Bulls fire Thibodeau; Hoiberg next in line?

The Chicago Bulls fired coach Tom Thibodeau this morning, leading to speculation that the NBA franchise could hire Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg as Thibodeau's replacement.

Hoiberg, an Ames native and former Iowa State star, has led the Cyclones the last five seasons. Hoiberg has a 115-56 record and taken Iowa State to four consecutive NCAA tournaments. The Cyclones have won the Big 12 tournament the last two seasons, and ISU advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 2014. Hoiberg's Cyclones have won at least 11 Big 12 games in each of the last four seasons.

Hoiberg served as an NBA executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves before taking the ISU job. He also played 10 seasons in the NBA, including four in Chicago. Hoiberg and Bulls general manager Gar Forman reportedly have a close relationship. Forman was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Iowa State from 1994-98, when Hoiberg was a player.

At a news conference Thursday, Forman said he has not put together a list or met with any prospective candidates. He added that he doesn't have a time frame to replace Thibodeau.

In an interview with The Gazette's Mike Hlas on May 12, Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard seemed resigned that Hoiberg eventually would leave for the NBA.

'I think at some point in his life (Hoiberg will) want to do that (coach in the NBA),” Pollard said. 'When and where that happens, I don't control. And in some ways, he doesn't control it. A job's got to open that (Hoiberg and his family) have to want.

'In the meantime, I'm enjoying the ride. If the ride is another five days or five years, I'm going to enjoy it because he has done a great job for us. The last five years have been some of the most fun times in the history of Iowa State basketball.”

Thibodeau guided the Bulls to the NBA playoffs in each of his five seasons. Overall Thibodeau posted a 255-139 regular-season record and a 23-28 mark in the postseason.

'When Tom was hired in 2010, he was right for our team and system at that time, and over the last five years we have had some success with Tom as our head coach,” Forman said in a statement. 'But as we looked ahead and evaluated how we as a team and an organization could continue to grow and improve, we believed a change in approach was needed.”

Hoiberg is considered the most popular public figure in the state with 74 percent of Cyclones' fans thinking he's doing a good job, according to Public Policy Polling. The Cyclones return one of the nation's best college basketball teams next year with starters Georges Niang, Monte Morris, Jameel McKay and Naz Long all coming back.

Here's the statement from Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf:

'The Chicago Bulls have a history of achieving great success on and off the court. These accomplishments have been possible because of an organizational culture where input from all parts of the organization has been welcomed and valued, there has been a willingness to participate in a free flow of information, and there have been clear and consistent goals. While the head of each department of the organization must be free to make final decisions regarding his department, there must be free and open interdepartmental discussion and consideration of everyone's ideas and opinions. These internal discussions must not be considered an invasion of turf, and must remain private. Teams that consistently perform at the highest levels are able to come together and be unified across the organization-staff, players, coaches, management and ownership. When everyone is on the same page, trust develops and teams can grow and succeed together. Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this culture. To ensure that the Chicago Bulls can continue to grow and succeed, we have decided that a change in the head coaching position is required. Days like today are difficult, but necessary for us to achieve our goals and fulfill our commitments to our fans. I appreciate the contributions that Tom Thibodeau made to the Bulls organization. I have always respected his love of the game and wish him well in the future.”

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