Fred Hoiberg, Chicago Bulls
In taking over for Tom Thibodeau, Fred Hoiberg has found himself in the unenviable position of having to live up to Thibodeau. It took Hoiberg a few months to get his NBA legs under him last season — the former Iowa coach trotted out lineups featuring Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic for 189 minutes last season — and all the while the Chicago Bulls’ locker room fell apart.
When Gar Forman and John Paxson signed Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo this summer, it seemed to run counter to Hoiberg’s pace-and-space philosophy and (surprise!) the moves haven’t quite worked out.
The chemistry — Wade and Jimmy Butler taking shots at the younger players and Rondo firing back on their behalf — is the “This is Fine” meme, personified. Their 28-29 record is barely good enough to sneak into the playoffs in the lethargic East. There’s sparingly little young talent. Between Jerian Grant, Doug McDermott, Bobby Portis, Denzel Valentine and Paul Zipser, the Bulls would be lucky to find two rotational players.
On top of that, trade rumors swirl around Jimmy Butler (to the Boston Celtics?). If they pull the trigger on a Butler trade, it would be an internal acknowledgement of the failure that has occurred over the past two seasons and the need for a reset. With that reset would almost certainly come a coaching change, while the need for a scapegoat will be present without it.
In either scenario, Hoiberg is not on the sideline next season.