Bulls fire Hoiberg amid 5-19 start
The Chicago Bulls have fired coach Fred Hoiberg, the team announced in a news release Monday morning.
At 5-19, the Bulls have the thirdworst record in the NBA.
The team named longtime NBA assistant coach Jim Boylen its coach.
“Decisions like this one are never easy to make, however I felt this was the right choice for our organization at this time,” Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said in the news release. “After a thorough evaluation, I elected to make this move with the overall development of our team in mind.
“As a team, I believe it is imperative that we make unfaltering strides in the right direction and build the right habits to help put our players in the best position to evolve not only now, but into the future. I want to thank Fred for his dedication and efforts, as well as for his enduring commitment to our team.”
Hoiberg is the second NBA coach fired this season, following the dismissal of Cleveland’s Tyronn Lue six games into the season.
Hoiberg had a 115-155 record in three-plus seasons and one playoff appearance with the Bulls. He was in the fourth year of a five-year contract.
Hired in 2015 to help the Bulls transition from the Tom Thibodeau-era playoff teams, Hoiberg was a .500 coach his first two seasons with some holdovers from those Thibodeau teams. But it was a never easy for Hoiberg, who played and coached at Iowa State, to connect with veteran players. He didn’t always enjoy his foray into the NBA.
However, it was expected Hoiberg would fare better with younger players, and that’s the direction the Bulls were headed with Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter. Jr. and Jabari Parker.