A week ago, after a 5-19 start that was tough to watch, but not all that surprising given the level of talent on the roster and the injuries they've dealt with, the Chicago Bulls fired head coach Fred Hoiberg. Things haven't gotten any better under new coach Jim Boylen, and they've certainly gotten a lot weirder.
Here's a timeline of Boylen's bizarre first week in charge.
Dec. 4: Desperate for more enthusiasm
Early in his first game in charge against the Pacers, Boylen was already acting like he was coaching a youth team, marching up and down the sidelines asking for more enthusiasm.
Dec. 5: Two-hour practice the day after a loss
There are not a lot of formal practices going on during the NBA season. Shootarounds, yes, but real practices are few and far between due to the vigorous travel and game schedule. So it was a bit of a shock to hear the Bulls recently had multiple two-hour practices complete with players running conditioning drills like it was the preseason. Oh, and one of them happened the day after a loss to the Pacers.
This was just two days into Boylen's tenure. Via NBC Sports Chicago:
Head coach Jim Boylen ran a second straight two-plus hour practice on Wednesday – including a film session before – that he said included suicide sprints and other conditioning drills the day after the Bulls' 96-90 loss to the Indiana Pacers.