INDIANAPOLIS--Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg sidestepped any talk about his job being in jeopardy in the wake of an ESPN.com report that stated he was a candidate to be the first coach fired this season.

Hoiberg is 16-16 this season after going 42-40 last year, his first season coaching in the NBA. The Bulls had lost six of seven games before winning the last two at home, but needed a Jimmy Butler buzzer-beater to defeat the worst team in the NBA, the Brooklyn Nets, two nights ago.

“Someone just mentioned something to me about that,” Hoiberg said before Friday’s afternoon game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “You know I don’t know anything about it, so I’m not going to comment on it. I’ve got a job to do, which is to try and put this team in a position to go out and win basketball games. Like probably 24 other coaches I’m trying to find a way for us to go out and play consistent basketball on a nightly basis.”

Members of Bulls management shot down the report with one-word texts and dismissive comments when asked directly about Hoiberg’s job status. The report didn’t firmly state Hoiberg would be fired, and noted he doesn’t have the type of personnel his offensive system would require to see if he’s actually a good fit.

“We’ve taken some steps at times the last few games, as far as getting back to how we were playing earlier in the year to where I thought we were as good as anyone in the league as far as getting up and down the floor,” Hoiberg said. “We gotta find that, we gotta get back to it. So again, my job right now is to do the best job I can as far as putting the gameplan together to give us a chance to win the game, and throw it all out there.”