2018 has been an interesting year for Chicago sports fans, and even more interesting if you’re a Head Coach here since we just fired our third Head Coach this year.
For any Chicago Bulls fans that are still out of the loop on this, The Bulls officially fired Fred Hoiberg this morning after 3 plus seasons with the team. Fred went on to have a 115-155 record throughout his time with the Bulls, last making the playoffs in the 2016-2017 season and being eliminated in the first round by the Boston Celtics in 6 games. The Chicago Bulls’ Executive VP of Basketball Operations, John Paxson released the following statement regarding the dismissal of Hoiberg:
“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.” – John Paxson
I have a few thoughts about the release of Fred Hoiberg, but let me start off with one simple word, FINALLY!
Nothing against Fred Hoiberg, from what I heard and saw he was a good guy who had a great collegiate coaching career at Iowa State, but he wasn’t a NBA level coach. Sure, he was given a pretty shitty hand with the Bulls trying to develop a rebuilding roster. That hand was made even shittier to begin this season with the amount of injuries the Bulls have suffered to key players. Not that those players make us a championship contender, but they are more weapons for Fred to use and they are supposed to be glimpses into our future, NOT players like Ryan Arcidiacono or Cristiano Felicio. However, even with those key players missing from the fold, Fred Hoiberg has done very little to show he’s above replacement level in his time with the Bulls.
Even if this was a move that was a long time coming, it covers a much larger issue at hand. FRED HOIBERG GETTING FIRED IS JUST A SCAPEGOAT FOR THE FRONT OFFICE TO FIX THEIR MISTAKE, AND THEY ARE THE ONES WHO SHOULD BE CHANGED.
Like I said nothing against Hoiberg, but he should have never been hired to be the Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls. He wasn’t respected at the NBA level. That was apparent immediately when some of our veteran players at the time, like Pau Gasol, questioned Fred’s leadership. Not a great sign when a former NBA champion questions your leadership. Originally hiring Fred Hoiberg is just another mistake Chicago has had to endure during the GarPax (Gar Forman and John Paxson) era and it’s starting to become a pretty extensive list for Chicago fans. It’s also not much of a secret…
Yet, here we are. Still forced to sit and watch the GarPax parade and pray that they don’t continue to send the franchise into turmoil. As of right now though, this is finally a step in the right direction. Fred will be replaced by Jim Boylen, a man with 33 years of coaching experience (20 of those years in the NBA) and has been a part of 3 different championship teams. Hopefully, this is a sign of more good moves to come….like drafting Zion Williamson if we continue to lose more games which I would not hate if it happens this year.
#ForTheBrand
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Featured Image: sportingnews.com