CHICAGO -- When Fred Hoiberg walks onto the Advocate Center practice floor on Tuesday afternoon for his introductory news conference as the Chicago Bulls head coach, he will carry with him the usual pressures that come with any first-time NBA head coach.
The difference in this case is that Hoiberg will have the added weight of one man's reputation with him as well: Bulls general manager Gar Forman.
For all the talk about how Hoiberg will have large shoes to fill in trying to replace Tom Thibodeau and the culture he helped create during his five years in Chicago, the storyline that hasn't gotten as much play is how much extra pressure Hoiberg's hire puts on Forman and Bulls executive vice president John Paxson.
Hoiberg, the former Iowa State head coach, has been on the NBA radar for several years because of the success he has had in Ames, Iowa. But the Bulls have had an eye on him for a while because of his pro-style offense and his easy-going demeanor. Hoiberg and Forman have been close for more than two decades, dating back to when Hoiberg was a player for the Cyclones and Forman was an assistant coach. When Hoiberg left Chicago during his 10-year NBA career, it was Forman and his family who bought Hoiberg's house.
The connections run deep between the two men, which is why there will be more pressure than ever on Forman to produce a winner. Forman won the 2011 NBA Executive of the Year award, along with Pat Riley, after he and Paxson put together the core of a 62-win team in Thibodeau's first season with the Bulls. But Forman has largely stayed out of the spotlight given Paxson's three championship rings as a player and his long tenure with the Bulls organization over the years.
That has changed in a major way in the past week. First, Forman and Paxson made the largely unpopular decision, at least among fans, to fire Thibodeau. During the news conference to announce the dismissal of Thibodeau on Thursday, Forman said they were not in a rush to find a new coach.
"As far as the time frame, it's when we find the right guy," Forman said. "Whether that's a day, a week, a month, two months, whatever it is, we're going to do our work and try to find the right fit for our players and for this team."
The statement is laughable given the Bulls, and the rest of the league, already knew Hoiberg was the guy.
Forman and Paxson are banking on Hoiberg's offensive system to come in and pay dividends right away. The Bulls front office believes Hoiberg's 10 years as a player and his personality will produce a more inclusive team culture compared to how Thibodeau ran his program over the past five years. Besides the personal connections to Forman, Paxson's legacy will also be judged under a stronger microscope given that Hoiberg is now the fourth coach for whom Paxson has been part of the hiring process during his tenure as a Bulls executive.
The feeling within the organization, and throughout the league, is that neither man's job is in danger given the loyalty Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf has shown executives with the Bulls and the Chicago White Sox over the years. But it will be interesting to see how the longtime owner handles the situation if Hoiberg struggles. Will he allow Paxson to hire a fifth coach if Hoiberg can't get the job done? Will he have confidence in Forman's acumen if his hand-picked successor can't lead them to a championship?
Beyond personal connections, what makes this hire so fascinating is that Hoiberg isn't going to be judged strictly by wins and losses the way most other first-year coaches are. This team, with a core led by Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol, was built to win championships. The Bulls have already proved they can win plenty of games in the regular season -- Thibodeau was 255-139 during his five years -- but they haven't been able to get over the hump of beating LeBron James in the postseason. James-led teams have beaten the Bulls in four of the past six postseasons.
Unless the Bulls make a major trade that few see coming this summer, that core will be in place for one more season. Paxson is already on record as having said the Bulls will match any offer Butler gets as a restricted free agent -- and he figures to get a max extension after becoming an All-Star for the first time.
So Hoiberg faces the unenviable task of not only trying to win, but also of doing so with a team that has very high expectations. The 42-year-old coach might have success in the regular season putting his new system into place, but he isn't going to be judged on the same curve as many of his peers.
As toxic as the relationship was at the end between Thibodeau and the Bulls front office, that group still was successful. Whoever succeeded Thibodeau was going to have more pressure, but in Hoiberg's case it will be shared by Forman.
Forman has put his reputation on the line for one of his close friends because he believes Hoiberg is up to the task. If Hoiberg isn't and doesn't have immediate success, Forman will be taking more heat than anyone.