Hoiberg speaks up for himself
Denies that Butler, Wade have undue influence on staff
The hesitation said it all. During his meeting Friday with the media, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg was reminded of his success at Iowa State, then asked if his current gig was worth all the headaches.
His reply began with a laugh, then a long, drawn- out “um.’’
“It’s a tough job; all 30 of us that are in this position have tough jobs,’’ Hoiberg said. “There’s a lot of pressure. It’s high- stress. It’s tough on our families. It’s all those things. At the same time, being in this league, you know what you’re getting into. I was in the NBA for 15 years — 10 as a player and five in the front office. My dream was to get back in and coach.
“You’re in these situations, these things come up over the course of the year with pretty much every team, with maybe the exception of a few. You deal with it the best you can and try to move forward. We did that. Hopefully, we learn from it and become a better basketball team.’’
A lot of the focus was on Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo as they spoke to the media about their recent remarks, but almost lost in the discussion was how poorly the whole episode reflected on Hoiberg.
After the lossWednesday to the Hawks, Wade and Butler used the media to rip teammates for their work ethic, heart, shot selection and indifference.
Rondo retaliated on his Instagram account Thursday: “My vets [ with the Celtics] didn’t have an influence on the coaching staff. They couldn’t change the plan because it didn’t work for them. I played under one of the greatest coaches, and he held everyone accountable.’’
So Rondo accusedWade and Butler of influencing Hoiberg and changing his game plans when they didn’t suit them and intimated that Hoiberg wasn’t holding everyone accountable like Doc Rivers did in his Boston days.
Butler was asked about the influence he has on Hoiberg and didn’t exactly deny it.
“Maybe,’’ Butler said. “If I have a concern, I go to them.
‘‘ That don’t mean [ Hoiberg] listens to me all the time, but I would hope that he takes my opinion into mind.’’
Hoiberg denied that Wade and Butler have a big influence over the staff. He admitted that accountability remains an issue.
“[ Accountability is] something that we talked a lot about,’’ Hoiberg said. “It’s something that we’re going to continue to address, continue to get better in all areas. It starts with me. I got to get us prepared to play. I got to get us prepared to play consistent basketball, then try to put together a plan to win games and be consistent in all areas.’’
Players weren’t about to dispute that appraisal.
“We’re getting better at [ accountability],’’ Butler said. “I think that’s what everything’s about, getting better at what you’re not the best at every day. We’re learning. Even though it’s 47 games in, we’re still learning. We gotta be better in a lot of ways. That could be one.’’