Floyd Is Bulldozed

Tim Floyd arrived hoping to coach Michael Jordan and add to the Chicago Bulls’ NBA dynasty.

Instead, he walks away with the dynasty in shambles, a record filled with losses and no sign the Bulls will get better any time soon.

In a move surprising only for its timing, Floyd resigned Monday afternoon with a record of 49-190 in three-plus seasons with the Bulls.

“This was an incredible opportunity, and things just didn’t work out,” Floyd said. “I would have hoped for more. I believed in this place wholeheartedly, I believed in this organization.

“I have really tried to give my best effort and sometimes that’s not enough. ... I think it’s going to provide hope for a lot of people that maybe this next coach could be the guy who can help the Bulls go to where they ultimately need to be.”

The Bulls are 4-21, the worst record in the NBA.

Assistant Bill Berry was appointed interim coach, and General Manager Jerry Krause said the search for a replacement could take a few weeks.

“We need to go on from here,” said Krause, who refused to take questions. “This organization will go on from here.”

A successful college coach, Floyd was put in an almost impossible situation from the start. When Jordan retired after the Bulls won their sixth title in the 1990s, Krause decided to dismantle the team.

Instead of Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Floyd got Kornel David and Rusty LaRue. Big-name free agents spurned the cash Krause offered, forcing the Bulls to rebuild around draft picks.

But the rebuilding has yet to work, and the losses piled up.

“I know he’s a competitor, I know he wanted to win more than anybody,” said Bull second-year forward Marcus Fizer, who played for Floyd at Iowa State. “I personally don’t know how he’s lasted this long with that burden of not being able to win as many games as he’d wanted to.”

The season has been marred with internal strife. Floyd clashed with some players, including Charles Oakley, who was signed to provide leadership.

“Every day has been hell,” Floyd said earlier this season. “It hasn’t been fun.”

There were rumblings about a power struggle between Floyd and Krause, but Floyd said he wasn’t forced out. Krause, using profanity, denied any clash. But when Floyd thanked people in the organization, Krause wasn’t among them.

Floyd has three years left on his reported $2-million-per-year contract. It wasn’t clear if the Bulls bought it out.