With the Bulls' coaching search ramping up, a new name has been added to the mix: the Miami Heat's Chris Quinn.
With the Chicago Bulls recently making the front office hires of Stephen Mervis and Acie Law IV official, the search for their vacant head coach position is beginning to ramp up.
Per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Bulls are set to interview Miami Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn. With reported names like Wes Unseld Jr, Dave Bliss, Sean Sweeney, Micah Nori, James Borrego, and recently, Jerry Stackhouse already linked to the position, Quinn emerges as another tantalizing prospect to steer the ship for this new era of the Chicago Bulls.
New Bulls EVP Bryson Graham has made it abundantly clear what he is looking for out of the next coach for this team: someone who places a heavy emphasis on player development and who takes pride in the team being strong on BOTH sides of the court, offense and defense. During his introductory press conference, Graham described exactly the traits that he is looking for and demands from the next leader of the Chicago Bulls.
"We're looking for someone who's obviously very smart," Graham said. "We're looking for someone who can lead and someone with really high character... A lot of times now, you have coaches that lean towards offense, and they lean towards defense. We're gonna try to find a coach that can coach both sides of the ball, and care about both sides of the ball, and then develop these guys, as they are young in their careers."
Working under the infamous "Heat Culture" style of Erik Spoelstra for over a decade, Quinn might be exactly the kind of coach that Graham is looking for.
Like recently hired vice president of player personnel Acie Law IV, Quinn also has spent time in the NBA, playing as a point guard from 2006-2013.
Mar 31, 2011; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Quinn (left) and Daniel Green (right) warm up before the game against the Boston Celtics at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn ImagesStarting his career with the Miami Heat in 2006, Quinn also spent time with the New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, and the Cleveland Cavaliers before retiring from the NBA in 2013 and taking an assistant coaching job for Northwestern. Things would then come around for him full circle as he joined the Heat in 2014 as an assistant coach under Spoelstra.
With the emphasis being on player development, getting people in the building who have been around the league themselves and know how to navigate its tumultuous waters seems to be at the forefront of Graham's priorities. Quinn fits that bill.
