SBNation.com - How Bad Can It Get? The Saga Of Vinny Del Negro And The Bullshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46737/sbn-fave.png2009-12-29T01:04:47-05:00http://www.sbnation.com/rss/stream/9860032009-12-29T01:04:47-05:002009-12-29T01:04:47-05:00Blog-A-Bull: Only The Bulls Fire Their Coach Without Firing Him
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<p>Bulls blog Blog-A-Bull is watching the unfolding situation surrounding coach Vinny Del Negro and his is-he-or-is-he-not-fired drama. Unfortunately, <a href="http://www.blogabull.com/2009/12/28/1222964/who-fires-their-coach-without" target="new">these kind of antics are par for the course when it comes to the Bulls.<br>
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<p>Someone needs to step in front of a microphone and either say Vinny is fired now, or that he is coaching the rest of the year. You don’t even have to stick to the latter, just say it now and if things get worse then say ‘well, we lied’ before firing him. It’s not like Gar “re-signing Gordon is our top priority” Forman hasn’t lied to us before.</p>
<p>But saying nothing can’t be good for Vinny or the team, no matter what they’re telling eachother behind closed doors. And while I see the reasoning behind not blowing this too far out of proportion, since what we (via the media) know about the decision-making in the Bulls front office doesn’t matter as long as much as what they know…the last time there was such rumored mismanagement and confusion regarding them was when they hired Vinny Del Negro. So maybe they shouldn’t get the benefit of the doubt.</p>
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https://www.sbnation.com/2009/12/29/1223401/blog-a-bull-only-the-bulls-fireSean Keeley2009-12-28T16:43:37-05:002009-12-28T16:43:37-05:00Del Negro Reacts To Job Rumors: 'It's Just Funny To Me'
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<p>You know, it takes a pretty heroic amount of audacity to ignore a public report that says you're in the process of firing a coach, and then leave that coach to answer the media, himself. Yes, it takes a heroic audacity. Or tragic levels of cowardice. One or the other, I guess.</p>
<p>In any case, after ESPN reported that the Bulls management has decided to fire Vinny Del Negro--and reached out to Doug Collins, among possible replacements--the only man left to answer the media was poor Del Negro, himself. From the <a target="_blank" href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/bulls/2009/12/del_negro_reacts_to_report_but.html">Chicago Sun-Times</a>:</p>
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<p>"It's just funny to me," Del Negro said following practice Monday. "There's really nothing to say. You have all these people that have rumors and everyone has their sources. It's just not accurate. I don't have time to deal with rumors. I talk to Gar and Pax every day; they're at practice every day."</p>
<p>"You have to deal with those things," Del Negro said. "It's unfortunate, but everyone has their source, but no one's source so far has been very accurate. My focus is getting the team ready for tomorrow against Indiana. We had a good practice today and I was pleased with the effort and energy."</p>
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<p>Now, don't get me wrong--Del Negro is still quite the disaster as a coach. That he refuses to acknowledge that some of these rumors may be true speaks to either phenomenal naivete on his part, or a serious chutzpah deficiency. Probably a little bit of both.</p>
<p>But that's beside the point. It shouldn't be Del Negro's responsibility alone to comment on these rumors. If the Bulls management is going to keep him, then they should be out front, defending him. If they're going to fire him, then they need to go ahead and do It. Letting him twist in the wind like this, straining to retain some semblance of dignity, operating without all the facts... That's just classless. Again, the Bulls are one of the finest franchises in sports, with a group of fans as good as any in the league. They deserve better than the regime that's running things right now.</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/2009/12/28/1222710/del-negro-fired-bulls-coachAndrew Sharp2009-12-28T10:40:06-05:002009-12-28T10:40:06-05:00How Bad Can It Get? The Saga Of Vinny Del Negro And The Chicago Bulls
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<p>This morning, <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=4774723">reports surfaced</a> that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/CHI">Chicago Bulls</a> have decided to part ways with <span>Vinny Del Negro</span>. Eventually.</p>
<p>Well, duh. In case you haven't been paying attention for the past 18 months, Vinny Del Negro is on thin, thin ice in Chicago. Not only has the team regressed since last season's surprising bunch pushed the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/BOS">Celtics</a> to a thrilling seven game series, but even then, Vinny was looked upon as the weak link in Chicago. His departure's not a matter of if, but when.</p>
<p>The report from <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=4774723">ESPN's Chris Broussard</a> merely confirms what we've known all along:</p>
