By K.C. JohnsonSpeaking more matter-of-factly than with rancor, Vinny Del Negro responded to critics claiming he should be fired for the Bulls' recent 1-9 stretch following today's practice at the Berto Center.
"It's easy to sit back on the sidelines and everyone has all these great ideas," Del Negro said. "People think they know what they're talking about. But until you live it and do it, no one has an idea.
"All you (media) guys have to write and do your job and come up with stories and that's all great. But you guys really don't know what it's like--because you've never done it. I'm a fighter. We fight as a team and stick together as a team. All you can control is your effort and preparation and the opportunity that's ahead of you."
The Bulls face Golden State at home on Friday.
Asked if criticism of his performance has been unfair, Del Negro didn't hesitate.
"Oh, yeah, absolutely," he said. "But that's part of the deal. You can't take a position like this and not think you're going to get criticized. If you can't live with the criticism and the heat then you shouldn't take the job. You shouldn't be in pro sports.
"You have to be able to suck it up sometimes and understand. Hey, I get frustrated too when we're not playing well and we're trying to find things that work. You just have to keep going to work. That's all you can do."
Asked what criticism has been unfair, Del Negro backtracked.
"Oh, I don't know," he said. "I don't get into that. You guys write that stuff."
Photo: Vinny Del Negro watches the loss against the Raptors. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune)
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I've been okay with VDN. Last year was a surprise. But like others, I've soured.
This quote by VDN really burns me: "Hey, I get frustrated too when we're not playing well and we're trying to find things that work."
Mr. Del Negro,
You're a coach in the highest level of basketball. In your second year with a team you shouldn't be TRYING to find things that work, you should KNOW what works and make adjustments off of that. You should know your players strengths, your opponent's weaknesses and exploit both. All injuries aside, this team is supposed to be a lot better than a 7-13 record shows. I think Tyrus and Kirk are both good talents, but their absence isn't the 25 point differentials we've been losing to.
Truth is, a good coach puts his team in a situation to succeed without having the luxury of watching film afterward. A good coach understands when his team is tiring when it happens, not 10 points afterward. Really, Coach Del Negro, you should understand while speed is an advantage in basketball, position is much better.
Are we really asking one of the big 2010 free agents to sign so he can play for a coach like this?
Vinnie's right. Short handed and doing his best.
Ya Vinny, we "have an idea." Your record is 7-13. You just played a team that would have trouble competing in the wheelchair league, and you lost to them on your own floor. Your inspirational speeches aren't taking hold, because you were tattooed the following nite by Atlanta.
Going on a month now you haven't figured out why last year's ROY looks lost out there. Basics like passing & screens are embarrassing. Your supposed offense appears to consist of 4 guys looking at Rose. It all points to you.
Ogyu.... I like your style.
Great. Vinnie, the renegade from a bad 70's hair salon who never even coached a grade school girls team in his life, is now going to tell us all about how only he has the wealth of experience required to really understand what's going on. Here's something else from the 70's for you: "Gag me with a spoon!"
It's not the criticism that's unfair Vinnie. It may have been unfair of the GM and owner to put you in a position for which you are utterly unqualified, but to subsequently tell the truth about the inevitable consequences of their stupidity is entirely fair and justified.
Hey guys, being a life long Bulls fan, I'm horribly disappointed so far too. I remember those summers in the 90s when I'd sit back at a friend's back yard, order up a bucket of rib tips & RC, pull out the old portable TV, plug it to a GFI outlet, & watch our Bullies take on Magic, Drexler, Barkley, Kemp, etc! I miss those days! I know D. Rose remembers those days too! Even if he was still in training pants back then. ;)
I think DRose would be a great go-to-guy now if he had a supporting cast that was trained well by someone like Phil Jackson or Donny Nelson. I thought I saw Avery Johnson sitting behind a desk at a recent half-time show, he took the Mavs pretty far one year! There have to be other guys out there much better than Vinny.
Really, let's think about this. Besides Ozzie Guillen and the Blackhawks, Chicago sports could use new faces in coaching/managing. It's clear that our sports our pivotal our happiness and joy. Reinsdorf, come on, POSSEY UP! It's time for a more aggressive, strategic, and passionate coach!
Everyone needs to take a deep breath as far as Del Negro goes. IMO, he is doing a decent job considering that this is the team that "management" has put together to go on the floor...a lot of good young talent - no quality veterans to show them the hoop ropes...same old same old with this organization...as painful as it was to watch Ben Gordon dancin and dribblin the shot clock from 20 seconds to three seconds, then launch an off-balance shot, the truth is that there is no one on this team other than D-Rose that will draw a double team - with Ben G., there were no double teams as he would drop a J from anywhere, especially if left open...given that everyone knew that the Bulls weren't serious about re-signing Gordon, it galls me that the team did not go get some one that has excellent basketball skills / IQ...unless they really do have an inside line on 'Bron, Wade, Bosh or Kobe?!? NOT!
That said, the key to salvaging this season is to sit all fifteen (15) players down and give them some religion - DERRICK ROSE IS THE MAN AND IT IS HIS TEAM...give him the ball and either help him or get out of the way...anyone who takes issue with that should be sent packing...
Finally, here is my early assessment on this team:
Rose - needs to become about 150% more assertive. still defers waaaaayyy too much to the veteran's on this team. if necessary, needs to go to Iverson school of being a pr--k on the court...
