PAE Roundtable: The Chicago Bulls’ Summer

What can we expect from Fred Hoiberg in his second season?

MW: Fred Hoiberg is a likable guy who loves the game of basketball. However, his first season didn’t exactly go according to plan with the Bulls. He was handicapped with a roster that didn’t fit his style of coaching. Will things change in year two?

BR: It is sad to say, but much of the same. However, this doesn’t necessarily spell disaster for the Bulls.

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Hoiberg is a nice guy and we all know what people say about nice guys. He was crushed for not commanding respect in the locker room. He was crushed for the team’s play and lack of effort. But, Hoiberg cannot be blamed for last season.

There is nothing that he can say or do to make Rondo or Wade respect him. Hoiberg was a 10-year NBA veteran and he helped reinvigorate his alma mater as a coach. He also happens to have a calm outward demeanor. Adults choose to buy into certain things. NBA stars are at the extreme end of that spectrum. If the team is willing to work with Hoiberg, he can try to help them succeed.

If Wade, Rondo and Butler allow Hoiberg to have a voice, he will. The NBA is a player’s league. That’s all there is to it.

MP: I expect to see the same Fred Hoiberg that we saw in year one: a passive coach. With the “Three Alphas” team, life for Hoiberg will be more difficult than it was last year, and although so far his relationship with Rondo seems fine, who knows how long that’ll last. I’m still not reassured on Hoiberg’s relationship with Butler and with Wade on the team too, I just don’t see Hoiberg having much say on what goes on.

DC: I’m not exactly sure that expect to see anything from Fred. I mean, he didn’t have “his” roster last year and the front office still hasn’t decided if they want to throw money at players who still don’t fit.

Well, I guess they don’t play defense, but they also don’t shoot well (mentioned already). Hoiberg also mentioned that we haven’t seen his system because he adapts to his players. If that is true, we didn’t see “true” Hoiberg coaching last year and with the Wade and Rondo acquisitions, particularly Rondo, it will be interesting to see how he reacts, though I don’t know what to expect.

SC: This is a big year for Fred. Even though the Bulls did not add shooting this summer, the Bulls can still make Hoiball work. The transition of the coaching staff proved to be a learning curve for this Bulls roster, as the chemistry didn’t seem to be there a lot of times. Parting with Rose and Noah this summer not only hands the keys to the franchise to Jimmy Butler, but proves they are ready to shake things up and go for it with Hoiberg.

Ideally, Hoiberg’s offense has a lot of shooters along the perimeter waiting for wide open threes and drives to the rim. The pieces are there with McDermott, Snell, Mirotic, Portis, and Butler. They just need to execute. Easier said than done, but not impossible.

Next: What do you expect from the Bulls this season?