It was almost a certainty a month ago that head coach Vinny Del Negro was going to be fired at the end of the season in light of conflicts both on and off the court. The Bulls were in the midst of a crucial slump, plagued by injuries, and GM John Paxson & Del Negro were getting into fist fights (no "jk" either) over C Joakim Noah's minutes that were limited due to plantar fasciitis in the foot. Vinny's job was dwindling as he knew it and it and even the players were playing like a team with no chemistry, All in all, they were under-performing and falling short of expectations.
But Del Negro never really seemed to let the adversity get to him. He coached every game the same, with the same excitement. He never looks relaxed, and he isn't kind of coach who you'll ever see sitting down for an extended period of time. His coaching style has actually kind of grown me.
When I was reading ESPN Insider's Rumor Mill this morning, I found myself somewhat relieved to see a report that Del Negro's future in Chicago might not be as determined as anticipated. He overcame the struggles, got his team into the playoffs, and put up somewhat of a decent fight against the conference favorite Cav's. At least, they got their message off to soon-to-be free agents:
1. we have a strong core group, including rising star Derrick Rose. Noah and Deng have had breakout years as well and are double-double threats every night.
2. We have attitude, mostly thanks to Noah (who's really not that annoying if he's on your team)
3. We play in the second best sports market in the country, and have the second highest attendance rankings per year (c'mon,we can't compete with L.A.)
4 And don't forget Michael Jordan played for us
Bottom line is Vinny's done a decent job while he's been here, and I think giving him a chance to build on these past two years might be worth while. They've improved each year, and have been together now enough to possibly put it all together next season.
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