CHICAGO _ The holiday season presents an opportunity to indulge in rituals. When the calendar hits the two-month span that includes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, there is time allotted to share food with family, exchange gifts, drop the ball and ... fire Bulls coaches.
Increasingly, it has become commonplace for the Bulls to let go of their head coach when it is least likely to reach the radar of fans and media members. Dating to the 2001-02 season, the Bulls have established a trend of relieving coaches of their duties during the holidays.
Since Phil Jackson stepped away at the end of the Michael Jordan era, the Bulls have had eight full-time coaches, and four of them have parted ways with the team in the months of November and December. With the holiday season upon us and rumors about Jim Boylen's fate swirling, now feels like an opportune time to reflect on the Bulls' checkered history during the giving season.
