In a bit of a surprising move, the Chicago Bulls officially announced the firing of Fred Hoiberg on Monday morning. Some thought the reasoning behind this decision had a lot to do with the team's current record, but VP John Paxson says that isn't the case.

The Bulls have struggled through the early stages of this season. In fact, Chicago has lost six consecutive games and 10 of its last 11. Furthermore, their 5-19 start to this campaign is tied for the fifth-worst start in franchise history, according to ESPN. Despite these facts, Paxson says the decision was not made based on the team's record.

“We made a difficult decision today but one we feel is the right decision at the right time,” Paxson said in an official statement from the team.

“This decision was not based on our record. Plain and simple,” Paxson added. “We felt a different energy the past few weeks. We’re lacking a spirit and we need to get that back.”

In the wake of Hoiberg's dismissal, associate head coach Jim Boylan has been promoted to head coach, and the plan is for him to be in that role through next season.

“We want Jim to be our head coach next season,” Paxson told Andrews. “Jim is going to be our coach. We think he has the intangibles to be a really good head coach.”

The Bulls will be back in action on Tuesday night, when they'll travel to Indiana for a matchup against the Pacers. Tip-off inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.