Fired Head Coach Fred Hoiberg
Hoiberg was never too popular of a coach in Chicago. Many fans were distraught when the team fired Tom Thibodeau a few years back and felt Hoiberg was nowhere close to the answer. He had little success in Chicago, aside from bringing the team to the playoffs in Jimmy Butler’s final season as a Bull. The team he inherited after the Butler trade was nowhere close to a team that could compete, and after a year and some change with a very young group, the team decided to move in another direction.
No matter Bulls fans opinions on Fred, one thing can be agreed on: nobody expected him to win with that roster. He did his job and brought the team to the playoffs in the one season he had a decent roster, but aside from that year, he had no chance. His ‘pace and space’ style fits that of the modern NBA, and his youth may have been good for the team. By no means was Hoiberg an elite coach, but he was not the problem in Chicago.
Hoiberg’s style matched not only the system of the modern NBA, but the front office failed to truly get him the type of players he needed to run the type of offense he wanted to. When Hoiberg finally received the right type of players for his system, they were youthful and needed to be developed. He could not have been expected to win immediately. His firing may have been premature, but the front office found it in the team’s best interest to go in a different direction.
Grade: C
Promoted Assistant Coach Jim Boylen to Head Coach
Boylen is a tough coach to judge. His first few weeks with the team were an absolute disaster, with rumors of an attempted mutiny by the players in response to harder practices. However, as the season went on, the players seemed to very much respect their coach, as Zach LaVine even offered to pay Boylen’s ejection fine once. His system of effort and accountability can be very good for a young team, and his visible energy and passion for the game and group of guys on the floor cannot be denied.
However, Boylen’s fit in Chicago is the biggest question mark. As a defensive minded coach, he may not be the best choice for the development of offensive-minded players such as Lauri Markkanen. His system does not fit the modern NBA, and the type of roster being built by the Bulls’ front office does not match his style of play.
It is rumored that Boylen is going to be the coach going forward, and it is extremely hard to say if this is a good or bad thing. Player development did go well this year, and although he had no expectations to win games, the Bulls did seem to improve under his command. It will be intriguing to see how things pay out for the bench boss.
Grade: B-