When Tom Thibodeau was replaced by Fred Hoiberg I thought this could possibly go awry, simply because Hoiberg has a very different method of coaching to what Thibs implemented in Chicago.
The Bulls are getting wins which is good, but Jimmy Butler has been very vocal in his leadership role, talking about the problems he sees with the team he plays for. And finally there’s a problem that I don’t see going away anytime soon, Hoiberg’s coaching style.
“I believe in the guys in this locker room, yeah,” Butler said. “But I also believe that we probably have to be coached a lot harder at times. I’m sorry, I know Fred’s a laid-back guy, and I really respect him for that, but when guys aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, you got to get on guys, myself included. You got to do what you’re supposed to do when you’re out there playing basketball.”
“It’s not even about being coached a certain way for five years,” Butler said. “It’s making everybody do their job. We weren’t doing what we were supposed to be doing, what we wrote up on that board before the game, and nobody spoke up about it. I did probably not enough times, but I think that he has to hold everybody accountable. From the No. 1 player all the way down to however many guys we got. You got to hold everybody accountable; everybody has to do their job. You win your matchup, you do your job, we win the game.“
And that’s only an extract, he continued for another four paragraphs. The man knows how to voice his problems with the team that’s for sure.
This is something that I thought would cause problems for the Bulls. Having such a forceful coach that imprinted a tough work ethic for all those years then having a laid back coach like Hoiberg, there’s bound to be some type of friction.
