Bulls hire Wes Unseld Jr. as lead assistant coach under Billy Donovan, per report

The Chicago Bulls have found a new lead assistant head coach, as the team is expected to hire Wes Unseld Jr. in the spot under head coach Billy Donovan, per ESPN. The Bulls had a vacancy at the position after the team parted ways with previous lead assistant Chris Fleming in April. Unseld comes to the Bulls after serving as the head coach of the Washington Wizards for the last two and a half seasons. Unseld was let go in January by the Wizards following a 7-36 start to the season and was moved into a front-office advisory role for the team. 

The Bulls wanted a lead assistant with previous head coaching experience, per NBC Chicago, and in hiring Unseld, they’re checking off that box. While Unseld compiled just a 77-130 record during his tenure in D.C. and made no postseason appearances, he comes with a lengthy assistant coaching resume that includes stops with the Warriors, Nuggets, Magic and the Wizards. Unseld was an assistant coach with the Nuggets when they went to the Western Conference finals in 2020 and has coached under Michael Malone, Mark Jackson and Ernie Grunfeld. 

With Unseld filling the lead assistant role, the Bulls are also still searching for another assistant coach on Donovan’s staff after Josh Longstaff left the organization to join first-time head coach Charles Lee in Charlotte. Longstaff was previously expected to be a candidate to fill the lead assistant role before accepting a job with the Hornets, per NBC Chicago, but finding someone with previous head coaching experience was important to Donovan and the Bulls. 

In addition to that change, assistant coach Maurice Cheeks isn’t expected to return to his full-time position under Donovan next season, opting to take a “lesser role” on the staff. Cheeks has essentially been Donovan’s right-hand man since the former University of Florida coach became an NBA coach, serving as his assistant during his tenure in Oklahoma City, and following Donovan to Chicago in 2020.

With all the changes happening to the coaching staff, it’s clear that the Bulls are trying to…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bulls-hire-wes-unseld-jr-as-lead-assistant-coach-under-billy-donovan-per-report/

Author : Jasmyn Wimbish

Publish date : 2024-05-18 17:11:15

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