The Chicago Bulls are seriously considering coaching change. ESPN writer Marc Stein reported the Bulls front-office has doubts if Fred Hoiberg is the right fit for the team moving forward. With the Bulls sliding down the Eastern Conference standings, the likelihood of a new Bulls head coach will get more imminent.
Hoiberg on Hot Seat:
Stein noted the Bulls are "increasingly assessing the coaching fit" as the Bulls continue to struggle in the second full month of the NBA season. The Bulls have now dropped to 16-17 after going 6-10 this season. After losing six out of seven games, the Bulls recorded back-to-back wins against the Brooklyn Nets and the New Orleans Pelicans, although Stein insisted that Hoiberg's job is far from safe.
KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune rebutted Stein's report the Bulls are considering coaching change, stating that firing Hoiberg would be unwise financially as the Bulls will be on the hook for more than $17MM.
Hoiberg also stressed that he's not worried about his current situation in an interview with Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago.
"Someone just mentioned something to me about that," the Bulls head coach said of Stein's report. "You know I don't know anything about it, so I'm not going to comment on it. I've got a job to do, which is to try and put this team in a position to go out and win basketball games. Like probably 24 other coaches I'm trying to find a way for us to go out and play consistent basketball on a nightly basis."
Bulls Likely to Benefit from Kings' Rise
Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors reported the Chicago Bulls will likely benefit from the Kings' rise this season. The Kings are 14-18, good for no.8 spot in the West, increasing the chance of the Bulls to get the first-round pick they received in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014.
"The Kings' recent rise in the Western Conference standings may cost them their draft pick, Stein writes in the same story. Sacramento sent a future choice to Cleveland in a 2011 trade for J.J. Hickson, and that pick was moved to Chicago in a 2014 deal involving Luol Deng. The Bulls will get that selection this year only if it falls outside the top 10. Right now, the Kings are 15th in the Reverse Standings."