New Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter said he grew up a fan of the team in his native Brazil, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Splitter, who spent almost all of last season as Portland’s interim head coach, was formally introduced as Chicago’s top coach on Wednesday.

“I’m actually a Bulls fan myself,” Splitter said. “Growing up in Brazil, I watched many games late at night, hidden from my parents at 1 am, watching MJ [Michael Jordan] games and rooting for the Bulls. So super excited to be here.”

Splitter acknowledged the team is in the early stages of a rebuild and that there’s plenty of work to do going forward. The 41-year-old also said he would adapt to the players on the roster while maintaining a high standard of competitiveness.

“It’s going to be a lot of work, it’s going to take some time,” Splitter said. “I know what it takes and I know the responsibility I have and the expectations that come with being the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. I’m ready and I can’t wait to start and work.

“I have a vision, I have a way I want to play, but you also have to explore what they do best. That’s what we’re going to do here. I can guarantee you one thing: We’re going to compete every night and we’re going to have high standards with everything we do.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

• Splitter was reportedly a finalist for the Trail Blazers‘ permanent head coaching job before he was hired by Chicago, but he declined to talk about his departure from his former team, according to Jay Cohen of The Associated Press. “I think there’s too many things being said already and I think that’s enough,” he said. “I’m past that and I want to think about the Chicago Bulls.”
• New head of basketball operations Bryson Graham praised Splitter’s competitiveness and ability to connect with players as key reasons why he selected Splitter, Cohen adds. “We are at the ground floor,” Graham said. “And so when you have someone that has a vision that aligns with yours, that knows how you want to play, and how to build a program, we just, I mean, we couldn’t be more excited.”
• A former NBA big man, Splitter talked about the process of connecting with a new generation of players and suggested the team remains high on Matas Buzelis, the former lottery pick who’s entering his third season in the league, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. “I’ve been studying him more and more, getting to know him,” Splitter said. “We’re gonna work every day to get him to be the best player he can be. I think nobody knows yet what is his ceiling. He’s a guy that learns fast. That’s what people have said to me. He’s going to continue to get better physically, he’s going to continue to shoot better, he’s going to read better, become a better defender. We see him as a very complete player (on) both ends.”