Fred Hoiberg

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There are no constants in professional sports, especially at the head coaching position.

So the bell tolled Monday for Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, who was fired after just over three full seasons with the Bulls. But it remains a loss for everyone connected to the Bulls because they were all in together. As the poet wrote, no man is an island. So everyone feels such a loss.

"Decisions like this one are never easy to make," Bulls Executive Vice-President John Paxson said in a statement. However, I felt this was the right choice for our organization at this time. After a thorough evaluation, I elected to make this move with the overall development of our team in mind. As a team, I believe it is imperative that we make unfaltering strides in the right direction and build the right habits to help put our players in the best position to evolve not only now, but into the future. I want to thank Fred for his dedication and efforts, as well as for his enduring commitment to our team."

Paxson said associate head coach Jim Boylen has been promoted to head coach. He is not being listed as an interim coach.

Boylen has been Hoiberg's top lieutenant on the coaching staff and primarily responsible for the defense. He was hired shortly after Hoiberg became head coach. Boylen, 53, is from East Grand Rapids, Michigan and after playing college basketball at the U. of Maine returned to Michigan in 1987 as an assistant at Michigan State under Jud Heathcote. Hoiberg's son, Jack, currently is on the Michigan State basketball team. In 1992, Boylen was hired as a video coordinator and scout and eventually assistant with the Houston Rockets and was on the staff during their run of back to back championships under coach Rudy Tomjanovich. Boylen remains close friends with Tomjanovich.

After 11 seasons with the Rockets, Boylen moved on to assistant jobs with the Warriors and Bucks. Boylen then returned to Michigan State as an assistant under Tom Izzo. He was named head coach at the U. of Utah in 2007. Utah in his first season had its first winning record in two seasons and in his second season the 24-10 team won the Mountain West regular and post season and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, which was a conference best at the time. He coached at Utah through 2011 and was fired after his fourth season with a 13-18 record. He was 67-60 overall.

Boylen joined the Pacers staff after leaving Utah and was hired to join the San Antonio Spurs staff in 2013 and got his third NBA championship ring with the 2014 Spurs title.

Hoiberg, 46, was named Bulls coach following the 2014-15 season and the dismissal of coach Tom Thibodeau, who now is with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2010, he took over as Iowa State coach replacing Greg McDermott, the father of Doug McDermott, who went on to play for the Bulls under Hoiberg and now plays for the Pacers. Hoiberg at Iowa State was a sought after college coach who had interviewed for various head coaching positions in the NBA, including with the Golden State Warriors after Mark Jackson was dismissed. Hoiberg was Big 12 Coach of the Year at Iowa State and became fastest to reach 100 wins at Iowa State. Hoiberg did a major turnaround at Iowa State as the school went to the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years and claimed its first first top 25 ranking in the same span. He also recorded the largest ever one season improvement in conference history. In 2013, he signed a 10-year contract with a buyout for a pro coaching position. He went on to sign a five-year contract with the Bulls in 2015.

Hoiberg had played for the Bulls from 1999-2003 and then for the Timberwolves when the discovery of a heart ailment ended his NBA playing career. Hoiberg wears a pacemaker. He then joined the Minnesota front office and was assistant general manager and director of basketball operations. Hoiberg played for the Indiana Pacers after being a second round draft pick out of Iowa State in 1995 after growing up in Ames. He was born in Nebraska and was a top Iowa prep athlete who was also offered a football scholarship to play at Nebraska. He played at Iowa for Johnny Orr and one season for Tim Floyd before going to the Pacers, whom the Bulls play Tuesday.

The 6-4 Hoiberg was so popular in Ames for his prep athletic exploits he received a vote in the 1993 mayoral election and was nicknamed The Mayor.

But it proved a star crossed relationship with the Bulls for Hoiberg, who inherited the tough-act-to-follow mantle in replacing Thibodeau, who had led the Bulls to the league's best record in consecutive seasons before Derrick Rose suffered his serious knee injury.

Hoiberg took over a Bulls team that had won 50 games in 2014-15, but which was on the cusp of a change with injuries catching up to its core.

It would be the final season for Rose with the Bulls as he was traded to the Knicks after the season. It was a coming out season for Jimmy Butler, but he clashed with Hoiberg early that season even as the Bulls were 15-9 coming off a quadruple overtime loss. A weary Butler said Hoiberg didn't coach him hard enough even though Hoiberg had only been coach just over a month. Butler later apologized and admitted the remarks were inappropriate. The Bulls still were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference at the time of those comments and would win six straight gams shortly after that to go 10 games over .500 at 22-12. But injured would haunt Hoiberg's Bulls tenure. Joakim Noah suffered a serious injury and was then lost for the season. Mike Dunleavy was out injured the first half of the season and later in the season after making the All-Star team Butler missed 15 games with injury and came back uncertain for the rest of the season. The Bulls were 42-40 but missed the playoffs.

