Chicago Bulls: Fred Hoiberg will be back as head coach in 2017

At the Chicago Bulls’ final press conference of the season, executive vice president John Paxson indicated that there may not be many wholesale changes nest season. That includes at head coach, where Fred Hoiberg will return.

Well, the end of this topsy-turvy Chicago Bulls 2016-17 season finally happened. The Bulls certainly gave their fans a wild ride. They started out fast, then fell off a cliff. While going down, there were fights between young and veteran players, veteran and veteran players, and players and coaching staff members. They made moves that many predicted would prevent them from making the playoffs. Then, something happened and they actually made the playoffs. Of course, the playoff series against the Boston Celtics mirrored their season. They won their first two games on the road but then lost four in a row to end the season.

The way the team played this season, many expect wholesale changes to be made. There are rumors of a Jimmy Butler trade, and there are questions about whether Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo return.

Another question concerns the return of head coach Fred Hoiberg. Many called for his head after two lackluster seasons.

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In the final press conference of the season, Bulls executive vice president John Paxson indicated that wholesale changes may not happen. That includes bringing back Hoiberg.

Many felt Hoiberg hasn’t been the offensive mind Bulls fans expected when GarPax first signed him. The Bulls’ average of 102.9 points per game ranked 23rd in the NBA. That’s better than ranking last, but not much.

Paxson also reiterated his dedication to making the team younger. Of course, right after he said that last offseason, he went out and signed Dwyane Wade to a ridiculously huge contract, then went and signed Rajon Rondo. Also, some question the young players Paxson and general manager Gar Forman brought in. They drafted Denzel Valentine

Also, some question the young players Paxson and general manager Gar Forman brought in. They drafted point guard Denzel Valentine, traded for Michael Carter-Williams, also a point guard, and traded Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott for another point guard, Cameron Payne. Carter-Williams went down with an injury almost as soon as he got to Chicago and was ineffective this season, and Valentine and Payne both spent time down in the D-League.

In fact, at the end of the season, Rondo, the old veteran, was the Bulls’ most effective point guard. In the first two wins of the playoff series against the Celtics, Rondo ran all over Isaiah Thomas and any other player Boston ran at him. Hopes ran high that the Bulls could actually win the series. Rondo fractured his thumb, however, and with all the point guards the Bulls had, none of them were good enough to do anything offensively or defensively to help the Bulls win ONE game let alone the two to win the series.

I understand the frustrations Bulls fans have with Hoiberg not coming up with an answer to their offensive woes, but to be fair, he really doesn’t have the players to play the type of up-tempo offense he runs. With Wade and Rondo, they want the offense to be methodical. Even Butler likes the half-court sets.

Hoiberg also doesn’t have the shooters who could help open things up. McDermott was known as a great shooter, but things in the NBA are different from college. He can’t create his shot, so he’s always shooting under pressure. Additionally, Nikola Mirotic was too inconsistent. His good shooting days came few and far between some bad shooting nights.

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Fred Hoberg can’t be the Chicago Bulls’ scapegoat. There’s only so much lemonade he can make when he has so many bad lemons. Paxson and Forman need to do what they say and get the proper players to win again. From what Paxson said in his press conference, I feel that won’t happen for quite some time.

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