The Iowa State Connection. It never goes away, Bulls fans. It dates back to current GM Gar Forman’s working relationship with ex-Bulls coach Tim Floyd for the Cyclones from 1994-98. Both men made the jump to the NBA in ’98; Floyd as the post-dynasty head coach in Chicago and Forman as one of the team’s scouts. Ever since, there seems to be this lingering connection between Bulls and Cyclones.
There was the drafting of Ames, Iowa product Doug McDermott, whose father Greg happened to be Iowa State’s head coach from 2006-10. Then Forman chased away Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with his hand-picked choice: Fred Hoiberg, aka “The Mayor”, who succeeded Greg McDermott and brought Cyclones basketball back to relevance. Now, we’re hearing Gar and his scouts already have their eyes on former Hoiberg pupil Monte Morris, who’s expected to enter the NBA draft this summer. But McDermott Jr lasted just 2.5 seasons with the Bulls before he and Taj Gibson were traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder last week.
Payne & Ames
Forman and his PIC, VP John Paxson, expressed great optimism about young point guard Cameron Payne after making the trade. The absences of McDermott and Gibson opened up minutes for young Bulls like Denzel Valentine and Bobby Portis, but getting Payne was the biggest motivating factor. Paxson said they wanted Payne in the 2015 draft, but he didn’t fall far enough for them to take him. How did they take such a specific interest in Payne, a fairly under-hyped kid from a mid-major school?
Surprise! It’s the Iowa State Connection!
All credit due to BlogABull.com for finding this gem:
Welp, found the smoking gun as to why the Bulls like Cameron Payne so much. https://t.co/TK8r7vjZxu pic.twitter.com/WD735JE81v
— BullsBlogger (@BullsBlogger) February 28, 2017
In case you have bad eyes, here’s the gist:
William Small is currently an assistant coach for the Iowa State Cyclones Men’s Basketball team. From 2010-11, Small worked as an assistant coach at UTEP under, guess who? Tim Floyd, the very same ex-Bulls/ex-Cyclones coach. Small then served as an assistant coach at Murray State from 2011-15 under Steve Prohm. During that time, Small is credited with being the school’s lead recruiter for…guess who? New Bulls point guard Cameron Payne.
When Prohm took the Iowa State job in the wake of Fred Hoiberg’s departure, he brought Small with him to continue working as one of his assistants.
What are the odds that Forman and Hoiberg talked to their Iowa State buddies Prohm and Small about Payne before making that trade? I’m going with 100%.
The Iowa State Connection is the gift (or curse) that keeps on giving for the Bulls. Only time will tell if this latest connection turns into a good one. Thus far, it’s fair to say Bulls fans have been largely disappointed with the others. It’s not like we’ll be seeing a Floyd, Forman, McDermott or Hoiberg statue outside the United Center any time soon.
