After four seasons of floating in NBA mediocrity, the Chicago Bulls (Currently 5-19, 14th in the Eastern Conference) fired Head Coach Fred Hoiberg (pictured above left) prior to the team practice on Monday. Assistant Coach Jim Boylen was promoted to Interim Head Coach by Chicago’s President of Basketball Operations John Paxson.
As a student of the game, I grew up during the “Jordan Era” of the NBA. This franchise hasn’t been a true playoff contender since Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman & former Head Coach Phil Jackson left Chicago after the 1998 NBA Finals. Since their 6 Ring departure, Superstars like Tyson Chandler, Kyle Korver, Eric Gordon, Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler & Derrick Rose have come and gone. Well respected champions Dwayne Wade & Rajon Rondo even tried to save the Chicago Bulls and failed to bring the franchise back to the NBA Finals. In my opinion, the Chicago Bulls need to rebuild from the team owner’s office all the way down to the coaching staff. You can’t have Superstar talent with incompetent General Management. There are multiple franchises around the NBA that will never see the NBA Finals. It’s not always the players fault or the franchise’s market size. In most cases, these failing franchises have team GM’s that simply don’t care about the rewards of the league. Teams have to have “Winning” as a Top Priority. Players can make a difference by bringing a “Underdog” franchise to the NBA Playoffs. However, the team GM & Basketball Of Operations have to also have “Championships” as the Top Priority within their weekly All Staff meetings.
At the end of the day, the Chicago Bulls have a long road back to prominence. John Paxson, who won Championships with Michael Jordan during the 1st 3-peat (1991-1993) knows what it takes to win. And when it comes down to it, multiple injuries may have been a delay, but Coach Fred Hoiberg had to go. The Saga Continues...