Vinny Del Negro
Chicago Bulls Fire Head Coach Vinny Del Negro
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls fired head coach Vinny Del Negro on Monday night – it was a move long-expected (even as early as mid-December when the Bulls got off to another slow start).
GM Gar Forman and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson announced the move at a Tuesday morning press conference at the Barto Center in Deerfield.
Del Negro finished each of his 2 seasons as Bulls head coach with a 41-41 record. He took the Boston Celtics to 7-games in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs, but this season, the Bulls only won 1 game in the 1st round against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had 1-year left on his contract.
Some of the news conference centered around John Paxson’s actions against Del Negro following a March 30th loss to the Phoenix Suns at the United Center. Supposedly Paxson attacked Del Negro for not obeying the club’s orders to limit Joakim Noah’s minutes because of a painful, lingering foot injury. While Paxson would not go into details about the altercation, he said he wasn’t proud of his actions — “I’m not at all proud of how I handled the situation. I felt that at the time, I was representing and standing up for a policy that we had put in place. I felt that way, but I was wrong in how I handled it.” While it’s great that he apologized to Del Negro, it still leaves a lot to be desired and even begs the question as to whether Paxson should still be in the organization.
Right from the start, the Del Negro era had a bad feel to it.
It is an important time for the Bulls organization. Derrick Rose is a superstar in the making, and Joakim Noah is emerging as a star in his own right. Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson provide a good supporting cast, but if the Bulls can add one of the big free agents on the market this summer — Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, David Lee — then they would instantly become one of the favorite teams in the weak Eastern Conference. Landing the big name free agent and finding the right head coach to take them to the next level will be keys to the future success of the franchise. Forman and Paxson will look great if they make the right moves over the next few months. If not, each could be looking for a job by 2011…
Bulls Ignore Turmoil, Beat Bobcats to Clinch 8th Seed in East
Thursday, April 15th, 2010 | Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, New York Knicks, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Bobcats 98-89 in Charlotte on Wednesday night to clinch the 8th seed in the East. The Bulls needed to win in order to qualify for the post-season because the Toronto Raptors crushed the New York Knicks at home to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Derrick Rose led the way again – 27 points and 5 assists. While Joakim Noah turned in another double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Taj Gibson, Luol Deng and Brad Miller also each scored 11 points in the win.
Kudos to the team for ignoring the turmoil between their head coach Vinny Del Negro and the club’s VP of basketball operations John Paxson. At the end of the day, it comes down to winning and that’s just what the team did in a must0win game.
Now the Bulls have the unenviable task of taking on the best team in the NBA – the Cleveland Cavaliers – led by Lebron James. Should be a fun series with a lot of chippy play from a young, scrappy Bulls squad…
Bulls 101-93 Win Over Celtics Overshadowed by Paxson-Del Negro Melee
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, New York Knicks, Sports | 1 Comment
The Chicago Bulls kept their playoffs hopes alive with a big 101-93 win over the Boston Celtics at the United Center on Tuesday night. But most people weren’t talking about the win after the game – they were talking about the “alleged” rumble between Head Coach Vinny Del Negro and Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson (the former club GM who hired Del Negro to a 3-year deal 2 years ago). Supposedly Paxson and team management have been dismayed with Del Negro’s use of Joakim Noah down the stretch. The team has placed a “minutes-limit” on Noah to avoid further damage to his injured foot. Supposedly Paxson confronted Del Negro after the March 30th game against the Phoenix Suns in which Del Negro played Noah “too many” minutes. Allegedly, Paxson grabbed Del Negro’s tie and tried to provoke him with 2 jabs to the chest. Del Negro did not retaliate at all and assistance coach Bernie Bickerstaff had to step in to pull Paxson away. Del Negro has said that he will not comment on the confrontation and Paxson has not been able to be reached for comment. More craziness as the Bulls continue to fight for a playoff spot
Back to the game — the Bulls didn’t let a deficit heading into the 4th quarter get them down. Instead, the Bulls grabbed “themselves by the horn” as they outscored the Celtics 34-35 in the final period to win easily. Derrick Rose put forth a career night to lead his team to victory – 39 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Joakim Noah turned in another amazing performance – 9 points and 16 rebounds – and he logged the most minutes (46) since returning from his foot injury. Kirk Hinrich knocked in 30 points – a season high for the veteran guard, while Luol Deng chipped in 7 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
The win kept the Bulls a full game ahead of the Toronto Raptors for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. If the Bulls defeat the Bobcats in Charlotte tonight, they’re in. If the Bulls lose, but the Raptors lose to the Knicks at home, then they’re also in. A Bulls loss, coupled with a Raptors win catapults Toronto into the playoffs to face the Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Stay tuned Bulls fans — it should be a fun night indeed…
Chicago Bulls Slide Continues – Hello Lottery Pick!
