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After a rather disappointing season for the Chicago Bulls,
the changes expected by many begin to show.
General Manager John Paxson announced that interim coach Jim
Boylan was let go yesterday after a morning meeting at their practice facility
in Deerfield, Illinois.
The letdown is even greater as the Bulls advanced last year
to the second round of the NBA play-offs and were expected to do at least the
same this season.
John Paxson was quoted by USA Today saying that there is no
clear timetable for a replacement and that: "We were one of the most disappointing
teams in the league. We all share responsibility." The club finished the
season with 33-49, the exact reverse of its 2006-07 record.
Jim Boylan had a long and difficult journey with the team.
He started out as assistant coach and took over the team on December 24, 2007
three days after Scott Skiles was fired from the position. He led the team to 24
wins and 32 losses and had to deal with numerous player discipline issues.
Boylan had to deal with rookie Joakim Noah who was suspended
in January after a verbal outburst at assistant coach Ron Adams in practice.
Soon after that, Noah and Ben Wallace had an argument after a loss to Orlando. Another
player, Tyrus Thomas skipped practice and also Chris Duhon got fined for
leaving the hotel the night before a game.
At this point the Bulls are looking at all available scenarios
and besides trying to sign a coach must also deal with the failure to convince
players Ben Gordon and Luol Deng to accept four-year contract extensions.
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