Rumors of Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg leaving the Cyclones for an NBA job, specifically the Chicago Bulls job, have been circulating for months now, and it seems as though the speculation can come to an end.
Many major media outlets are reporting that Hoiberg has told Iowa State players and staff that he will be accepting a five-year deal that is worth $25 million, according to Yahoo Sports. Hoiberg only coached at his alma mater Iowa State for five seasons, but it was a successful tenure. Hoiberg won 67% of his games, and helped bring the Cyclone program out of the dust. The team has a lot of talent coming back, and should be the top job in college basketball this summer.
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard has known of Hoiberg’s longing to coach in the NBA, and already has a search firm for the vacant position.
The Chicago Bulls fired Tom Thibodeau after a rocky relationship that escalated to new tension this past season. Thibodeau was extremely successful on the court, winning 65% of the games he coached. Disagreements with the front office over handling of players, game strategy, and personnel were all factors to the firing of Thibodeau.
Thibodeau was known to be a tough coach to play for, and often played his starters an excessive amount of minutes. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman believes Bulls players will like Hoiberg’s style much better:
https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/605553325711458304
Hoiberg often gave his Cyclone players freedom on offense, something that will greatly advantage the Bulls.
Hoiberg played four seasons with the Bulls during his NBA career.
While nothing is official yet, the Bulls told those of the media that they will be making a “major announcement” at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday. It is expected to be the announcement of the hiring of Hoiberg.
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