Saturday, March 13th, 2010 | Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, NBA, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls free-fall continued with their 7th loss in a row – to the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night. Playing short-handed with injuries to 3 stars – Derrick Rose, Loul Deng and Joakim Noah – Vinny Del Negro’s Bulls are clearly overmatched. Once a lock for the playoffs for the 2nd season in a row, the Bulls now found themselves on the outside looking in. The Bulls trail the Toronto Raptors by 2 games for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Can you say lottery pick?
In last night’s loss, the Bulls were forced to start 2 rookies – Taj Gibson and James Johnson, 2 older veterans – Brad Miller and Jannero Pargo and better-suited 6th man Kirk Hinrich. Ouch.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Bulls over the next week. They have road games against the Grizzlies in Memphis and the Mavericks in Dallas and then return home to face the Cavaliers on Friday night at the United Center. Can you say 10-game losing streak?
This would not be good for often-criticized Del Negro, but it could mean a good lottery pick for the team as well as a good chance to land a big free agent this summer. If not, it could be another long stretch of bad Bulls teams for the foreseeable future.
Rose Hurt, Bulls Lose in Home Blowout to Magic 107-87
Thursday, February 11th, 2010 | Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Sports | 1 Comment
Not a good night for Bulls fans, as Derrick Rose was injured at the start of the Bulls 107-87 blowout loss to the Orlando Magic at the United Center. Just over 2 minutes into the game, Rose was fouled hard by Magic star Dwight Howard. Rose landed awkwardly on his right hip. Rose made the basket and then the free throw, but the Bulls took him out of the game after that for precautionary reasons. Rose went to a hospital after the game to have an MRI done on the injure right hip and results will be forthcoming. Head Coach Vinny Del Negro had this to say about the hard foul and Rose’s status – “I don’t think there was anything intended there at all, just try to block a shot… Let’s see what the MRI says. Let’s see how much discomfort, how stiff he is tomorrow. Usually, those things tend to loosen up rapidly, and luckily, we do have the All-Star Break. I just hope he’s all right to participate because he deserves it and I want him to enjoy himself.”
After that play, the rest was history for the Bulls. The Magic outscored the Bulls 41-17 in the 1st quarter. Ouch! The Bulls outscored the Magic in the 2nd and 4th quarters, but it wasn’t enough. The Bulls fell back under .500 at 25-26 and they are tied with the Miami Heat for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks are just 1 game behind the Bulls and Heat, so it is going to be a dog-fight the rest of the way for the Bulls. They will need to get back a healthy Rose and Joakim Noah after the break if they expect to make a real post-season run during the next 2 months…
Chicago Bulls Back @ United Center to take on L.A. Clippers
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 | Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls are happy to be back at the United Center despite their recent road success. The bulls finished up their 7-game road trip with an amazing 5-game winning streak over 5 Western Conference teams with winning records. Not sure if the Bulls have ever done that before, but it is shocking to think that Head Coach Vinny Del Negro was able to orchestrate that feat. The Bulls got a little lucky on Friday night against the Hornets in New Orleans, as David West threw an errant pass to Chris Paul with less than 10 seconds to play that gave the Bulls another shot at tying the game to force overtime. After Derrick Rose’s shot was partially deflected, Luol Deng knocked home a “putback” with just 0.2 left on the clock, and the Bulls took care of business in overtime. Deng led the Bulls with 26 points; Rose chipped in 18 of his own; Joakim Noah scored 13 points and grabbed 18 boards, while rookie Taj Gibson scored 8 points with 8 rebounds to boot. Del Negro continues to get a balanced attack out of all of his players each and every night.
Deng summed up the Bulls renewed sense of urgency and confidence best: “When you’re winning, everything is positive. We’re going into games expecting to win. A game like that, if we had lost four in a row, we might have lost it. But the mentality right now is we can win every game.”
The Bulls are back home for a game against the Clippers on Tuesday night at the United Center. They go back on the road for quick trips to Philadelphia and Atlanta after that, but then return home for a big game against the Miami Heat on Saturday night. Four games in 5 days is never easy, especially with travel mixed in there, but if the Bulls can go 2-2, that will keep them over .500 as the All-Star break approaches. I’m not quite sure how Del Negro is doing it, but he appears to have his team focused and ready to take their play to the next level. Let’s just hope they can keep it going for the final 2+ months of the season!