The Bulls remade their roster for the next season with the Rose trade and the free agency departure of Noah and Pau Gasol with the signings of Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Butler became an All-Star starter, but Wade and Rondo often clashed and during the season the Bulls made major trades to deal veteran Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott. Still, amidst the changes, the Bulls finished the season strong to make the playoffs and then took a 2-0 lead on the road against top seeded Boston in the playoffs. But Rondo was hurt after another top performance in Game 2 and the Bulls went on to lose the next four games in the series.

The Bulls then committed to a major rebuilding and traded Butler to Minnesota for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen. But Hoiberg again was burdened by a fraught personnel situation. LaVine remained in rehabilitation from his anterior cruciate surgery and didn't play until mid season. He would then sit out the final 14 games. Dunn sustained various injuries and missed 30 games. Plus, just before the season started, forwards Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis got into a fight, causing serious injury to Mirotic. He would not be able to play until December and Portis was suspended eight games. Mirotic asked to be traded and the Bulls traded him in midseason to the New Orleans Pelicans for a draft pick the Bulls used for Chandler Hutchison.

The Bulls finished the season 27-55, which was several games above preseason expectations despite the changes. The Bulls got the No. 7 pick in the 2018 draft and selected Wendell Carter Jr.

Which made the start of the 2018-19 season, effectively, a fourth distinct roster for Hoiberg with Carter Jr. moving in as starting center. Free agent Jabari Parker was signed in the summer and slated to come off the bench, but Markkanen was injured along with Dunn, Portis and Denzel Valentine to start this season and the Bulls became oddsmakers favorites to win just one of their games. Valentine is now out for the season. So Hoiberg again was tasked with juggling lineups throughout this season, often starting and using players who had recently been in the G-league, like Ryan Arcidiacono, Antonio Blakeney, Cristiano Felicio, Cameron Payne and Shaquille Harrison.

Hoiberg, nevertheless, handled the related difficulties, changes and setbacks with aplomb and personal class and loyalty to the organization. But no one survives the losing. The Bulls Saturday loss in Houston in which, ironically, Markkanen returned for his first game this season, was the Bulls sixth consecutive loss and 10th in the last 11 games. The Bulls record dropped to 5-19. We all are diminished when a good man departs.

The Bulls play the Indiana Pacers Tuesday.

fred-hoiberg-era-ends-in-chicago

Fred Hoiberg era ends in Chicago

Fred Hoiberg was pretty happy Monday. The Bulls coach looked across the basketball court in the UCLA Student Activities Center on another day of sun out here and saw Zach LaVine, the spectacular NBA dunk champion and near 20-point scorer who was the centerpiece of the Bulls Jimmy Butler trade last June. The prodigal who hasn’t played or practiced with the Bulls yet after ACL surgery. But there was LaVine, cleared Monday by his surgeon to begin contact drills and perhaps soon return to the lineup in a real love story.

“He’s down there playing one-on-one right now,” Hoiberg nodded across the court during a raucous practice session just winding down. “Just blocked a shot; it’s our first block of the year.”

“I’m planning on starting him tomorrow,” Hoiberg quipped.

It was one of the more joyful days you’ll find around a 3-11 team in the midst of a tough Western Conference road trip. The kid almost is ready.

“If you all tell me to go full blow right now, I’ll go up and try and dunk on somebody,” LaVine told reporters before returning to some very competitive half court games with teammates. “I won’t even think about it. I’m not going to change my game. You can’t change the way you think about it because that’s how I feel you can get hurt. I’m going to go play the same way.

“Good to get out here,” LaVine added with seemingly as much euphoria as relief. “That’s what I was ecstatic about; look forward, keep progressing, and we’re going to be there soon. My legs feel stronger, my upper body feels stronger. I’ve gained about 10 pounds. Mentally, I feel good as well. The main thing is just my conditioning and timing after being out that long. Just appreciate the game I was missing. I was able to go out and do a shell drill a couple weeks ago. Non-contact shell drill, and I had a smile on my face. That’s how I knew I’ve been away from the game too long. Because in years past you’re dreading the shell drill and want to get that out of the way. I put the work in and I was able to do everything to get to this point. It feels great.”

