Bulls name Fred Hoiberg new head coach: 'I love this roster'
Though the basketball world already knew Fred Hoiberg was headed to Chicago, the Bulls made his hiring official on Tuesday, naming the former Iowa State bench boss the 22nd head coach in franchise history.
The Bulls provided no contractual details, but Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Hoiberg signed a five-year deal worth nearly $25 million, roughly the same terms Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher signed for last summer with the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks, respectively.
Hoiberg admitted during his introductory press conference on Tuesday that he had discussions with a number of NBA teams over the years, but that things never got serious in those instances.
The 42-year-old will take over a Bulls team that's been to the postseason in seven consecutive seasons, but only advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals once and failed to reach the NBA Finals during that time, which included the last five years under Tom Thibodeau.
The Bulls fired Thibodeau on Friday after a five-year run that included plenty of on-court success. Thibodeau and Bulls management had a long-broken relationship, as the coach reportedly never saw eye to eye with general manager Gar Forman and vice president John Paxson.
"I think he instilled a lot of unbelievable qualities in this team that hopefully I can build on," Hoiberg said of taking over from Thibodeau.
"I love this roster," Hoiberg added. "I love the versatility of the players, the different lineups we're going to be able to play. A lot of coaches don't walk into a roster that has championship potential in a city that we know."
Hoiberg had been rumored to be Chicago's choice to replace Thibodeau for months, with multiple reports stating that the two sides essentially had a gentlemen's agreement already in place around the time Thibodeau was fired.
Forman said Tuesday, however, that he was surprised at how quickly things came together between the two parties.
Hoiberg about his name being linked to Bulls job for a year: "I knew all that was speculation." Said he made decision 2 days ago.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) June 2, 2015
There were previous reports that the ex-Cyclones coach was hesitant to take a stressful NBA job so soon after April heart surgery - his second open-heart procedure to address the aortic issues that cut short his playing career - but Hoiberg dismissed such concerns on Tuesday.
Hoiberg, who played for the Bulls from 1999-2003 and served in the Minnesota Timberwolves' front office for four years, emerged as one of college basketball's finest offensive coaches, leading Iowa State to the Sweet 16 in 2014, and as many NCAA Tournament appearances in his five years at the helm as the school accumulated over the previous 14 seasons.
On Tuesday, he talked about playing with pace and flow in a pick-and-roll heavy attack at Iowa State, as opposed to the more rigid, set offense Bulls fans became accustomed to under Thibodeau (although it's worth noting Chicago was a top-10 offensive unit this season).
The offensive-minded coach's hire signals a shift in emphasis for a Bulls team that boasted the NBA's stingiest defense over the five-year period Thibodeau was in charge.