The Chicago Bulls haven’t been any better since replacing Fred Hoiberg with Jim Boylen in early December. Many fans and analysts believe they’ve been even worse, an assessment backed up not just by a host of statistics, but also the team’s overall demeanor. Don’t tell that to John Paxson, though.

Asked on Thursday if Chicago is committed to Boylen as its coach next season, the longtime front-office executive answered with an unequivocal affirmative.

Boylen, who previously had the role of associate head coach, took over for Hoiberg on December 3rd, with the Bulls tied for the league’s second-worst record at 5-19. They’ve fared similarly in the interim, going 7-23 under Boylen, also the second-worst record in the league over that timeframe.

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The notoriously old-school Boylen has preached defense as his young team’s calling card, but Chicago was actually stingier on that side of the ball before his promotion. The Bulls allowed 110.6 points per 100 possessions before Hoiberg’s dismissal, and have surrendered 112.5 points per 100 possessions since. Their net rating is slightly better, though, up from -.9.5 to -9.1, both of which ranked in the league’s bottom-four.

It’s unclear why Chicago seems so committed to a coach who’s yielded little in the way of positive on-court development, has a retrograde approach to offensive philosophy, and perhaps most importantly, proven unable to relate to young players. The Bulls have several intriguing prospects on the roster, and play in one of the country’s major media markets. Theirs would be one of the most sought-after jobs on the open market come summer if it were available.

But Boylen is apparently Chicago’s man for the job going forward, for better or, more likely, worse.