The start of the NBA Finals is still a few days away, but the coaching carousel is already in motion. Four NBA teams have recently announced their respective new head coaches heading into the 2015-2016 season, and these are no slouches: chances are, these new coaches are in line to find some success.
But which one of the new leaders on the sideline would likely make the biggest turnaround for their team? Alvin Gentry (New Orleans Pelicans) and Scott Skiles (Orlando Magic) are certainly viable choices given their previous head-coaching experience in the NBA, but neither have had huge success in the postseason.
The two with the most room to grow are Florida’s Billy Donovan (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg (Chicago Bulls). On paper, Donovan seems like the top choice given his illustrious history with the Gators (most notably the two consecutive National Championships in 2006-2007), but my money is on Hoiberg for a number of reasons.
Continue reading below as I list five key points as to why Fred Hoiberg will do wonders as the new head coach of the Chicago Bulls next season and in my opinion likely win the Coach of the Year award. And of course, let’s not forget about the NBA Finals. Head on over to our preview for Game 1 of Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors after this.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Why Fred Hoiberg Will Be the Best Head Coach in the 2015-2016 NBA Season
Riding the Cyclone
Fred Hoiberg may not have gotten as many accolades as Billy Donovan did during his run with the Florida Gators, but the 42-year old coach still did an outstanding job in his five seasons leading his alma mater.
Hoiberg brought Iowa State back to prominence; ending his collegiate coaching career there with a 115-76 (.673) record. He also led the Cyclones to two consecutive Big 12 Tournament Championships in 2014 and 2015, and four straight NCAA tournament appearances since 2012.
Forman is My Man
Not only did Hoiberg play for the Chicago Bulls for four seasons, but he also still has close ties with one of the head honchos within the Bulls organization.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Bulls’ general manager Gar Forman is actually really close with Hoiberg. They were both part of the same Iowa State team back when the soon-to-be head coach was still in his senior year, and the Bulls GM was an assistant coach.
Furthermore, Hoiberg even sold his house in Chicago to Forman back in 2003 when Hoiberg was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Forman was still earning his brass in the Bulls’ front office.
That’s A Load of Bulls
Just like Billy Donovan with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hoiberg will have a lot of talent ready at his disposal with the Chicago Bulls’ current roster heading into next season. Having Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah in your starting lineup should make things easier for Hoiberg’s first year at the helm.
Signing restricted free agent scoring machine Jimmy Butler in the offseason should be a top priority for the Bulls, or they should at least find a suitable scorer at the wing to replace him. Butler’s free-agency status is especially critical in relation to our fourth point, which is…
Please Wait While We Reboot Your System
A new head coach usually means a new system of playing the game. The Bulls did very well during Tom Thibodeau’s five-year reign as their head coach with his slow-paced, defense-first strategy. However, Thibs’ reluctance to limit the playing time of injured and ailing key players like Rose and Noah, and the growing tension with the Bulls’ front office, ultimately led to the hiring of Hoiberg as his replacement.
Hoiberg will look to employ a new offensive system, one that looks to push the pace and rely on quick scoring to win games. Many pundits are skeptical about the Bulls’ transition to a more offense-first strategy, but it wouldn’t be fair to say that the Bulls will lose their defensive grit just because Thibodeau is no longer their head coach.
All things considered, a new offensive scheme should do wonders for Chicago’s pair of rookies in Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott. Both Mirotic and McDermott were brought in by the Bulls to add firepower to their roster, and only Mirotic showed signs of promise this season.
Former NCAA All-American McDermott, meanwhile, became an afterthought. Things will likely change for him next season, as his new coach will look to maximize his versatility as a scoring forward. It’s also worth noting that Hoiberg was the man who replaced McDermott’s own dad, Greg, as the head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones back in 2010. Doug McDermott was coached by his own father throughout his four-year term at Creighton University, and Hoiberg could use this McDermott to get more from the former NCAA player of the year.
The Unhurt Locker Room
Tom Thibodeau’s refusal to rest his banged-up stars was not the last of the Bulls’ concerns with their former head coach. There had been a rumor that Joakim Noah avoided the team’s training facility in the offseason altogether just to get away from his old coach and all the exhaustive marathon-like practice sessions.
Thibodeau’s hard-nosed philosophy seemed to have gotten the better of him again, as even players as passionate and energetic as Noah had grown tired of pushing themselves to the limit for their coach.
The hiring of Hoiberg should make for lesser fatigue and risk of injury for the entire Bulls lineup. And in turn, a more lenient demeanor and management of the team from the new head coach should also lead to better team chemistry. Now, it will be up to Hoiberg to put the right pieces together, have them buy into his system, and make the Chicago Bulls an even more dangerous team than they already are.
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