Semi-Hard Coaching By Chicago Bulls Coach Fred Hoiberg
By Lamar Battle
The Chicago Bulls are swinging their season through better coaching and offensive play.
The Chicago Bulls just beat the Boston Celtics representing the team’s sixth victory in a row. The squad which seemed in such disarray previously is now starting to look like a top-5 team in the entire league.
What’s going on?
Bulls guard Jimmy Butler is starting to take this leadership thing to heart by attempting to lead by example. Jimmy followed a 42 point game with 32 points and 10 assist against the Milwaukee Bucks. Point guard Derrick Rose returned from a couple of games off to rest a knee/hamstring and served to remind us all as to just how quick he can be.
During this stretch the team has gotten key contributions from the bench with improved play from Nikola Mirotic, Aaron Brooks and Tony Snell. According to head coach Fred Hoiberg the team is now playing unselfishly. The coach said this to NBA.com recently:
“The ball is not sticking as much as it was early in the year. The ball is going side to side, which is very important for our team. Our guys are recognizing mismatches that are on the floor, which they evolved into. Earlier in the year, they might have been unable to recognize those things. The big thing is when we swing the ball from side to side and attack after the defense shifts and we are so much more effective. That is the key to our numbers going up.”
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In all fairness, Bulls coach Hoiberg should be allowed take a bow himself. The coach has managed to skillfully navigate a challenge to his coaching chops while patiently cajoling his players to adopt his offensive philosophy.
The NBA is about players and the NCAA is about coaches. Coach Hoiberg spent years as an NBA player and executive and has learned the value of patience and focus.
Butler recently challenged his coach to coach the team harder. Hoiberg’s response was to keep the focus on execution, and a comment that could have been divisive was instead an opportunity for the team to open communications as the experienced Bulls players (Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol) stepped up to assist and advise Jimmy Butler about real leadership.
The alleged soft coach benched a popular player known for his heart and effort (Noah) for the sake of team balance. The coach’s installation of Taj Gibson into the starting lineup served to provide much needed defensive help to Gasol and Mirotic, who is still looking to gain his footing as a consistent player.
The careful minutes distribution with Tony Snell, Bobby Portis, Doug McDermott and Aaron Brooks has produced a competitive and productive rotation off the bench.
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Screen-roll defense was once a thorn in the side of Bulls players, but it has improved with guards that now dig in to help in the paint while rotating back to their own men. The Boston Celtics are the kind of aggressive and athletic team that has proved troublesome for the Bulls in the past, and they provided a good barometer for where Chicago is now.
One thing is for certain, coach Hoiberg appears to be a formidable talent with his eye on the big picture.