The Chicago Bulls have spent the last two months grinding through their head coaching search. They are now down to four names.
Per multiple reports, the finalists are Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter, Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt, and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. Chicago is reportedly bringing each in for in-person interviews this week. A decision is expected before the NBA Draft on June 23.
This is a real list with real differences between the candidates. It is also a list that says a lot about where the Bulls front office sees the franchise heading.
Micah Nori is the name to know. Nori has been on the Timberwolves bench under Chris Finch for years and is widely credited as a major reason Minnesota became a legitimate Western Conference contender. He has interviewed for the Knicks, Lakers, Pistons, and Cavaliers jobs in past cycles. He has never gotten one. Chicago might be the place that finally hires him.
Nori is a defensive specialist who specializes in player development, which matches the Bulls’ current roster perfectly. Chicago has young players like Coby White, Matas Buzelis, and last year’s first-round pick who need a coach who can mold them. Nori is that guy.
Tiago Splitter is the curveball on the list. The former Spurs big man took over the Portland job after Chauncey Billups was arrested in the bizarre poker-game ring case earlier this year. Splitter promptly got the Blazers into the play-in, then into the playoffs, with a roster nobody expected to compete. Players love him. He was an obvious choice to keep the Portland job permanently. Portland did not give it to him. Now he is a free agent and the Bulls want a look.
Splitter’s profile is similar to Finch’s was when Minnesota hired him. International background, calm demeanor, modern offensive principles. The Bulls have not had a coach with that profile in two decades. It would be a real culture shift.
Ryan Schmidt is the dark horse. He has been a Hawks assistant since 2023 under Quin Snyder, and helped Atlanta finish as the East’s sixth seed last season. Schmidt is well-regarded internally around the league but has never been an obvious candidate for a head job. Putting him on this list says the Bulls did serious due diligence on every assistant in the league.
Wes Unseld Jr. is the holdover. He spent last year on Billy Donovan’s staff in Chicago after washing out as the Washington Wizards head coach. The Bulls have already worked with him. He knows the roster. Continuity matters.
Continuity also does not win games. Unseld posted a 90-154 record in three seasons in Washington. He was fired. He has been an assistant for a year. Bulls fans will not be thrilled if the franchise hires a guy who was just unsuccessful at the head-coaching level somewhere else.
The smart bet is Nori. He has paid his dues in interviews. The Bulls have been respectful of his candidacy throughout the process. His coaching style fits the roster. He brings the kind of energy a young team needs.
The sleeper bet is Splitter. The Bulls front office has been looking for an identity for years. Hiring a relative outsider with a modern philosophy is the kind of move that signals real change.
Whoever gets the job inherits a roster in flux. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are likely on the trade block. DeMar DeRozan is gone. The future is the kids. The next coach has to be the right one to develop them.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
