Fred Hoiberg on the Chicago Bulls' struggles, Iowa State

CHICAGO — Fred Hoiberg had the shortest drive of an NBA coach to the Quest Multipurpose Complex, but leading the best team that didn't qualify for the NBA playoffs had the feel of the league's longest off-season.

Hoiberg, the former Iowa State and current Chicago Bulls coach, spent time watching prospects at the NBA scouting combine last week along with Bulls general manager Gar Foreman. Hoiberg's inaugural season had all the continuity of Chicago gridlock at rush hour. Injuries and inconsistency plagued the Bulls from the outset, and Hoiberg immediately felt the sting of criticism.

Chicago was 42-40, the only NBA team with a winning record left out of the postseason. But that was an eight-game decline from 2014-15, when the Bulls brass dismissed successful five-year coach Tom Thibodeau.

'We had a lot of adversity that we had to handle this year, starting on day one with Derrick (Rose) going out with a broken bone in his eye,' Hoiberg told The Gazette. 'He basically missed all of the preseason. That set us back because I was trying to put in my new system. Mike Dunleavy has off-season back surgery; he was the glue guy of that team I thought the previous year, so that set us back.

'We had so many things, with (Joakim) Noah going out with a separated shoulder, Jimmy (Butler) hurting his knee and (Nikola) Mirotic having a complication with an appendix surgery. So the continuity piece, it was tough. It was tough when you were trying to put in something new.'

Hoiberg isn't absolving himself from the issues, either. Hoiberg and his staff conducted their exit meetings following the season. He understands the NBA's win-now culture, especially in a city like Chicago. Thibodeau, who was named Minnesota Timberwolves coach last month, guided the Bulls to the playoffs in all five seasons and was 255-139 overall. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2011 and runner-up in 2012. The Bulls won six NBA titles in the 1990s, a run of success that hovers over every coach.

'The guys, they fought, they battled, but we've got to be better,' Hoiberg said. 'There's no doubt about that. I've got to be better. Then again, it's painful. This time of year, sitting down, watching the playoffs, it's tough. So, again, we're trying to do a lot of things better next year and hopefully be playing at this time a year from now.'

Hoiberg was beloved at Iowa State, first as an Ames native and acquiring the nickname 'The Mayor.' He returned as head coach in 2010. In five seasons, Hoiberg guided Iowa State to a 115-56 record and four consecutive NCAA tournaments. The Cyclones won the Big 12 Tournament in his final two seasons, and ISU advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 2014.

A major difference between coaching in the NBA and the Big 12, Hoiberg said, is adjusting to the lack of practice time.

'Your games, they just stack up,' he said. 'They're right up on top of each other, which is great. In college you've got four or five days to prepare for your next game. That's a big difference, a big adjustment. I spent 15 years in this league, 10 as a player and five in the front office. It still takes getting used to that grind, getting used to that schedule again.'

As for the current Cyclones, Hoiberg followed the team closely last season. Iowa State advanced to the Sweet Sixteen under Steve Prohm, but was dispatched by top-seeded Virginia 84-71 on March 25. The regionals were held at Chicago's United Center. Hoiberg and the Bulls were traveling to Orlando that night, but planned to attend the following game had the Cyclones qualified.

'I was really proud of them,' Hoiberg said. 'Right from the beginning when they had a major injury to a very key player (Naz Mitrou-Long), I thought Steve Prohm handled his first year very well there. Nobody was cheering harder for them, especially here in Chicago.

'I'll always cheer for those guys with such a great passion as an alumnus of the university and playing a part in a lot of those guys' lives.'

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