Two words kept coming up as Fred Hoiberg was introduced on Tuesday as the next coach of the Chicago Bulls - relationship and championship.
If the newly-minted marriage between the former Iowa State coach and the team he once played for will work, those words can't be mutually exclusive.
Hoiberg reiterated that championship theme throughout his first press conference as the team's head coach.
"This team is ready to compete for a championship," he said.
The team definitely has the talent to compete, as Hoiberg pointed out while running through the roster. He says his system will be great for Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler.
"Jimmy's an attack guy," Hoiberg said. "If you can get him the ball on the run, on the move, and attacking the basket with pace, I think it's an ideal system for him."
But it will take more than just talent and being competitive for Hoiberg to succeed in Chicago. Just ask his predecessor, the recently dismissed Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau led Chicago to the play-offs in each of his five seasons, going 394-255 and getting them out of the first round three times in that span. But his hot-and-cold relationship with the front office and players ultimately led to his undoing.
That doesn't seem lost on Hoiberg.
"You have to have synergy with the coaching staff and the front office," he said.
Bulls GM Gar Forman says his team doesn't expect to reinvent the wheel with Hoiberg. They just plan on letting him do what he thinks is best.
"He's going to make final decisions as far as coaching is concerned," Forman said. "We have a lot of confidence in the job he's going to do."
The question is how long that will last.