Carter has kind words for ex-Bulls coach Boylen
Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. talked about playing for his third head coach in three professional seasons when he casually threw a compliment to former coach Jim Boylen.
"Coach Boylen was a great defensive coach," Carter said. "Fred (Hoiberg) was a great offensive coach. Going into this season we'll be able to see what Billy (Donovan) is really good at.
"I feel like that's what makes the NBA so beautiful. We're all very good at the game so we can kind of figure things out as we go. We can't rely too much on the coach, like, 'Oh, we lost because of the coach.' Sometimes it's us. We just have to be the competitors. I'm just looking forward to seeing how Billy does for us. I think he's going to do really well."
Just 24 games into Carter's rookie season, Hoiberg was replaced by Boylen. The numbers do back up Carter's assessment: On Jan. 5 of last season, the Bulls ranked fifth in the league in defensive rating.
The next day, however, Carter suffered a high ankle sprain against Dallas and missed about seven weeks. After losing Carter and later Kris Dunn to a knee injury, the defensive success took a nose-dive, and Boylen was replaced by Donovan.
"Each coach was just a different coach in their own (way)," Carter said. "I feel like each coach has his strengths, each coach had his weaknesses. That goes for players, that goes for people in general."