It’s been two days since the Chicago Bulls parted ways with former coach Tom Thibodeau, and already a new candidate is on the verge of replacing him. According to multiple reports, that replacement is Iowa State Coach Fred Hoiberg, 42.
The Chicago Tribune, citing unnamed people close to the situation, reported late Friday that Hoiberg will accept the Bulls job next week barring an unexpected change. ESPN cited multiple league sources in reporting the Bulls are confident Hoiberg will accept a job offer.
Hoiberg, 42, has significant ties to the Bulls. He is a friend of General Manager Gar Forman, who was an assistant coach at Iowa State during Hoiberg’s final college season there. Hoiberg also played for the Bulls from 1999 to 2003.
Even Iowa State’s athletic department has reportedly been expecting Hoiberg to leave at some point.
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Hoiberg has “always said from Day 1 that his lifelong goal has been to coach in the NBA,” Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard reportedly told a group of Iowa State fans earlier this month, according to CBS Sports.
Pollard is so confident Hoiberg will take the job that the university is already eyeing a replacement, CBS Sports reports. Pollard reportedly expects a more formal announcement to come next week.
If Hoiberg does leave Iowa State, assistant coach T.J. Otzelberger is a likely candidate to take over for the Cyclones. Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, who graduated from Iowa State, is another possibility.
Meanwhile, the future of Thibodeau, whose firing was accompanied by a scathing farewell letter released by the team, is more unclear.
[Bulls could’ve handled Thibodeau situation better]
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While many thought he’d be a natural fit to take over the coaching vacancy at the New Orleans Pelicans, Thibodeau may not be as interested, according to sports columnist Peter Vecsey.
Tom Thibodeau has no interest, I'm told, in coaching Pelicans (feels Davis will leave when pact permits), Magic (Skiles on tap) or Nuggets.
— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) May 29, 2015But as NBC Sports’s Dan Feldman points out, the reason cited by Vecsey — that star Anthony Davis may leave — could be tenuous. Davis will remain with the Pelicans next season and become a restricted free agent in 2017, but the Pelicans’ ability to offer him a maximum contract extension and thus more money than any other team increases the chances he’ll remain with the Pelicans through 2021.
Thibodeau has not publicly commented on his future.
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