Maybe not even as good as the Bulls feel for, really, what is the beginning of this basketball journey of recovery.

LaVine isn’t ready to play yet, obviously. And no one is putting him under deadline pressure with a date or even timetable.

But now instead of the unknown, LaVine is back working with and against his teammates in practice, building toward a return that everyone seemed to indicate was now weeks away and not months.

“It should be (mid or late December),” LaVine said when posed that possibility. “That’s what I’m going for. As long as I’m progressing and I’m doing what I need to on the court, this thing could go fast and I could be out there playing with the guys. My jumping and my athleticism are good. All my strength numbers are there. You’ve been out of basketball – contact wise – for nine months, and that’s not going to come back in two or three practices. I have to get my timing down. I’ve been doing everything from dunking to running. Only thing I hadn’t been cleared for was contact. I’ve been pushing it as much as I can.

“It’s feel,” LaVine offered. “It can be tomorrow. I might be like. ‘I feel great, let me get in the game.’ Or it could be in two or three weeks; I don’t know yet.’’

No one was saying because they’re not fully sure. The Bulls are allowing LaVine to progress at his speed, both physically and mentally. And everyone who undergoes serious surgery, as Hoiberg knows well after having heart surgery, has concerns, questions and insecurities. Heart surgery prematurely ended Hoiberg’s NBA playing career.

“When you do get that clearance to go out and do it again, it’s fun,” Hoiberg agreed. “When it’s taken away from you to be able to get back out there, it’s what it’s all about. He’s got one of the best surgeons in the world (Neal ElAttrache) he’s seen multiple times. Dr. (Brian) Cole, our team doctor, is one of the top guys in the league. His jump numbers are better than they were before the injuries. He’s done everything he is supposed to do. For me, the first time I got hit in my chest that was a big moment. It was like, ‘Wait a minute. I’m OK?’ So it’s really a process to where the first time he gets hit or jumps awkwardly, that type of thing and he’s OK with, it’s a big part of the recovery. But he’s told me the day we got him in the trade he was ready (to play). I know he’s been waiting for this moment and I anticipate he will continue to make good progress.”

LaVine tore his anterior cruciate ligament last February not long after a 40-point scoring game with seven three pointers as he appeared on the way to becoming one of the top young players in the game.

That injury with an uncertain return enabled the Bulls to acquire LaVine in the Butler deal along with Kris Dunn and a swap of draft picks that netted the Bulls rookie star Lauri Markkanen. So the Bulls and their fans can finally begin to start dreaming about their own three-headed monster of potential young talent.

Though Markkanen has impressed and Dunn appears to be coming fast for the starting point guard position as the Bulls prepare to play the Lakers Tuesday, LaVine is the veteran, the potential star with the brightest upside given his early success in the NBA even as a multiple dunk champion.

LaVine is poised and comfortable with media, open and clearly even in just beginning serious and competitive drills with teammates taking on the mien of a natural leader.

“He’s going to help our speed,” sad Hoiberg, who scheduled practice for late afternoon so LaVine could see his doctor and participate. “He’s going to help our pace. He’s been a 20-point scorer in this league, so he’s proven he can do that. He’ll help us in a lot of ways.”

You could almost picture little Freddy back in Lincoln, Nebraska not being able to wait until Christmas morning. Fred looked a bit like that Monday watching LaVine. Sure like to unwrap that soon.

“He’s a versatile offensive player as is Lauri,” Hoiberg pointed out. “Lauri scores from every place on the court. He (Markkanen) can score around the basket. He’s obviously got three-point range and he’s showing a mid range game right now; not a lot of players do that. Zach has the same qualities, able to take advantage of switching. I thought Kris Dunn had some good switch attacks (Sunday) night. We still need to do a better job of getting Lauri the ball when he has a point guard on him. We’ve got some guys now on the perimeter we think can go around a big. When we get Zach back, you have three good switch attack players, so that will instantly help our offense. Just to watch him move and watch him run gets you excited because you can do a lot of things with that type of athleticism and that type of range on his shot.”

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Euphoria and Relief: Zach LaVine Is Now One Step Closer

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BULLS AND ZTE HOST 15th ANNUAL THANKSGIVING DINNER AT PACIFIC GARDEN MISSION

Perhaps no one coaching in the NBA the last two seasons has been asked to do more with less than Fred Hoiberg.

