6. Fred Hoiberg
Current Position: Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach
Head Coaching Record: 115-155
What attracted the Chicago Bulls to hiring the former head coach of this franchise Hoiberg was his stint in lifting up the Iowa State Cyclones basketball program in the difficult and deep Big 12. Iowa State is still relevant year in and year out in the Big 12 to this day. That is partly thanks to the work that Hoiberg did when he was back in Ames.
However, that draw between GarPax and the midwestern schools sparked the hiring of Hoiberg. Paxson tends to love bringing in players and coaching/front office personnel from the Big Ten country schools (even though Iowa State carries over to the Big 12).
At least Hoiberg brought a modern offensive mindset to the table for the Bulls. Watching Hoiberg at least put forward schemes that would space the floor and run with good pace was better than Boylen’s inside-out play last season. Hoiberg had an emphasis on the outside shot and didn’t focus as much on the multi-ball handler system as Boylen.
While Boylen did improve his offense this season with an improved roster through and through, Hoiberg might be off to a better start than 3-6. He had a dismal roster at the outset of last season, which is what led to the 5-19 start that ended his tenure in December 2018. That bridged Boylen to start off as the interim head coach to replace Hoiberg.