After all the comparisons of Fred Hoiberg to Steve Kerr have been made, Steve Kerr finally says he sees a lot of similarities between himself and Fred Hoiberg as well.
“He’s the one who has coached a lot longer than I have. I know he’s a first-year NBA coach. But he’s been coaching at a high level for a long time. So he’s probably more equipped than I was.” – Steve Kerr on Fred Hoiberg
Both Hoiberg and Kerr not only run a similar offensive system, but both coaches also have a background in the front office in the NBA. However, Hoiberg has five years of experience of coaching at a college level. The similarities between the two do not end there, they both walked into almost identical situations going into their first year as a head coach. Except Kerr was able to win a championship in his first season which set the bar unfairly high for Hoiberg.
“I have a lot of admiration for him. I like the way (Iowa State) played. They were wide open. He’s an offensive-minded guy. You can see that. I like his demeanor. You can see he gets along well with his players. I think he’s going to be great.” – Steve Kerr on Fred Hoiberg
There were a lot of doubters when the Bulls hired Hoiberg, some go as far as to say he’s the puppet for the Bulls’ front office. However, coaches around the league have acknowledge Hoiberg’s coaching approach and see him having a successful career; and not just another Tim Floyd disaster experiment.
“That’s what coaching is about — relationships. t’s not about drawing up a play, although that’s part of it. The vast majority of it is your relationships with players and the other staff members. Those are so critical.” – Steve Kerr
The biggest change between Thibodeau era and Hoiberg era will be the mindset and philosophy. Hoiberg will not be drawing up a lot of plays, it’s more of a philosophy of how to create open shots with as many options as possible. It will be a culture shock for the Bulls fans to get used to, but Hoiberg has already gotten the blessing from many coaches around the league; and you can add Steve Kerr the champion to that list.