Bulls Continue to Frustrate Fans with Erratic Play
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 | Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls are on a 3-game road winning streak, but they are still making life miserable for their fans in Chicago. The Bulls embarked on a 7-game road trip last week with an 18-20 record. They started off the trip with “winnable” games against the Warriors in Golden State and the Clippers in Los Angeles. The team knew that they needed to get a win or 2 right away because the back end of the trip was much more difficult with games against 5 teams with winning records.
So – after dropping the 1st 2 games against the Warriors and Clippers with lackluster performances, it looked like the Bulls might go winless on the trip. But then the improbable happened – the Bulls defeated the Suns in Phoenix, the Rockets in Houston and the Spurs in San Antonio. If the Bulls can win one more game on the road trip, they will match the total number of wins that the Bulls had on the road in the first 3 1/2 months of the NBA season – 4. Pretty incredible.
Now that they have Bulls fans believing again, I’m sure they’ll find a way to crap the bed against the Thunder in Oklahoma City and the Hornets in New Orleans to finish the road trip a “successful” 3-4.
The recent keys to success have been the dominating play of Derrick Rose and the consistent play of Luol Deng. In the last game before the road trip, Rose scored 37 points to lead the Bulls to a double-overtime win against the lowly Wizards. Since then, Rose has scored 19, 23, 32, 20 and 27 points respectively, and his average is now up to 19.6 points per game. Throw in a 5.9 assist average and a 3.7 rebound average, and you can see that Rose is getting better with each game. Rose has also limited himself to just a 2.6 turnover average on the current road trip, an excellent stat for a 2nd year player still learning the NBA game.
Luol Deng is the picture of consistency for the Bulls during the 2009-2010 NBA season. Deng is averaging 17.5 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game. Since a November 19th loss at the Lakers in which Deng scored just 6 points, he has scored in double-digits in every game save for 3. Deng too has been limiting his turnovers and his renewed energy around the boards has Bulls fans salivating.
A final piece to the puzzle has been the consistent play of Joakim Noah. Noah is averaging 12.1 rebounds per game – a fabulous stat in and of itself. But the more telling stats are his minutes – 33:06 per game – and his scoring – 11.3 points per game. Noah has fouled out of only 1 game all season long so he is contributing crunch time and giving his coaches the ability to use him during all parts of the game.
With these 3 players proving their worth over the long NBA season so far, if I were one of the big free agents looking to make a move following the 2010 season, I would seriously consider the Bulls. Especially for a Chris Bosh or Amar’e Stoudemire, being able to play next to Noah on a nightly basis would elevate each player’s games to no limit. As long as President John Paxson and GM Gar Forman can get rid of Vinny Del Negro before the end of the season (or shortly thereafter) so that a free agent player will know that he has a legitimate NBA coach leading the way, I would think that the Bulls should be able to land one of the big free agents in the class of 2010…
Bulls Top Pacers 104-95; 7th Seed in East?!
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 | Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, NBA, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers 104-95 at the United Center on Tuesday night. With the win, the Bulls are now 12-17 – good for the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. What a joke?!
For now, it looks like Vinny Del Negro’s job is safe. Derrick Rose led the Bulls with a dominating performance – 28 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds (he did have 6 turnovers however). Luol Deng continues to be a consistent presence for the Bulls – 15 points and 8 rebounds. “Bench” players also were the key to success in the win: Tyrus Thomas grabbed 15 boards and was clearly missed by the Bulls as he recovered from a broken arm injury. John Salmons poured in 17 points while Brad Miller chipped in 16.
The Bulls close out 2009 with a trip to Detroit to play the Pistons on New Year’s Eve. The Pistons have lost 8 straight games, so the Bulls are hoping they can make that 9 in a row…
Vinny Must Go – Part Deux
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 | Chicago Bulls, NBA, Sacramento Kings, Sports | 1 Comment
Vinny Del Negro – Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls – must go! And he must go now. The Bulls hit an all-time low on Monday night at the United Center – blowing a 35-point lead (79-44) to the Sacramento Kings on their own home court with just under 9 minutes left to play in the 3rd quarter. The Bulls went on to lose in 102-98 in regulation. How does that even happen?
According to Del Negro: “This one stings. We stooped being aggressive, got a little complacent there and they jumped on it. We’re not good enough to take a minute off, never mind a half.” Guess what Vinny – you’re going to have a LOT of time off very, very soon.
