After five years of following directions from Tom Thibodeau, how will this veteran Chicago Bulls group respond to new coach Fred Hoiberg? It will be one of the biggest questions hovering over the organization all season. If the first few days of training camp are any indication, it appears the players have adjusted well to the new regime. It's also evident from some of the players' responses that they're enjoying the new freedom Hoiberg and his staff have engendered. "Obviously last year didn't go the way I wanted it to, but it's in the past," second-year small forward Doug McDermott said. "We got Coach Hoiberg and his staff who we all really love, and it's just been really fun every day, which is a huge difference." Read more http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago-bulls/post/_/id/22327/players-warming-up-quickly-to-fred-hoiberg
Hoiberg's "New School" and played in the league. The players can't say that Hoiberg doesn't know what they're going through 'cause he does. Of course, none of this matters if they don't win.
I'm not crazy about these types of statements from Doug McDermott. It seems to me like he's trying to blame Thibs for the fact that he was terrible last year. I thought Thibs played him in a variety of roles in the offense, and I didn't really see much from that dude after Summer League. McDermott might still turn it around this season, but last year can't be dismissed as Thibs' fault.
I think the most surprising aspect of Doug's tenure in the NBA is how mentally weak he's turned out to be. He was supposed to be this super-gritty 23 year old vet but he's been anything but. It makes me worry he won't be able to get over not being the big man on campus until it's too late for him in his career.
He's stated numerous times that he found the transition to the NBA difficult and that it was very different from life at Creighton and it was difficult for him to adjust. I'll find more direct quotes for you when I have the time.
