Bulls set to hire Splitter as new head coach

The Bulls would probably love to go back in time to the 2020 NBA Draft and select Deni Avdija with the No. 4 pick, which seemed to be the original plan.

They'll have to settle for hiring the coach who was at the helm when the 6-foot-8 forward blossomed into a star last season in Portland.

The Bulls are expected to name Tiago Splitter their new head coach. He was the Blazers' interim coach last season, when Avdija averaged 24.2 points, a 43% increase from the previous year.

If Splitter can do the same thing with Matas Buzelis, the next Bulls rebuild will be off to a nice start. Vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham will discuss later in the week why he arrived at this decision.

As of early Monday evening, the Bulls had not made the hiring official. ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news earlier in the day.

When Portland's season ended with a first-round playoff loss to San Antonio, Splitter was asked what he learned during his first season on the job.

“How to push the right buttons with players, how to coach them on the court during games,” Splitter said on April 30. “I learned what the players need, how to get guys ready.

“I'm still learning, I'm still a young coach, I'm not saying I'm Phil Jackson, I'm not that. But I got better for sure than I was last summer.”

With Splitter, the Bulls landed on a couple of the smallest subsets of NBA coaches — former NBA players born outside North America and coaches that stand nearly 7-feet tall. Splitter will not be the tallest Bulls coach ever. That honor still belongs to 7-1 Bill Cartwright.

The 6-11 Splitter, 41, is a native of Brazil who played in Spain before being drafted by the Spurs with the No. 28 overall pick in 2007. He was named interim head coach in Portland after Chauncey Billups was arrested as part of an FBI investigation into illegal gambling.

Splitter led the Blazers to a 42-40 record and their first playoff berth in five years. That was great news for the Bulls, since that meant they finally acquired Portland's protected first-round pick, No. 15 overall, a remnant from the Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade.

Before moving to Portland, Splitter spent a year as head coach of Paris Basketball, leading the squad to the French championship and EuroLeague playoffs.

Splitter was a candidate to be named permanent head coach in Portland, but the Blazers have yet to make a decision. Team owner Tom Dundon also owns the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, which won the Stanley Cup title Sunday.

The belief is Splitter got the nod for the Bulls job over Minnesota assistant Micah Nori. Miami assistant Chris Quinn and Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. were also among the reported top candidates.

Being a former player with head-coaching experience made Splitter an attractive candidate. He also spent some time on the player development side, though his overall coaching ledger is relatively short.

When the season ended, plenty of Portland players spoke out in favor of keeping Splitter, though it's rare any player would say something negative about a coach who might stay on the job. Here is a collection of quotes from the exit interviews:

Avdija: “I think he got the best from all of us. I think he believed in all of us. I think he did a great job of connecting this group, of making sure we were always positive. I definitely love Tiago, love playing for him.”

Jrue Holiday: “I love Tiago and the way that he's pushed us this whole season. I think he's probably exceeded people's expectations too.”

Matisse Thybulle: “I don't know how many people could replicate what he was able to do this year with what he had to work with. As far as I'm concerned, Tiago did an amazing job, he knocked it out of the park.”

Kris Murray: “You can probably ask any player — they love him, they love playing for him.”

Looking at last season statistically, the Blazers were better on defense, ranking 12th in defensive rating, compared to 21st in offensive rating. They committed the most turnovers in the league and ranked ninth in pace.

Splitter played in the NBA for seven seasons, mostly with San Antonio, and won a championship with the Spurs in 2014. After retiring as a player, he joined the Brooklyn Nets, first as a scout, then player development coach.

He left the Nets to spend a year as an assistant in Houston under Ime Udoka for the 2023-24 season, before moving to Paris.

Splitter will replace Billy Donovan, who posted a 226-256 record in six seasons with the Bulls, making the playoffs once and play-in tournament three times. Team president Michael Reinsdorf said keeping Donovan was a top priority when the season ended, but the coach eventually decided to move on.