It was the biggest comeback for a win in the NBA since the Utah Jazz overcame a 36-point deficit on November 27, 1996 to rally to beat the Denver Nuggets.
Throw in these other Bulls’ losses in the month of December alone, and you can see why Vinny’s days are numbered: a 32-point loss to the Toronto Raptors at home; a 2 point loss to the 1-win New Jersey Nets at home; a 35-point road loss to the Atlanta Hawks; a 26-point home loss to the Boston Celtics. Ouch.
If the Bulls lose to the Knicks in New York tonight, the Bulls could – and SHOULD – have a new coach before Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets at the United Center.
Chicago Bulls Must Fire Head Coach Vinny Del Negro Now
Friday, December 11th, 2009 | Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trailblazers, Sports, Utah Jazz | 1 Comment
The time is now – Vinny Del Negro – head coach of the hapless Chicago Bulls – must go. Do you hear me Gar Forman (General Manager) and John Paxson (Bulls President)?
The Del Negro experiment has failed. Paxson (and Forman to a lesser extent) must acknowledge the mistake and correct the wrong before the team continues to fall further into the abyss. The Eastern Conference is atrocious, so even a mediocre team like the Bulls should be able to qualify for post-season play each year. Derrick Rose (16.1 points and 5.7 assists) is a star in the making; Joakim Noah hustles like no other player in the NBA and his numbers prove it (10.2 points and 11.6 rebounds); Luol Deng (17.3 points and 8.1 rebounds) still has NBA star potential and is only 25 years old (like Noah); rookie Taj Gibson (8.2 points and 5.7 rebounds) has shown signs of being ready to develop into a quality NBA player; and the Bulls have plenty of cap space available to land a big free agent from the free agent class of 2010. My biggest fears could be realized if the Bulls don’t make a coaching move right now. If you don’t fire Del Negro now, current players might regress, get frustrated or not give 100% night in and night out. Even worse, free agents may look at the team as a team in disarray and fail to consider a bid from the Bulls because of the circumstances. If the club does not land one of the big 2010 free agents, it could be several more years before the team becomes a force to be reckoned with in the weak Eastern Conference.
The time is now to bring in an experienced head coach who could also help pitch one of the big free agents to want to come to Chicago. Vinny is a nice guy, but he never coached at any level in the NBA before Paxson hired him prior to the 2008-9 NBA season. After the Bulls botched the hiring of Mike D’Antoni (who went to the New York Knicks) and Doug Collins, the Bulls settled on Del Negro – the guy his own team – the Phoenix Suns – turned down to be their head coach. His game management is bad. His offensive creativity is even worse. He might be a good head coach some day, but you can’t risk wasting the development of the likes of Deng, Rose, Gibson, Noah, etc. waiting for Del Negro to learn how to coach.
Now granted, somehow, Del Negro got the Bulls to finish the 2008-9 NBA season as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls even took the Boston Celtics (without Kevin Garnett and Leonard Powe) to 7 games in the 1st round of the playoffs. That being said, the team has taken a major step back in 2009-2010, and you can’t simply blame that on the fact that Ben Gordon left to sign a lucrative free agent contract with the Detroit Pistons. Del Negro has not instilled that killer attitude they displayed against the Celtics in the playoffs last year and the team has been in a tailspin ever since the annual Circus Road Trip. The Bulls have dropped 9 of 10 games after winning the 1st game of the trip in Sacramento. The team now sits at 7-13 – only 1.5 games out of the 8th seed in the playoffs, but moving in the wrong direction. I don’t mind the losses to the Lakers, Nuggets, Trailblazers and Jazz to finish up the west coast portion of the road trip – a lot of teams would have lost those 4 games. But to lose at Milwaukee and then follow that up with lackluster performances in December – there is no excuse. It’s unacceptable to lose to the Toronto Raptors by 32 points at home. It’s unacceptable to lose to the 1-19 New Jersey Nets on your home court. It’s even unacceptable to lose to the Atlanta Hawks by 35 points on the road. The Del Negro ship has sailed and now it’s time for Forman and Paxson to give him one final push off the dock…
Del Negro had this to say about his job security: “I don’t worry about that. I really don’t. I go to work every day, doing the best and trying to develop these guys. Those are questions for Gar, John and Jerry Reinsdorf… We’re fighting with what we have. We’ll keep on fighting. And these decisions aren’t up to me.” Guess what Vinny – you should be worried. Your days are numbered and hopefully we’ll see a different team after you leave…
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