Hoiberg inherited a team that was expected to contend, yet was, effectively, breaking down and being broken up, injuries to Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol’s impending free agency all but dooming any chances for the team in Hoiberg’s rookie coaching season.

Hoiberg then was charged with a transition, a team with 10 new players, more under 25 years old rotation players than all but four NBA teams, combined with declining veterans like Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Thus the reality of the transition reflected elapse more than strategy. Despite rampant predictions of missing the playoffs and fewer than 40 wins, the Bulls came on strong to make the playoffs last season and almost pulled off an upset of top seeded Boston.

Now with Las Vegas summer camp a memory, Hoiberg is just being asked to do less.

Which goes against who he is and has been.

It’s also the thankless and near impossible job of coaching an NBA team that is rebuilding while retaining your dignity and credibility. Lose because that gives the organization greater odds of adding top talent, which eventually can make your job easier? But what sort of competitor who reaches the NBA can accept and sign onto apathetic defeat?

And then how do you explain that to your players, who are starting careers whose success, effectively, is measured by victories and personal achievement?

“Competiveness was the reason I survived 10 years in the league,” notes Hoiberg of his role playing career with the Pacers and Bulls. “It certainly wasn’t because I was a great athlete. It was because I was a competitor, always the first guy in the gym and trying to outwork people. The same thing applies as a coach. You have to put the time in, draw up the game plans that give your team a chance to win, and as the season went on and our group came together, I thought we performed very well. Especially at the end of the season.

“Just don’t change who you are as far as your competitive nature,” Hoiberg says. “Something we will continue to do is compete. I’m still getting to know our players and once we get healthy we’ll see how it is. You always look back at the end of the year and try to evaluate your performance and try to get better every year.

There’s perhaps no NBA coach who has drawn a shorter straw or has had more unrealistic expectations, and thus the ensuing criticism for not meeting them. Whatever they were.

First, Hoiberg inherits a team that was a rocket ship on reentry. Merely looking for a soft landing. Exploration and adventure was over. Then Rose fractures his face and is nearly blinded 30 minutes into the first practice. And there, again, will be only bodies to recover in yet a third consecutive season of injury updates. Before long Noah is gone for the season, perhaps more formality, as the free agency acquisition of Gasol sentenced Noah to a unhappy reserve role. That season, eight of the top 11 players in the rotation missed at least 10 games with injuries.

Gasol by then had moved on mentally to his free agency options, and all three were soon gone.

The replacement, albeit more a place holder for what would come next, was one more chance to compete while contemplating. But Wade, as it turned out, had little left and the friction between he and Rondo never abated as much as each insisted it could or would. Fingers were pointed regularly, veterans at one another, the community at the coach.

It became obvious to pretty much everyone there no longer was a path anywhere but down, the aging Wade declaring his desire for his paycheck, Rondo insistent his career remained as a significant starter, Jimmy Butler caught in the middle trying to please everyone. The hopes that near miraculously began with those ping pong balls and Rose in 2008 were finally ready to be buried. Like with a death, it takes time to accept and move on. The Bulls championship hopes died that sunny April day in 2008 when Rose came down the wrong way. Darkness set in long before sunset.

It took five years to accept and mourn. Finally, it’s time to move on.

So in his third season, Hoiberg gets his third completely different roster and plan, this one perhaps even more confusing because it strikes at the core values of professional athletes.

Management has staked out the future, and the community has apparently agreed as it has with various similar construction projects around the city. There will be delays and frustration, but eventually there should be a superior road to be traversed and enjoyed.

It’s just an ugly job breaking it down and putting that new pavement in place.

Though the workers have no less pride of accomplishment than those who get to enjoy the final product.

So it comes to Hoiberg again to get the best out of the talent on the roster. When, well, many from outside apparently won’t seem to mind if they are not all that great. After all, it’s just starting and the faces there often are not the ones who get to finish the job.

There are challenges to (differing rosters every year),” Hoiberg points out. “When I was at Iowa State I had a new group pretty much every year because I took so many transfers. Every team had a different different dynamic to it with different guys and skill sets. I played traditionally two of those years because I had a traditional point guard. I played a couple of years where I had a point forward initiate my offense. So it’s all about trying to figure out your roster and trying to put them on the floor in spots where they can be successful.

I do have some experience with that, but there are challenges, no doubt about that.”

Often overlooked is that Hoiberg is an innovative offensive coach. Unfortunately, a lot of his players have overlooked that as well in tending to retreat into their personal comfort zones. So, do what? Bench Rose, Butler, Wade, Gasol? He did bench Rondo, and that didn’t go so well.

