As Bulls coaching search drags on, how much does this hire really matter?

Nearly a month has passed since the Bulls hired Bryson Graham as director of basketball operations. Safe to say, he's taking his time with the coaching search.

And that's fine. The only hurry is maybe they want the new coach involved in the draft evaluation process. Whoever is hired, though, will already be coaching Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, whether they like it or not. Not a big deal.

Graham is also casting a wide net. Maybe a better local analogy is he's visiting a variety of hot dog stands. There have been roughly 12 names mentioned as candidates, and very likely others not mentioned publicly.

Again, this is a reasonable strategy. Graham is new in this job, he should be meeting people, listening to different philosophies, deciding what traits he values most. Might as well check in with as many candidates as he can.

Now they key question: Which coach should they hire?

Well, this move is probably not a vital step in the rebuild. Shelf life of NBA coaches these days is incredibly brief. Billy Donovan was at grandfather level with six seasons on the job.

The Bulls are not in win-now mode, so there's a decent chance the next coach they hire will not be the one leading the team into the playoffs down the road, assuming that does happen again.

Also, players clearly matter more than coaches in the NBA. A bad coach can mess up a team, no doubt. There are some, like Tom Thibodeau, who will improve any team by bringing an extreme attention to detail. Most coaches fall somewhere in between.

One of the Bulls' candidates is already off the board. San Antonio assistant Sean Sweeney was hired by Orlando, so he probably preferred a playoff team like the Magic to the great unknowns offered by the Bulls. He'll miss out on the better restaurant options, of course.

There is no favorite in this search, but here's a look at some candidates mentioned most often:

Chris Quinn, Miami Heat assistant: People view him as a younger version of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, which isn't a bad thing. The former Notre Dame star spent three years playing for the Heat and the last 13 working on Spoelstra's staff.

How much of Pat Riley's famed “Heat Culture” rubbed off on Quinn? Probably quite a bit, but it takes the right kind of person to deliver that message.

Micah Nori, Minnesota assistant: Nori, 52, blazed a trail later followed by former Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber. Nori grew up in Middletown, Ohio, then played college baseball at Indiana. He broke into the NBA as a scout for the Raptors, thanks to another Middletown native, Butch Carter.

After four years in Toronto, Nori was an assistant for the Kings and Nuggets, working under Mike Malone; then the Pistons, before moving to Minnesota, where he reportedly is the team's offensive coordinator.

Quick fun fact is that Nori's son Dante, a Phillies' first-round pick in 2024, played for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic alongside Sam Antonacci and Kyle Teel.

Johnnie Bryant, Cleveland assistant: A former University of Utah player, Bryant started his own basketball skills academy before being hired by the Jazz. He's since worked for the Knicks and Cavs. A player development specialist might be a bright idea for the Bulls, considering Buzelis, Essengue and their two first-round draft picks will be key pieces on the roster.

Dave Bliss, Oklahoma City assistant: Bliss is a Wausau, Wis. native, stands 6-foot-10 and should not be confused with the former Baylor coach of the same name. Like Bryant, Bliss got his start as a player development coach, and both are relatively young at 40.

Jerry Stackhouse, Golden State assistant: The two-time NBA all-star has a variety of experience, serving as head coach in the G-League and Vanderbilt, plus assistant roles with Toronto, Memphis and now the Warriors. He also completed an executive education program at Harvard Business School.

Tiago Splitter, Portland: The Brazil native spent this past season as interim coach of the Trail Blazers, leading them to the playoffs, which meant the Bulls would finally get Portland's protected first-round pick from the Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade. Time to return the favor?

James Borrego, New Orleans: He might have the best connection to Graham, having spent three seasons as an assistant with the Pelicans, then finishing this season as interim coach. Borrego has respect around the league, despite an unsuccessful stint leading Charlotte.

Kevin Young, BYU: Some might think Young being interviewed means the Bulls plan to make a run at trading for Washington's No. 1 overall draft pick and taking A.J. Dybantsa, but that's a very unlikely scenario. Before taking over at BYU, Young coached in the G-League for 10 years, and was an assistant with the 76ers and Suns.

Ryan Schmidt, Atlanta assistant: Technically, he has ties with Graham, but the new Bulls executive was in Atlanta for less than a year after a long tenure with the Pelicans. When he became a Hawks assistant in 2023, it was Schmidt's first NBA job. Besides working in the G-League, he's coached the Hamilton Honey Badgers and London Lions.

As mentioned above, there are probably more names involved. It will take even more time to figure out if the Bulls end up winning this waiting game.