Bulls reportedly hiring Splitter as new head coach

After a long search, the Bulls appear ready to name Tiago Splitter their next head coach. The decision was reported Monday morning by ESPN's Shams Charania.

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-foot-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.

Splitter does have head coaching experience. He was named interim 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, because that meant they finally acquired Portland's protected first-round draft pick, No. 15 overall, a remnant from the Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade.

When the season ended, Splitter was asked to list what he learned in 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.”

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, and was distracted by that team's run to the Stanley Cup title.

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

What made Splitter the best choice in the eyes of new Bulls vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham? He'll explain that himself eventually. Splitter has head coaching experience, which is always helpful. 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 be staying on the job. Here is a collection of quotes from Blazers exit interviews:

Deni Avdija: “I think he got the best of 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 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 statistically at last season, the Blazers were a better defensive team, ranking 12th in defensive rating, 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.