Report: Bulls coach Hoiberg on the hot seat
The Chicago Bulls failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2008 last season, and are now mired in mediocrity once again with a 16-17 record following Friday's 10-point road loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The scapegoat here may turn out to be second-year head coach Fred Hoiberg, who's reportedly on the hot seat due to his team's tepid play, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
The higher-ups in the organization reportedly believe he doesn't have a firm grasp of his veteran-heavy roster, and that the players aren't responding to him as well as they had hoped when they snagged him away from his gig at Iowa State in 2015.
What could save his job, though, is management's reported reluctance to pay Hoiberg a significant chunk of the guaranteed money he's owed on his five-year contract worth nearly $25 million.
With the loss to Indiana, Chicago is now 6-10 in the month of December, bolstering the 29th-worst offense of 101.2 points per 100 possessions during that span.
The ultimate low point came on Dec. 13 when the Bulls owned a 21-point lead against former coach Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves, but wound up losing by five on their home floor.
The last time all coaches in the Association went an entire season without getting fired was in 1970-71 when there were just 17 teams, according to ESPN Stats and Information.