CHICAGO -- New Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said his connection to the team dates back to childhood. Splitter, who grew up in Brazil, recalled staying up until the early hours of the morning, often unbeknownst to his parents, just to watch Michael Jordan and root for the Bulls.
So, while Splitter said he was honored to be named the newest coach of the Bulls during his introductory news conference Wednesday afternoon, he also acknowledged the team has a lot of work to do to get back to the glory days of that Jordan dynasty he remembers so fondly.
"I think we have a great future in front of us," Splitter said. "We want to create a culture of high standards, great habits, every day. Get better, grow. It's going to be a lot of work. It's going to take some time. I know what it takes and I know the responsibility that I have and the expectations that comes with being the head coach of the Chicago Bulls."
Splitter is the first coach hired by the team's new vice president of basketball operations, Bryson Graham, who took over the front office in early May. Graham conducted a thorough and wide-ranging coaching search that included four finalists before landing on Splitter. Graham said the two bonded over a similar vision of how to build an organization.