New era begins for Hoiberg, Chicago Bulls
For the last two days, first-year Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg has been asked to reflect on the passing of Flip Saunders, who coached Hoiberg for two seasons in Minnesota.
Hoiberg suggested Saunders was better than anyone at being upbeat and staying positive in tough times. During the initial few months at this first NBA coaching job, Hoiberg has tried to follow that example and already has a believer in Derrick Rose, the Bulls' blurry-eyed point guard.
“I believe a lot in coach Fred Hoiberg because he came and asked me before the Dallas (preseason) game (last Friday) if I could play,” Rose said Monday at the Advocate Center. “For him to ask me, that let me know or verify that I was looking all right in practice.
“He's a guy that cares about the athlete, that cares about the person you are.”
Hoiberg cared enough to announce Rose will start Tuesday's season opener against Cleveland at the United Center. Rose played briefly in just one preseason game after suffering a broken orbital bone below his left eye in the first practice of training camp.
There's no use putting too much importance on Game No. 1 of 82, even if it is against the Bulls' arch nemesis, LeBron James. The Cavs will be missing a couple of key pieces in point guard Kyrie Irving (knee) and defensive stopper Iman Shumpert (wrist).
Winning the opener might be nice, but the Bulls' ultimate goal is to beat James in a playoff series. They're 0-4 so far.
“Getting Derrick back was big,” Hoiberg said. “It's exciting. I know our guys are going to be thrilled to play in front of our fans. Hopefully we give them something to cheer about.”
The Bulls enter the season with no major changes. Thirteen of the 15 players on the roster are back from last season, although forward Mike Dunleavy will start on the sideline while recovering from back surgery.
The one big change for the Bulls this season is the coaching staff, led by Hoiberg. In some ways, he has big shoes to fill, considering Tom Thibodeau posted a .647 winning percentage over five seasons, finding success even when Rose was injured.
Hoiberg was brought in to make the Bulls a higher-scoring and faster-paced squad, while not forgetting the importance of defense. It's difficult to make any definitive judgments about the new direction based on the preseason.
The Bulls were wildly inconsistent, sometimes playing an awful first quarter, followed by a great second quarter. Other times, they'd post 30-plus points in the opening quarter, then struggle to score the rest of the game.
There's no mistaking the similarities to Golden State last year. The Warriors made one of the most successful coaching changes in NBA history, bringing in Steve Kerr — like Hoiberg, a former Bulls shooting guard — as a first-time coach.
The Warriors had success under previous coach Mark Jackson, but management felt the players needed a new voice. Kerr stepped in and won 67 games, plus the franchise's first NBA title in 40 years.
The only real difference in Hoiberg's story is that he actually has coached before, with five successful years at Iowa State under his belt.
Rose was asked Monday to compare Hoiberg and Thibodeau.
“They're two totally different people,” he said. “Fred is a more laid-back guy. Thibs is a little more direct. That's the only thing I can get from it; I haven't seen Fred really get upset about anything. I've seen his assistants get more upset about certain things than him. I'll have to go through a season to really tell you the difference.”
Is it accurate to say Hoiberg is Midwestern friendly, while Thibodeau, a Connecticut native, is East Coast gruff and direct? That's probably too simple a description, but there is some truth to it.
Hoiberg has never lived outside the Midwest. He grew up in Ames, Iowa, the son of two college professors. After a nice career at Iowa State, he played for three NBA teams: Indiana, the Bulls and Minnesota. A heart problem ended his playing career in 2005, but he stayed with the Timberwolves in a front-office job, then went back to Ames and now back to Chicago.
Hoiberg admitted the NBA seemed like a distant dream during his days as an athletic prodigy in Ames.
“There's no pro sports franchises in the state of Iowa, so you saw the one game of the week on CBS and a lot of times it was watching the Celtics and Larry Bird or the Bulls and Michael Jordan,” he said.
“I guess all kids that play sports, you dream about getting the opportunity to play, and I achieved that dream. I was very lucky, very fortunate.
“I guess (coaching) started to become something I wanted to do probably after Year 3 in the front office when I had that hunger to get back on the floor — the competitiveness, being around the guys. I got that situation at Iowa State. I'm grateful to everybody that was part of that.
“Then as far as being an NBA coach, that's a good question. I guess teams started talking and it never really got serious. I kind of determined last year if the right opportunity came about, I was going to seriously consider it and that's what happened here.”
As coach of the Bulls, the plan is relatively straightforward. Hoiberg will be expected to improve on Thibodeau's success and use a more offensive-minded approach to get there. Standing in his way, on Tuesday and beyond, is James.
Staying positive in tough times is sure to be a useful asset.
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Bulls scouting report
Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center, 7 p.m.
TV: TNT
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: The Cavaliers won't be at full strength for this one. PG Kyrie Irving will be sidelined several more weeks with the knee injury suffered in last season's Finals, while SG Iman Shumpert is out with a wrist injury. On the other hand, LeBron James plans to play after missing the last two weeks of the preseason with a sore back. PF Kevin Love and C Anderson Varejao also are back from injuries that knocked them out last season. The Bulls went 1-3 against Cleveland in last year's regular season.
Next: Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
— Mike McGraw