So now Hoiberg finally gets a lump of sporting clay to mold. It’s easy to say he should have told Wade to run more or maybe Gasol to challenge the pick and roll more. Or maybe Rose and Butler to pass more. But when five championships, an MVP and multiple All-Star games and not caring much for that guy is your answer, well, it’s not so simple.

Wade’s still around, though in what role or for how long is unclear. But even with Wade, it is clear that it’s now about the guys who have done nothing but get here.

“This is a group with which we should be able to have some more movement, especially when (Zach) LaVine gets healthy,” said Hoiberg. “I’m excited to space the floor with shooting. (Lauri) Markkanen has shown the ability to shoot at the front line position. Those kinds of guys are difficult to prepare for when you have front court players to make a shot and make a play. As Markkanen progresses and gets stronger, he’ll be a guy who can do both of those things. I’m excited about that. When LaVine gets healthy (February, 2017 ACL surgery), there are so many things he can do with that athleticism and the way he shoots it as easy as he does.

“We had two completely separate identities with our two groups last year,” Hoiberg noted. “With our first group we ran a lot of short pick and roll and tried to beat teams up in the paint and we did a pretty good job of that with Taj (Gibson) and Robin (Lopez, the latter also returning). The second group was more a spacing group. The thing the trade (of Gibson and Doug McDermott) did was it allowed us to play the same way with both groups. And we should be able to do that with the makeup of our team now. It’s always easier if you can play the same way with your first and second units.”

If you mention tank with Hoiberg, it better be about your study of Shermans or your septic. Hoiberg knows the narrative is now about obtaining more talent through the draft, but the job of coaches and players is to win games. Hoiberg is comfortable with that.

“We played a lot of young guys last year,” Hoiberg noted. “But we also do have some guys with experience. The biggest thing is going out there and competing and playing hard every single time you step on the floor. I think if we do that the way the league is we’ll have a chance to hopefully put ourselves in a position to win. The hard part is closing games with an inexperienced group. But I’m confident our team is going to compete every time we take the floor. Go out and compete and if you do good things will happen.”

That’s also the important lesson that gets lost with teams supposedly playing out seasons for high draft picks. The Bulls in the Butler trade acquired three players who could be part of their significant core moving forward. When you lose regularly, and don’t seem to care otherwise, players can accept losing and become losers. Hoiberg understands that. The term “culture” is thrown around NBA locker rooms like dirty socks. It’s needed, and often change is good.

“We’ve got young players who hopefully are going to go out and compete and play the right way,” said Hoiberg. “If they do, that is what we are building.  We’ve got a young group of guys to play hard. We have five first and second year players who played a lot of minutes last year. Bobby (Portis) and Cris (Felicio) are going into their third year and got valuable experience and now we are adding to that with more young players. You are trying to see which ones are going to be there and make sense for the future, the guys who are going to go out and play the right way, how we want to play and continue to build this thing. But you are not going to look at this and say we want to go out and lose X amount of games; we can’t approach it that way. We have to go out and hopefully give ourselves a chance.”

Though Hoiberg also understands no coach looks much better than his talent. Hoiberg is inured to the scrutiny that adheres to community and media frustration. It’s reminiscent of something Richard Nixon once said, as only he would, “I don’t mind if they examine me with a microscope. But not with a proctoscope.”

Hoiberg has retained an easy manner despite the scrutiny and still likes to joke with reporters. I’ve rarely seen him even testy with media and he still uses first names when addressing most, which is uncommon. He’s generally been a much better person than his critics.

So Hoiberg sat intently during the week or so of Summer League watching, figuring, perhaps hoping. Kris Dunn had to bail out early. Cameron Payne followed. Markkanen showed progress and then sat a pair of games, and perhaps Hoiberg found some scoring in Antonio Blakeney. LaVine stopped in for a few days and assured everyone he would be ready to go sooner than expected. Though no one was making predictions this time. They’ll let him heal. And get to 110 percent, as the players like to say.

And maybe this doesn’t take as long as it often does given some of the more mature young talent and perhaps LeBron leaving the Eastern Conference after this season. That was the big talk among team executives in Las Vegas while fans taking the short drive over from Los Angeles swooned about Lonzo Ball. There are all sort of possibilities.

“A big part of last season was developing young players, which I think we did a good job of,” said Hoiberg. “We played as many young players as any team in the league. We wanted to make the playoffs and we accomplished that and we played our best basketball at the end of the season when it mattered most.

