Bulls fire Cartwright

In a statement released Monday, Paxson said:

"I knew there would be difficult times in this job, but none is harder than replacing a friend. I have known Bill Cartwright as a teammate, as a colleague and as a friend for nearly as long as I’ve been in professional basketball. I admire his hard work and his efforts and loyalty here. He will always be a Bull.

"The decision to relieve Bill at this time was a basketball decision. The team is underperforming and we have to find ways to win, period. I am not satisfied with the team’s start this season and changes have to be made. This represents the first change, but not necessarily the last."

The Bulls have lost five straight games and are just 4-10 on the season.