Bulls make the right high-risk, high-reward choice in Fred Hoiberg
The Chicago Bulls are finalizing a contract with Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg to come to the Windy City, but is it the correct hire?
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It’s been just a few hours since news broke of the Chicago Bulls‘ choice of head coach, and people are already judging the Fred Hoiberg hire very intensely. Immediately, fans of the Bulls, and the NBA in general, have begun to look into the decision by Chicago’s front office and question if it was the correct move.
I’m here to discuss why the choice of Hoiberg for the Windy City’s professional basketball team is the right one.
Despite only being the college head coach at Iowa State since 2010, Hoiberg saw a ton of success at that level. He went 115-56 over the course of his tenure and made the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons.
The former Cyclones point guard (1991-95) was beloved in Ames, Iowa, but his lifelong goal was to coach in the NBA. That dream is finally coming true, and it’s with one of the most talented NBA teams to need a head coach in recent memory.
With Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler and others, the Bulls could end up being a top team in the Eastern Conference. With Hoiberg’s likable personality, the team’s chemistry will be greatly improved.
Tom Thibodeau had a rough time trying to get along with his players while also matching the intensity needed as a NBA head coach. Hoiberg can be intense and stern when he needs to, while also being close with the players since he’s not much older at the age of 42.
His success at Iowa State was growing by the year, and the Cyclones were expected to be a top 10 team to start the 2015-16 season with a top recruiting class coming in; however this move could definitely change things.
Before Hoiberg took over as the head coach of the Cyclones, the program was on a five-year NCAA Tournament drought and was becoming one of the bottom-dwellers in the Big 12. He changed that perception considerably, jumping from a 16-win team in year one to a 23-win, NCAA Tournament Round of 32 squad in year two.
If he had stayed at Iowa State, he would likely have become one of the highest-paid college coaches in the next few years, and a homegrown collegiate coaching legend in due time.
Now that he has achieved his lifetime goal, the head coach will be motivated to keep his dream alive and lead the talented team to titles.
Team chemistry is key to winning, and the Bulls desperately needed as much at the end of this season. Hoiberg will be bringing that with him from the collegiate ranks.
Ultimately it’s a great hire, which is high-risk, high-reward for the Bulls.