After the Chicago Bulls’ loss in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern semifinals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, chatter intensified tenfold to whether ISU men’s basketball head coach Fred Hoiberg will stay at his alma mater or head to the NBA.

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau hasn’t lost his job, but speculation is running rampant that the his time in Chicago will soon be coming to an end.

While there has been no shortage of speculation, no solid evidence has emerged among the rumors.

It didn’t help when ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard addressed the rumors last week by saying, “[Hoiberg] has always said from day one that his lifelong goal has been to coach in the NBA. It’s for him to decide when that part of his life he wants to activate.”

When asked if he wished that Hoiberg would be his coach on Aug. 1, Pollard said, “I hope so.”

So amid all the acrobatic assumptions that have assailed Iowa State Cyclone fans for the last week, I’d like to lay out the opposing cases for both sides of the argument:

Case for Hoiberg leaving:

– Hoiberg owns a history with the Bulls, which is the leading candidate if you believe squawkers. He played four seasons in Chicago and has connections with General Manager Gar Forman, who was an assistant when Hoiberg played with the Cyclones. 

– The Bulls’ roster has some exceptional talent. Derrick Rose, who has dealt with more than his share of injuries in the past few years, is still one of the best point guards in the game.

Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic, who earned NBA all-rookie honors, are two of the rising stars the team can build around in the future. While Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol are two of the better forwards in the NBA.

– Hoiberg currently earns $2.5 million a year and is signed through the 2023 season. If he leaves for the NBA, his salary will most likely reach $4 to $5 million a year.

– Hoiberg will have no problem finding job offers if he decides to leave. It is the general consensus among insider reporters at the NBA level that Hoiberg is a wanted man in the league. It has been reported that he turned down NBA jobs earlier in his career at Iowa State. 

NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski with Yahoo! Sports said in an interview with CBS Radio that the Chicago job is Hoiberg’s if he wants it.

“There’s not going to be any competition for him,” Wojnarowski said. “But that doesn’t guarantee that he’s going to do it. I know he’s already had to give it thought because it’s real.”

Case for Hoiberg staying:

– Two of his best recruits, Naz Long and Georges Niang, are entering their senior seasons and are undoubtedly ready to go for another run at the NCAA title. 

– The Cyclones also will return one of the best rosters in Hoiberg’s tenure at Iowa State. He will have four starters returning in Niang, Monté Morris, Jameel McKay and Long. Those four, along with graduating senior Dustin Hogue, beat Kansas for the Big 12 Championship, which solidified the team’s stature as one of the elite teams in the nation. With this level of talent, the team has a legitimate chance to compete for the national title.

– Hoiberg is still recovering from the open-heart surgery he went through a little more than a month ago. Questions have been raised whether he can withstand the stresses of managing an NBA team, especially only six months after major surgery. 

– Hoiberg and his wife still have three school-aged children, Jack and twins Sam and Charlie. With their daughter Paige just graduating and moving off to her first year of college, it would be a huge move for the family, especially since his family includes both sets of grandparents.

– Hoiberg is The Mayor, a hometown hero whom Ames and Iowa State adores.

Five reasons for him to stay and only four reasons for him to leave. I predict the Mayor will stay at least one more year at Iowa State to enjoy his three-peat in the Big 12 tournament and just maybe a shot at the national title.