Fred Hoiberg was officially announced as the new coach of the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, as he was tapped to replace Tom Thibodeau, a coach who was unable to get the team over the hump in post-season play during his stint in Chicago.
Hoiberg left his home town of Ames to sign a 5-year, 20 million dollar deal with Chicago and it appears that he knows precisely the situation that he is walking in to.
“You don’t always walk into a roster that has championship potential, that absolutely can compete at that level,” Hoiberg said. “I absolutely love this roster.”
So when can Bulls fans expect to see the team make that next step towards an NBA Championship? Hoiberg is known as an offensive guru who utilizes a fast, up-tempo style of play, and one that could certainly help the offensively-challenged Bulls.
“I love the versatility of the players, the different lineups we’re going to be able to play,” said Hoiberg, who plans to start reaching out to players immediately. “We can play small, play big. You’ve got lineups that can get out and play with pace. You’ve got a great group of veteran players that know how to play.”
Chicago should return a very solid nucleus of a team that finished only three games behind the eventual Eastern Conference Champions Cleveland, and a healthy Derrick Rose may go a long way in determining how successful the team is next season and beyond under the leadership of Hoiberg.
