The bar was set extremely high for Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg upon his arrival to the Windy City, as it should have been.

From the moment he took to the podium for his introductory news conference last spring, he was already fresh out of excuses, and he’d be hard-pressed to come up with one that would convince those clamoring for the Bulls’ seventh title to give him a pass. Apparently, he knows more than Tom Thibodeau, who was unceremoniously relieved of his head coaching duties despite compiling a 255-139 record, reaching the postseason each of his five seasons with the club, and making something out of seasons in which it would have been understandable and forgivable had the Bulls not made the playoffs given Derrick Rose’s misfortunes.

If Rose’s regression—the result of devastating knee injuries—and injuries to other key players in previous seasons ultimately weren’t enough to exonerate Thibodeau, why should Hoiberg be given a pass?

The Bulls, barring more unfortunate injuries, probably will overcome their middling start to this season and make a respectable run in the postseason. Perhaps Hoiberg, who was supposed to make the team’s offense significantly better, will eventually find a way to boost Chicago’s offensive efficiency rating, which is currently fourth worst in the league. But for his tenure as head coach in the Windy City to be considered a success, he’ll have to find a way to lead this franchise to that elusive seventh championship. And soon.

A trip to the NBA Finals? Nope, that alone won’t do. That would have sufficed in Rose’s third or fourth season. But while advancing beyond the Eastern Conference Finals would one-up Thibs and maybe buy Hoiberg a little more time on Chicago’s sideline, simply playing in the championship round isn’t the reward the organization and its fans want for weathering through all the setbacks created by Rose’s injuries.

Maybe the Bulls don’t necessarily have to win it all this season, but why shouldn’t that be the goal? So what if Hoiberg is a rookie NBA head coach? Steve Kerr won it all with Golden State last season in his first year as coach. Yeah, Kerr had Stephen Curry, but still.

The Bulls’ title window appears to be closing. This isn’t a rebuilding team, or one that’s on the rise. Joakim Noah, who might miss a few weeks after spraining his shoulder Monday night against the Brooklyn Nets, will turn 31 in two months. Pau Gasol is 35 and could opt out of his contract after this season. Rose’s game looks so pedestrian an ESPN analyst actually suggested that the former MVP spend some time in the D-League.

Still, the Bulls have an elite defense. The pieces are there. A healthy Noah and Mike Dunleavy, who is still recovering from a back injury, might make a difference down the stretch. If Hoiberg wants to be revered, or even remembered, in Chicago, he has to figure out how to make it all translate into a gold trophy. Then Thibodeau’s ouster would finally make sense.

Obviously, the front office didn’t believe Thibodeau was capable of taking the Bulls all the way. Obviously, it feels Hoiberg can. Because if it is true that all the front office wants is an affable coach who, as Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf put it in an official statement announcing Thibodeau’s firing, is merely more susceptive to “free and open interdepartmental discussion” and “everyone's ideas and opinions” as opposed to a coach who has true championship qualities, then that is a problem bigger than any one that can be found on the court. Congeniality doesn’t win games. It certainly doesn’t championships. Even Hoiberg’s best player, Jimmy Butler, isn’t a fan of his laid-back approach.

But whether it’s as an easygoing general or a taskmaster, Hoiberg has to deliver. We’re not just talking about playoff berths and an improved offensive unit here. Without the Larry O’Brien trophy, the Hoiberg era will be a flop. And Thibodeau’s firing will have been for naught.