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Bulls, Fred Hoiberg working toward agreement to make him coach

Jeff Zillgitt
USA TODAY Sports
Fred Hoiberg is expected to be named the coach of the Chicago Bulls this week.

The Chicago Bulls have interest in Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, and the feeling is mutual, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the Bulls' coaching search.

What remains is that both sides need to come to an agreement on the terms of the contract, and that's expected to happen – as soon as this week – barring a complete and unexpected breakdown in negotiations.

The Bulls have long had their eyes on Hoiberg, who played for the Bulls from 1999-2003 and is close with Bulls general manager Gar Forman.

Forman was an Iowa State assistant when Hoiberg played there, and he bought Hoiberg's Chicago area home a few years ago. It's no secret the Bulls planned to pursue Hoiberg once they dismissed Tom Thibodeau. The Bulls fired Thibodeau on Thursday.

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Forman said the Bulls were looking for a coach "who's a leader, who's got great communication skills, who's got excellent knowledge of the game of basketball, someone that's an open and creative learner."

Hoiberg is one of the few college coaches whose name has regularly popped up in relation to NBA jobs, along with Connecticutt's Kevin Ollie and former Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan, who recently was named head coach the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Hoiberg knows the NBA game and many consider him to have the demeanor – communicative, demanding but not overbearing – to make the transition from coaching college players to NBA players.

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