Bulls fire head coach Fred Hoiberg after four seasons
The Chicago Bulls announced on Monday morning that head coach Fred Hoiberg had been fired. Jim Paxson, the team’s executive vice president for basketball operations, released this statement:
“Decisions like this one are never easy to make, however I felt this was the right choice for our organization at this time. 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, a former college and NBA player, was hired by the Bulls in 2015 after five successful years coaching at Iowa State, signing a five-year, $25 million contract. He has a 115-155 overall record as Bulls coach, but his current season record is a less than impressive 5-19. The team’s 121-105 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday brought its losing streak to six straight, and the club has lost 10 of 11.
Recent reports had surfaced that Hoiberg would be coaching for his job over the next month as several players make their way back from injury, but it looks like the front office had already made its decision. In fact, the Bulls have already named Hoiberg’s permanent, non-interim replacement: associate head coach Jim Boylen.
Boylen was hired just a few weeks after Hoiberg in 2015, and has a lengthy résumé that includes more than 30 years of assistant coaching jobs in college and the NCAA. He was part of three NBA championship teams, and has worked with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Boylen has had one head coaching job, with the University of Utah from 2007-11.
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