Hoiberg accepts pressure of turning Bulls' new lineup into a winner
No introductions were necessary when the Bulls gathered at the Advocate Center on Monday for the team's annual media day.
But Dwyane Wade couldn't help comparing the experience to feeling like the new kid in school.
"I've got to find my one friend to talk to before I can get more friends, but I'm figuring it all out," Wade joked. "Like I said, I'm happy to be here. At this time in my career, this is where I want to be."
Will Wade's first friend be fellow Marquette product Jimmy Butler? Longtime playoff rival Rajon Rondo? Comic-book enthusiast Robin Lopez?
It doesn't really matter. He'll get to know his new teammates soon enough. The Bulls will open training camp Tuesday with eight new faces on the roster, but obviously, Wade is the most notable after posting a Hall of Fame-worthy 13 seasons with the Miami Heat.
"I think that I can model the way I do things around him," Butler said of Wade. "I'm super excited that he's here. And I'm sure Rondo will keep me on my toes as well."
To recap the summer, the Bulls signed Wade, Rondo and former Philadelphia guard Isaiah Canaan as free agents, acquired Lopez and guard Jerian Grant from New York in the Derrick Rose trade; drafted Denzel Valentine and Paul Zipser; while adding guard Spencer Dinwiddie in a trade with Detroit.
The returning players are Butler, Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic, Tony Snell, Bobby Portis and Cristiano Felicio.
The spotlight will be on the new big three of Butler, Wade and Rondo, but the pressure to turn this group into a playoff qualifier is clearly on second-year coach Fred Hoiberg.
On the list of Bulls' problems during last season's 42-40 campaign, Hoiberg ranked relatively low. But when the season ended, vice president of basketball operations John Paxson made a point of suggesting Hoiberg needs to improve as a coach. This was Hoiberg's first NBA coaching experience after a successful five-year run at Iowa State.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself," Hoiberg said Monday. "This is a high-pressure job, and I understand that. And again, nobody looked at this thing harder in the offseason than I did."
Hoiberg talked about how he went to Los Angeles to talk to Wade, watched video with Rondo and essentially spent all summer trying to figure out the best way for this team to succeed. Hoiberg tried to turn last year's team into a more fast-paced, higher-scoring group and that didn't work out, for a variety of reasons.
Rondo said he spent nearly three hours a day in the coach's office during the past month or so and described Hoiberg as "really intelligent."
"I'm really excited about the multiple playmakers that we'll have," Hoiberg said. "This league right now is all about breaking down the defense, getting into the paint and making the right plays."
Paxson and general manager Gar Forman were the first to address reporters on Monday, and Paxson revisited the coach improvement theme he raised last April when the Bulls missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007. It's a delicate subject, since Bulls management fired successful head coach Tom Thibodeau after the 2014-15 season ended in the second round of the playoffs.
"We talked a lot to Fred this summer," Paxson said. "We had a lot of sit-downs, and I said it back in April - we expect Fred to grow as a coach just like we would any young player to grow after a year. I'm sure he'll tell you, he learned a lot of things last year. And we do - we expect to see growth from him. I think he's dialed in. He's focused."
Having the head coach on the same page as management would be good for the Bulls. It didn't always seem to be the case during Thibodeau's tenure.
At the same time, Hoiberg should be allowed to do what he thinks is best without interference. Already on Monday, Butler echoed Paxson's theme when asked about his head coach.
"Everybody learns from their mistakes. It was his first year last year," Butler said. "That's just like anybody going into the offseason. He studied and got better at what he needed to get better at. I think he's ready moving forward - 10 a.m. (practice) comes quick (Tuesday) morning."
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