and a 22-43 mark in this pandemic-interrupted season after getting a contract extension.

The Bulls were 11th in the Eastern Conference before play was stopped in March because of the coronavirus.

After the season, Chicago hired Karnisovas as it became clear deeper changes were needed. The man he replaced, John Paxson, had said in February 2019 the Bulls “absolutely” planned to retain Boylen. He said at the time that Boylen was “doing the right things” and “promoting the right message to our players.”

The Bulls made good on that promise, and they entered this season with strong hopes.

“We think we can compete,” Paxson said before the season. “And when you compete at a high level, you have the ability to be a playoff-caliber team. We set that as a goal.”

Paxson's optimism came with caution. He said he expected Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter to “step up.”

LaVine averaged 25.5 points but wasn't an All-Star. Markkanen, a 7-footer from Finland, missed 15 games with a pelvic injury and his scoring and rebounding numbers dropped. Porter missed 51 games with a variety of left foot injuries.