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<p>The decision to fire head coach Vinny Del Negro has already been made, according to sources with knowledge of the Chicago Bulls' thinking. The fact that the Bulls' front office has not been able to settle on a replacement is the main thing keeping the embattled Del Negro employed, the sources said.</p>
<p>The Bulls would prefer not to promote an assistant coach, either <span>Bernie Bickerstaff</span> or <span>Pete Myers</span>, to interim status, but if they can't settle on a permanent replacement for Del Negro, they may have to go that route.</p>
<p>A strong run by the Bulls, who beat New Orleans Saturday night after the return of <span>Tyrus Thomas</span> from a broken arm, could delay Del Negro's eventual firing, but <b>there is practically no chance he would coach the team beyond this season</b>.</p>
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<p>Of course there's no chance he'll coach beyond this year. Do you know how insanely apathetic management would be if they were to keep Del Negro for a third season? Insanely apathetic, or just plain insane.</p>
<p>He's been woefully overmatched from day one, and rather than improving, he might just be getting worse. The Bulls <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2009/12/21/1212088/sacramento-kings-bulls-35-point-deficit">blew a 35-point lead </a>last week. SB Nation's Bulls blog's tagline? "<a target="_blank" href="http://www.blogabull.com/2009/10/12/1081041/nba-blog-previews-chicago-bulls">Blog-a-Bull</a>: We've Contracted V.D.N." The drama isn't whether the Bulls management will fire Vinny Del Negro, but how bad they'll let things get before they do something.</p>
<p>The Bulls are one of the most profitable franchises in sports, in part because their owner Jerry Reinsdorf runs them like a business. They are the third most valuable NBA team <a target="_blank" href="http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/34353178/ns/sports-nba/">behind the Lakers and Knicks</a>, but where the New York and Los Angeles consistently spend big money to win (or lose in diastrous fashion, in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/NYK">Knicks</a>' case), Chicago is much more tightfisted with its funds. But despite their ownership's thrift, year in and year out, the Bulls are among the league leaders in attendance. Because there's always hope.</p>
<p>It's a pretty amazing business model, when you think about it. Every few years since Michael Jordan retired, the Bulls have been re-building with top young talent. Young talent playing on rookie-scaled contracts, I might add. Draft young prospects, assure fans that "you're building a championship core!" and then make tons of money with sellout crowds, all while minimizing payroll.</p>
<p>It's a cycle. <span>Joakim Noah</span>, Tyrus Thomas, and <span>Derrick Rose</span> used to be <span>Tyson Chandler</span>, Marcus Fizer, and <span>Jamal Crawford</span>. And when one of their lottery picks doesn't pan out, like with Fizer and Crawford, they can merely throw up their hands and say, "back to the drawing board!" When they do pan out, as with Tyson Chandler or <span>Ben Gordon</span>, they usually go elsewhere (<span>Luol Deng</span> and <span>Kirk Hinrich</span> being the exceptions).</p>
<p>But two things have thrown a wrench in Chicago's plans: Derrick Rose and Vinny Del Negro. Because Rose is so much better than any of the prospects mentioned above, people are paying more attention to the Bulls. And with the added attention, more people are realizing just how incompetent Del Negro is as an NBA basketball coach. It's pretty galling, when you look up close. Bad timeouts, incomprehensible substitution patterns, and authority that literally deteriorates more and more with each passing game. And much to the Chicago ownership's chagrin,<i> </i>everyone's watching. We can all see just how ridiculous Vinny Del Negro looks pacing an NBA sideline.</p>
<p>The Chicago Bulls keeping Del Negro is like a big game of chicken between the ownership, the players, and the fans--who blinks first? Will Derrick Rose have another apple-slicing accident, and "accidentally" slit his wrists in the locker room. Will some rogue fan storm the court attacking Del Negro? Somewhere along the line, we'll have to reach a breaking point. You would think that giving up a 35 point lead would be just that, but then, there have been too many moments to count where you thought, "Okay, now the Bulls MUST fire him."</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/234232/jordanstatue.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Jordanstatue_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/234232/jordanstatue_medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1262014403697"> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/razorgator/4072802749/">via</a><br id="1262014261747"></p>
<p>The Bulls have a proud history and really, really awesome fans. They deserve better than this. But for the first time in the post-Jordan decade, there's truly no hope. Not with Del Negro at the helm. And if the Bulls allow him to coach the duration of the season, it's a disservice to their fans, to players like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, and to any sane person that's ever watched them play.</p>
<p>How long will the Bulls' management let this happen?</p>
https://www.sbnation.com/2009/12/28/2312789/how-bad-can-it-get-the-saga-of-vinny-del-negro-and-the-chicago-bullsAndrew Sharp