To get a sense of just how in demand Fred Hoiberg is at the NBA level, think about it like this: Mark Jackson is coming off of a 51-win season as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, making it to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. They took the L.A. Clippers to seven games as a No. 6 seed before bowing out in the first round. And Jackson also just so happens to be loved by his organization’s superstar Steph Curry.
Oh, and most importantly, he is still employed by the Warriors.
Which is what makes it surprising that Tim Kawakami, a columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, penned something like this:It could be about Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg—is Warriors management’s theoretical top choice willing to talk about coming to the Warriors?
Tell Lacob and general manager Bob Myers that Hoiberg or broadcaster Steve Kerr are live, interested options… and that might make Jackson’s departure a fait accompli.
Hoiberg is the favorite to get a job that hasn’t even been vacated by a man that has led a team to back-to-back Playoff appearances and is very well-liked by the face of the Warrior organization.
Must be nice to be wanted.
And for Iowa State fans, they might as well just get used to this. Given Hoiberg’s history with the NBA, the belief that he wants to be back at that level and the success that he has had with the Cyclones, this speculation isn’t going away anytime soon.
Here’s the part that might actually be scary: I’m not sure there is a more perfect fit for Hoiberg than in Golden State. Hoiberg’s had success because his teams get up and down the floor, spread the court, hit threes and capitalize on mismatches. He would have a lot of success with a roster like Golden State’s.