“Now it’s about those young players who are back and experienced the playoffs taking the next step,” said Hoiberg. “It’s going to be important for some of these guys to emerge as leaders. Wade and Lopez are two of the elder statesman of the team, but now it’s important for those guys to take a back seat. They’ve (young guys) got to take that next step now and I think we have some guys who will do that. With all the young players you are going to have inconsistencies. We’re going to have that this year, but it’s all about going out and competing. That’s where the real frustration was last season. There were nights where we didn’t lay it all out there on the floor and those are the things that bother you as a coach.

“The thing we are trying to instill,” said Hoiberg, “is going out and competing every night we go on the floor. That will be the judge of what we do; that’s what it’s about.”

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Armed With A Young Roster, Hoiberg Ready To Hit The Ground Running

Sam Smith

Boston’s Isaiah Thomas Sunday was dazzling in leading the Celtics to the 104-95 victory with 33 points, including 10 and an assist in the decisive 12-0 late third quarter run that saved the game—and perhaps the series—for the Celtics.

At least that was the post game charge and observation from Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.

Hoiberg said Thomas palms and carries the ball every time he dribbles, thus making it “impossible” to defend him. Hoiberg said he’s constantly pointed it out to the officials, though with no response. So perhaps in channeling Memphis coach David Fizdale, whose team got back in the series with the Spurs after a post game rant about the officiating, Hoiberg said Thomas’ violations of the rules just continued to get more pronounced and obvious.

Hoiberg is correct. Thomas puts his hand under the ball basically every time he dribbles. Technically, a dribble is when your hand is on top of the ball. Thomas also basically carries the ball with him and then dribbles again, what is considered a hesitation dribble these days. The problem Hoiberg has about his comment is the evolution of the NBA basically has informally eliminated palming or carrying the ball as a violation.

You see all those fabulous crossover moves from Allen Iverson forward, and they mostly cannot be done without technically violating the rule. The crossover move is hardly new. Archie Clark was doing it in the 1960s. But it’s expanded so much that almost all the NBA guards remain in technical violation of the rules.

"That's not the reason why I'm an impossible cover," Thomas said when asked about Hoiberg’s comments. "No one man can guard me; that’s the confidence I have. I guess he is going to keep saying that. I've been dribbling that way all my life. I don't know what to say. I don’t think I've been called for it one time this year. I can’t recall one time this season I’ve been called for it. So I don't think that would change."

Thomas met reporters for the first time since the automobile accident death of his sister before the series began. Thomas’ 17 fourth quarter points proved decisive after the Bulls rallied from a 20-point deficit to take a two-point third quarter lead.

It was as angry as Hoiberg has been after a game in his two seasons coaching the Bulls.

He was asked about the team’s point guard problems and not about Thomas. The Bulls started Jerian Grant, replaced him quickly with Michael Carter-Williams, and then got the best point guard production in the series from rarely used Isaiah Canaan. Canaan likely will start Game 5 Wednesday. In being asked about his point guards, Hoiberg took a detour to Boston’s.

“Obviously, we got off to another poor start from the get go,” Hoiberg began in second gear. “We dug ourselves a 10-point hole right out of the gate.  We had to spend a lot of energy getting back in it. Spent so much energy climbing out of that hole. I was proud of Isaiah Canaan after a lot of lot of DNPs, being on the inactive list.  Wanted to get him in because he is a guy who can pressure the ball and pick up the ball full court. He hit a couple of shots for us as well; that was the plan coming in. If we didn’t get off to a good start he was going to get his opportunity.”

And then Hoiberg shifted into fourth gear.

Hoiberg then answered a few questions with “Yes” comments about it being more flagrant Sunday, about having constantly told the officials, about the NBA saying this was a point of emphasis this season: “It should be called; that’s all I’m going to say about it,” said Hoiberg. Then he left.

Motivation, perhaps, with the Bulls losing both games at home to surrender home court advantage?

“It’s great,” Dwyane Wade said about Hoiberg stepping up with the officials for the players. “All players want coach to have their back. Whenever coach does that, it makes guys want to do a little bit more for him, want to give him a little bit more. So it’s always great when you feel that when your coach has your back.”

So will the officials watch more carefully in Game 5? Will the Bulls respond and not be behind 20 in the first half again. Will teams start throwing the ball back to their centers if the guards cannot dribble that way anymore? Tune in Wednesday.

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Heated Hoiberg Speaks Up Following Game 4

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One on one with Coach Fred Hoiberg

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Fred Hoiberg Press Conference Photo Gallery

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