I Can, Should And Will Worry About Fred Hoiberg Leaving To The NBA
The rumors can’t be put to rest, and if you aren’t a little bit scared that Ames is going to lose its fictitious Mayor and his really awful dance moves, then you aren’t a realistic fan of the Cyclones. As long as Iowa State is doing well on the court, Fred Hoiberg will be a name that pops up with these NBA coaching vacancies.
There are numerous reasons he won’t make the leap. First, he is making $2.6 Million next year, so it’s not exactly like the guy is struggling financially. Second, Fred has four kids, and his oldest is about to be a senior in high school, so it’s not a great time to move. Third, he is the unofficial Mayor of Ames, but he might as well be the King, with the amount of respect he has earned and deserves in Central Iowa. Fourth and finally, his coaching experience is limited, so even if he knows about how to run a front office, who’s to say he knows about coaching in the NBA?
Regardless, here are the reasons there is worry in my head.
Jazz
Other than the chance to coach Diante Garrett again, it’s tough to picture the Mayor of Ames becoming the Mayor of the Mormons. Not that Utah is necessarily looking his direction either, but nobody could see that one playing out.
Warriors
Mark Jackson getting the boot was surprising, and makes me nervous as an Iowa State fan. Golden State has a young talented roster that will be solid for the next 10 years. The opportunity to coach up Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Bogut does not come around often. If the Warriors offered Freddy the job in Oakland, he would become the first Iowa State coach to coach Harrison Barnes, which would feel like a Bruce Lee kick to the scrotum.
Los Angeles wants a sexy pick for a head coach, which is why the rumors of John Calipari or Kevin Ollie landing the Lakers job are so thick. Anybody other than Byron Scott, George Karl, or Larry Brown would be an odd choice for the Lakers, but there were reports of the team having a candidate pool over 60 names deep. You have to imagine Fred Hoiberg is among the names on the list, which means nothing. Fred would be a fool not to pick up that phone call, and flirt with Mitch Kupchak, which I’m sure he will if it happens.
Much like the Lakers job, if a 13-time NBA Champion (player and coach) in Phil Jackson calls you and wants to see what’s up, you have to holler at him. Likelihood, we see the Mayor of Midtown: I’ll say 100-to-1, which is on par with most of these gigs.
T-Wolves
If Hoiberg was to go back to Minnesota, he could have two seasons with Kevin Love until he’s a Free Agent. Other than Love and Ricky Rubio, there isn’t much of a draw for Freddy, other than him going back to an organization he feels comfortable working with.
Tom Thibodeau is the current head coach of the Bulls, but the Warriors and Lakers are both interested in his services. Similar to the T-Wolves, it’s a place Hoiberg is familiar with, spending four seasons in Chicago, it’s in the Midwest, but even scarier, the Bulls have a great fan base, and would love to have Fred as a coach.
Even with all this out there, I’m still going to be sitting like a patient with severe hemorrhoids until all the vacancies are filled, just as every other Cyclone fan should be.