Bulls fire head coach Hoiberg

Head coach Fred Hoiberg of the Chicago Bulls signals to his team during a game against the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center on November 26, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois. AFP

CHICAGO, United States – The Chicago Bulls fired head coach Fred Hoiberg on Monday following the team’s dismal start to the season which has left them near the foot of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Bulls said in a statement Hoiberg would be replaced by associate head coach Jim Boylen in an effort to reverse the slide.

The Bulls are languishing one place off the bottom of the standings with only five wins against 19 defeats.

Only two other teams in the NBA have worse records.

Via a statement released by the team, Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson said:

“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 a statement.

“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.”

Hoiberg, 46, took over as Bulls head coach in the 2015-2016 season.

In the three seasons he has been at the helm, the Bulls have missed the playoffs twice and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

In his 246 games in charge, the Bulls won 110 and lost 136. /cbb