For all those out there claiming the inevitable divorce between the Chicago Bulls and head coach Tom Thibodeau is going to be a long, drawn-out breakup, well, you’re right.
It’s believed that the Bulls won’t give Thibodeau the ax or address the $9 million he’s owed over the next two years without having his replacement locked up. It’s also believed that Iowa State’s head honcho, Fred Hoiberg, is their top choice to succeed him.
Finally, it’s believed that the Bulls have yet to even reach out to Hoiberg about spurning the collegiate ranks to stalk the NBA’s sidelines. CBS Sports’ Ken Berger has the latest:
It’s been five days since the Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs, and there has been no movement in their head coaching standoff with Tom Thibodeau. The Chicago front office has yet to formally contact its top target, Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, and no NBA team has requested permission to speak with Thibodeau, a league source told CBSSports.com Wednesday.
As we’ve discussed, this isn’t going to be quick or easy.
Nonetheless, they’re freaking out in Iowa over the possibility of Hoiberg leaving Ames for Chicago. Earlier this month, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard tried to prepare Cyclones fans for the possibility, saying Hoiberg’s eventual departure for the NBA was a matter of when, not if.
“He has always said from Day One that his lifelong goal has been to coach in the NBA,” Pollard said. “It’s for him to decide when.”
Indeed, Hoiberg’s NBA jump is inevitable. It’s felt that way for at least year, probably two. Though he’s viewed as a genius at Iowa State, he’s been linked to a couple of high-profile jobs since last summer, and the Bulls’ eventual opening could be the one that pries him out of Ames for good.
It’s not immediately clear, however, why the Bulls aren’t wining and dining him now. Maybe they take pleasure in knowing that other teams—New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic—are waiting on Thibs’ fate to be determined before filling their vacancies. Perhaps they plan on waiting until the playoffs are over.
Or maybe there are, in fact, things happening behind the scenes we just don’t know about.
The Bulls have to go about this delicately, after all. Their front office is already receiving plenty of blowback for the Thibs rumors reaching fever pitch ahead of the playoffs, when it was believed the Bulls had a real chance at making the NBA Finals. Toss in the fact that Chicago is tied for the league’s third-best regular-season record since Thibs took over, according to Basketball-Reference, and this isn’t a wholly unpopular, serial underachiever the powers at be are dismissing.
That in mind, the Bulls have to be careful. And knowing how valuable Thibs can be from defensive and locker room standpoints, it’s smart that they want to have his successor lined up before setting him free.
Now all they need to do is actually, you know, find his successor, an undertaking that, at some point, will involve a conversation with Hoiberg—assuming, of course, the two sides haven’t broken bread already.
