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Bulls Lose To Charlotte; Knicks Fire Fisher, Thibodeau Next Coach?

Kemba Walker scored 30 points as the Hornets led from the start and bet the Chicago Bulls 108-91 on Monday night.

Charlotte (25-25) reached the .500 mark for the first time since it was 17-17 on Jan. 4 in the midst of losing seven straight and nine out of 10.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 20 points and Spencer Hawes scored 13 for Charlotte, which led by as many as 25 points in handing the Bulls their third straight loss.

Pau Gasol finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, which was missing three of its leading scorers to injuries: Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic.

Chicago managed to cut Charlotte's lead to 90-78 on McDermott's 3-pointer with 6:53 left in the fourth quarter. But the Hornets responded with an 8-2 run, and led by at least 13 points the rest of the game.

Chicago shot just 35 percent (16 of 46) over the first two quarters, allowing Charlotte to build a double-digit lead early. The Hornets hit seven of their first nine shots to go up 17-6 on Batum's 3-pointer with 7:07 left.

Chicago pulled to 50-36 on Kirk Hinrich's 3 with 3:55 left. The Bulls then closed out the half down 15 thanks to Gasol's buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Doug McDermott had 14 points, E'Twaun Moore 12 and Taj Gibson 11.

>>Knicks Fire Derek Fisher

The New York Knicks have fired Derek Fisher just a few days before the All-Star break. Ken Berger confirmed reports of Fisher being ousted from the Knicks' coaching position this morning as Kurt Rambis will take over as interim coach. The team announced the firing Monday morning.

In just his second season as the Knicks coach, Fisher and his staff have coached the Knicks to a 23-31 roster, which was a vast improvement over the disaster that happened at Madison Square Garden on a nightly basis last season. But apparently that's not enough for Phil Jackson and James Dolan, as the Knicks have fallen off course lately and dropped from competing for a spot in the East playoffs to now sitting 12th in the East and five games behind the 8-seed.

>>Former Bulls Coach Thibodeau 'Covets' Knicks Job

Now that the New York Knicks have fired Derek Fisher, the next order of business for Phil Jackson is finding a long-term replacement. You need to find a candidate with a big name to placate the demanding aspects of the New York fan base and the New York Media, while also bringing in a good enough coach to keep the Knicks moving in the right direction. And Tom Thibodeau, the best coach on the market right now, is someone who meets the criteria.

According to Ian O'Connor of ESPN, not only is Tom Thibodeau a huge fan of Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, but the Knicks' job is also the gig he's always wanted. This would seemingly make the Knicks pursuing Thibodeau a no-brainer.

There were times during Carmelo's recent free agency when it seemed like the Chicago Bulls, coached by Thibodeau, would be a prime destination for him. The coach wanted Anthony as a star next to Jimmy Butler, and it would've helped ease the possibility of Derrick Rose not returning to form any time soon, if at all.

Thibodeau was an assistant coach for the Knicks from 1996 under Jeff Van Gundy until 2003 when Don Chaney had replaced Van Gundy for the final season and a half.

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