John Paxson, Gar Forman are responsible for these Bulls

It is often said a team is a reflection of its coach. While true in most instances, it’s unfair to attribute the confounding image of the current Bulls to rookie coach Fred Hoiberg. Most of the Bulls’ personnel fouls were committed long before Hoiball arrived.

No, two men are responsible for the team that on one night can beat the Spurs and on another can lose by 25 to the Hornets.

When John Paxson handed off the general-manager duties to Gar Forman in 2009, the Bulls were surging after some solid drafts—Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose—by Paxson, who had taken over a steaming mess (remember Marcus Fizer?) in 2003. Forman looked like he was going to continue the run. But for every Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler, there has been a Kevin Seraphin or Tony Snell.

Of all the bad draft picks and missed opportunities in free agency, though, the moves that really epitomize these Jekyll-and-Hyde Bulls, were the brilliant hiring and inexplicable firing of Tom Thibodeau.

No, leave Hoiberg out of this. These Bulls are built in the image of GarPax.

Best and worst moves of the GarPax era