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Bulls rumored to be considering Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg as new head coach

By Brandon C. Williams

Feb 21, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Fred Hoiberg (center) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY
Feb 21, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Fred Hoiberg (center) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY /
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Those Tom Thibodeau rumors are starting to heat up again, as reports of the Chicago Bulls are eyeing Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg as Thibodeau’s replacement.

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The vultures are circling over Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau yet again.

With point guard Derrick Rose out indefinitely and the blistering-hot Cleveland Cavaliers a mere half-game behind them in the Central Division, concerns of an early exit have also ushered in echoes of firing Thibodeau. While it may seem odd to most that a coach in possession of the third-best record in the Eastern Conference should have stability, the reality is that Thibodeau is clearly a marked man.

That said, word is that should the Bulls send Thibodeau packing, there’s only one target the team currently has:

[https://twitter.com/RealJayWilliams/status/570677600013713408]

When in doubt, call The Mayor.

Hoiberg has ties to the Bulls, as he played for the franchise from 1999-2003. As a role player, he was a fan favorite despite the fact he never averaged more than nine points per game. Hoiberg has coached Iowa State — where he was a star shooting guard from 1991-95 — since 2010 and has led the Cyclones to three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet 16 run last season.

Iowa State is currently 20-6 this season and is ranked 12th in the nation entering Wednesday night’s game against 19th-ranked Baylor.

As for Thibodeau and the Bulls, they will begin Life After Derrick III when they welcome the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. Chicago has won six of their last seven, including a victory over Milwaukee on Monday night despite not having the services of Rose and key reserves Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich.

The team has yet to find out how long they will be without Rose, who was averaging 18.4 points per game. Regardless of the timetable, it is very unlikely the former MVP will return in the regular season.

Either way, Thibodeau can’t be blamed for Rose’s fragile knees. While the Bulls are in a mad sprint with the Cavaliers, Hawks and Raptors for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the word is that anything short of an appearance in the conference finals could be the final push over the cliff for Thibodeau, who took the team to the brink of the NBA Finals in his first year in 2010-11, but has a pair of postseason trips that led to one and done.

Thibodeau has been under scrutiny since 2012, when the Bulls earned the East’s top seed in the lockout-shortened season, but was knocked out in the first round by the eighth-seeded 76ers.

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