Hinrich - boring, gritty player. what he lacks in talent, makes up for with hustle and hard play.
Deng - too focused on proving to others that he is deserving of his bloated contract. would like him to develop a game where he consistently attacks the basket instead of half of shots coming on jumpers - this becomes contagious.
Salmons - solid player; deceptively good scorer when he needs to be. appears to ice out Rose at times when looking for his shot - would rather have him get his points in the flow of the game.
Miller - solid player, good head for the game...unfortunately, cannot compete with other Big's of the East...
Noah - has been a BEAST for most of the season...understands / accepts what his role is...if team adds an NBA scorer / shooter, could be an all-star...too emotional as he is frustrated with lack of basketball talent on the team...
Thomas - freak-ish athletic ability...mindset of an eleven (11) year old...Memo to Tyrus - see Noah...get what you can for this guy and send packin...
Gibson - has had moments when appeared lost, overall, as a rookie, has played well...should make certain to buy Thomas dinner for a week...
Johnson - has taken advantage of opportunites given so far...
Gray - I would always have that grin on my face as well if I were Aaron Gray collecting an NBA check...other than being 7'0'' tall, what else can you say?
Pargo - this is your answer for not re-signing Ben Gordon? another undersized shooting guard?
Hunter - really? a 39 year old PG...
James - who?
Hey guys, being a life long Bulls fan, I'm horribly disappointed so far too. I remember those summers in the 90s when I'd sit back at a friend's back yard, order up a bucket of rib tips & RC, pull out the old portable TV, plug it to a GFI outlet, & watch our Bullies take on Magic, Drexler, Barkley, Kemp, etc! I miss those days! I know D. Rose remembers those days too! Even if he was still in training pants back then. ;)
I think DRose would be a great go-to-guy now if he had a supporting cast that was trained well by someone like Phil Jackson or Donny Nelson. I thought I saw Avery Johnson sitting behind a desk at a recent half-time show, he took the Mavs pretty far one year! There have to be other guys out there much better than Vinny.
Really, let's think about this. Besides Ozzie Guillen and the Blackhawks, Chicago sports could use new faces in coaching/managing. It's clear that our sports our pivotal our happiness and joy. Reinsdorf, come on, POSSEY UP! It's time for a more aggressive, strategic, and passionate coach!
Mike Brown, I totally agree with you!!! Also, Joakim Noah is a power forward and not a center. He's not even a starting position player in the NBA. He has no skills and he is a really bad interior defender. John Salmons is better suited at small forward than guard, but of course since they're paying Deng all that money, they have to start his worthless butt. Lindsey Hunter and Pargo have to go. My cousin Vinny is a complete idiot. The Bulls are really bad and it's going to take a real coach to fix it.
The only other team playing worse than the bulls were the nets who BEAT THE BULLS AT HOME, And their coach was fired unlike VDN he actually won a playoff round before, yet he was fired after an 0-16 start.It's easy for people to talk from the sidelines but the bulls are getting MOPPED Day in and day out.These are not even close games they all are 25+ point blowouts.I can see if the bulls were losing close games and lost 9 out of 10 by 3 points or less every night then he may have something but they are not even competing they were down by 35-40 last night.they fired skiles for the exact same thing and he was a much more succesful coach than vinny
well, call it a season !!!
does vinny have a ring ?? as a coach your team should know what the goal is !!!!!
young players !! d. rose is not ready to lead the bulls yet !! he needs help ! not lindsey hunter !!
salmons is small forward and not a guard and not the go to guy !!!!!!!!!!
we have no one player who can shoot the lights out !!
another chicago team with no direction.
GIVE ME A F@#KING BREAK !!!!!!!!!!
del Negro is over his head having little or
no experience i.e. the bulls need to hire
someone who can take them to a higher level
of play;someone who is already proven.
It's very hard to defend the Bulls' head coach when the team has all but stopped playing hard night in and night out. If Norm Van Lier were still alive right now, he'd be so ticked off, it's not even funny. Van Lier would've yelled at the top of his lungs, screaming, cursing, etc., following the embarrassing 32-point loss to Toronto and the loss to woeful New Jersey AT HOME and last night's abysmal effort in Atlanta. It's not going to get much better, especially with the Celtics & Lakers part of the next homestand that starts tomorrow vs. Golden State. Uncle Jerry needs to come to the realization that hiring an inexperienced Vinny Del Negro was not a smart idea, and needs to cut his losses before this season gets away. Assistant Bernie Bickerstaff may have head coaching experience, but he's not much better than Vinny. I don't want another Jim Boylan fiasco after the Bulls fired Scott Skiles. Get a real head coach, specifically Byron Scott, in here ASAP!
Vinny will be fired next week after losses to Boston and LA. The Bulls don't want a new coach to start off on a bad note.
"We fight as a team and stick together as a team."
What games is he watching? The Bulls might as well have forfeited the game last night, they put forth so little effort. Vinny is delusional.
We may not be experts as fans Vinny but we do pay our hard earned $$ to go to the games. I guess that makes us suckers instead of experts.
How much plainer could it be that this team has quit? I may not have lived the "NBA life" but if I had 8 weeks to come up with a coach you can bet I would have found someone with maybe just a little more experience. What a joke.
Unbelievable this guy hasn't been canned yet. Lose by 32 at home, lose at home to 1-19 Nets then lose by 35? Does anyone honestly think a big-time free agent is going to choose to play for this guy. Complete Joke.