CHICAGO _ Three years and six months after the Chicago Bulls anointed him as the missing piece to a championship-ready roster, Fred Hoiberg was fired as coach Monday morning.
The Bulls promoted associate coach Jim Boylen to head coach. There's no interim in Boylen's title because he's well regarded throughout management and ownership and has a chance to win the job permanently, sources 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. I want to thank Fred for his dedication and efforts, as well as for his enduring commitment to our team."
Hoiberg, who compiled a 115-155 record and one playoff berth in his three-plus seasons, arrived at the team's practice facility Monday morning prepared to run the 11 a.m. practice. Both Paxson and general manager Gar Forman were there to relieve him of his duties.
Hoiberg still wants to coach, preferably at the NBA level, a source said. His five-year, $25 million contract that runs through next season is fully guaranteed, sources said, which means he'll be paid fully until he lands another job.
If Boylen doesn't win the job permanently, this will be the fifth coaching hire of this managerial regime. Paxson and Forman have hired Bill Cartwright, Scott Skiles, Vinny Del Negro, Tom Thibodeau and Hoiberg.
Coincidentally, another Jim Boylan _ different spelling _ landed the interim head coaching job when Paxson fired Skiles. Boylan and Boylen once worked together at Michigan State.
