Bulls Fire Loughery, Two Assistants : Coach Puzzled as ‘Philosophical’ Differences Are Cited

Kevin Loughery, who guided the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA playoff appearance in four years, was fired Tuesday by club vice president Jerry Krause over “philosophical” differences.

Loughery will be paid $265,000 for the remaining year of his three-year contract with the National Basketball Assn. team.

Also dismissed were assistant coaches Bill Blair and Fred Carter.

“It’s not an easy thing. It’s never an easy thing in this situation to let someone go,” Krause said. “I hope I never have to do this again.”

Krause said he made his decision this weekend after meeting with Loughery and new Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. “Jerry agreed with me that it was best for the long-range goals of the franchise,” Krause said.

Krause said he had not spoken with anyone about assuming Loughery’s duties, and there was no deadline to pick a new coach. He described his differences with Loughery as “philosophical ones,” but declined to comment further.

“I won’t say what I’m looking to,” Krause said. “I don’t want someone to come in and say what I expect to hear.”

Krause said he talked to Loughery by telephone Tuesay and, “he took it like a man with class.”

Loughery, 45, confirmed that he had spoke to Krause from his home in Atlanta.

“He said I was being fired because of a difference in philosophy,” Loughery said. “I don’t know what that means.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been fired. I’m sad about it, but I’m not going to blow my brains out,” he said. “I came in with the team and the organization floundering and we made the playoffs and doubled the attendance. There was some definite progress made.”

Krause said he waited until after the NBA playoffs to dismiss the coaches “so I could step back and not let emotion play a part in it.”

The Bulls finished the season at 38-44, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks. It was their first playoff appearance since the 1980-81 season.

Loughery began his NBA career as a player with the Detroit Pistons in 1962 after playing college basketball at St. John’s. He went on to play with the then-Baltimore Bullets before winding up with Philadelphia in 1972.

Before that season ended, Loughery was named head coach of the 76ers, but left the following year for the American Basketball Assn. and took the New York Nets to the league championship.

He returned to the NBA when the leagues merged, and took the Nets--who were shifted to New Jersey--to their first playoff berth in the 1978-79 season. After two more years with the Nets, he became head coach of the Atlanta Hawks.

Loughery, who has also worked as a CBS color commentator during the playoffs, has been discussed as a candidate for the coaching job with the Sacramento Kings, newly transferred from Kansas City.