Vinny Del Negro yells instructions during he Bulls' victory over New Orleans on Saturday. (Chris Sweda/Tribune)
By K.C. Johnson
That Vinny Del Negro won't finish his three-year contract is no great revelation. That ESPN.com reported the Bulls recently reached out to Doug Collins is.
A league source said nothing is imminent with Collins, whom John Paxson wanted to hire before Del Negro got the job. Collins and team Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf mutually decided the fit wouldn't work.
The ESPN.com story also claimed the team held internal discussions about Paxson replacing Del Negro. That couldn't be independently confirmed or denied, but Paxson long has stated he has no interest in coaching.
Two media outlets, including the Tribune, reported Pete Myers would be given strong consideration to serve on an interim basis should the Bulls fire Del Negro during the season.
Register with Chicago Tribune and receive Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks newsletters for free. 
When sports news breaks, be the first to know. (To get alerts on a mobile device, text CHISPORTS to 31286.). 
it dosn't matter what the bulls do folks, pax has shown to be a lousy judge of talent, a lousyjudge of where to spend mr riesendorf dollars and has run alousey organization for this he get's promoted!it's time for pax to go taking his whole mess with him gm, coach, assist coaches,scout's, pax will never see the kind of money for the bulls operation
that kenny williams enjoy's because he hasn't won nothing or done any thing with the money that reisendorf has already alloted him except waste it
The bulls have absolutely no intensity while playing this season. They go out there and run plays like their in high school. They have Brad Miller, who runs a mile in an hour and a half, they have Lindsay Hunter (who is a "motivational veteran for Rose, who also gains a roll on his stomach each game), they have John Salmons (who couldn't shoot on my 2 y/os Little Tikes hoop), and they have guys with poor basketball IQ. I personally think the Bulls need to pull the plug on a few players, who can get them decent value. Those players are Salmons, Thomas, Miller, and Hinrich. As far as Del Negro goes, I don't think he's half bad. Hes obviously new to the coaching thing, but he has no talent to coach. Keep Rose, Noah, and the rooks, and build around them next offseason. Trade those others for a solid 4spot. They need to stop signing these old farts. They also need to get Derrick Rose into some type of Vocal Class. They need his voice to be heard on the court. The other players have to ask Rose to repeat the play being called b/c his voice is of a 10 year old. ROSE- Man up, gain confidence, youre a highly skilled young individual with a bright future. Act like it!
Mr. Jerry REinsdorf, the Chairman, call him Mr. Mao if you'd like.
The Bulls have an operating income of over $50 million a year, EVERY YEAR, since the United Center was built (1994). This money does not go out and buy the best players or coaches; rather, it goes right to Mr. Reinsdorfs piggybank.
It'd be nice, KC, to write a story about the profitability of the Bulls when Bulls fans have been paying over $100 to sit in the 100 level section to watch crap the past 10 years. One playoff series win since MJ left. And or-gan-I-zations win championships?....
Biggest thief in Chicago = Jerry Reinsdorf.
How is it a team that played Boston extremely tough last spring is having such a problem this fall? I haven't seen many games this year. Still, they seem like the Cubs, up and down on a yearly basis.
Last spring it looked really good for this year, but now???
Hire Collins make Pip assistant head coach..Fire Pax and Gar Goose.. Make the sweaters in the front rows happy..
Dub, I was at a game and saw what Deng could do. he can let a guy tie his shoes in the middle of a game, while the game is going on, and he is in the game, WHAT A JOKE!!!
That's really when Vinnie lost the team, he should have called a time out, pulled the whole line, and put in guys from the bench.... That would have went far with his players, management, the fan base, and the media...
Hey Alpha,
First, what big free agents has Jerry let Kenny Willimas sign...........ah none.....
Second, the Bulls signed big free agents when Michael was playing and they were good, remember Dennis Rodman .....etc..
Third, the Bulls have to get the ball underneath the basket to score.
Forth, if you do not have a good coach or a good base, no superstar is going to sign.
Doug Collins is so enamored of the Bulls since his days with MJ. He just wants to be associated with the red and black. Vinny D. Is not the problem. Paxon, God love him, has had ample time to do something positive for this team, but his choices generally do not pan out. Let him go. Salmons? Really? Letting Noc go? Really? If you are gonna bring in a new coach, don't bring in Collins. He had his chance.
Fire the whole lot. Bring in Ron Artest to coach this team. He'll light it up and fill the stadium.
Even WGN-TV reported VDN being fired is all but a done deal.
No Christmas Eve firing but a pre-New Year's day firing. VDN had some tough breaks coaching a highly skilled developmental team in the Bulls not an actual NBA caliber team along with the many injuries. But the final straw had to be the Sacramento Kings game. A 35 point blown lead in basketball is a few steps below a Bernie Madoff loss in investing. VDN's reputation was getting devalued by the minute by Bulls' management. More importantly free agents around the league were seeing lack of leadership from the Bulls' head coach. So in order to salvage free agency next year Vinnie had to GO! Better now than later. Won't say Vinnie won't turn out to be a good coach eventually but young coach + young team = a disaster. To Vinnie, spend some years as an assistant coach in the NBA or developmental league. You'll be ok because you're a hard worker. The Bulls just need a steady veteran hand from their head coach instead of the deer-in-headlights
approach.
The problem starts from the top. I wish that Jerry would allow his GM to go after quality free agents like he allows Kenny Williams to do.
Vinny Del Negro lost this team. I don't know when, but he did. The Bulls need a player that can score underneath the basket.
The Bulls have had this problem since Artis Gilmore was traded. Go get a quality big man. It does not matter who is coaching this team if you don't give that coach the player or players that he requires to build a winning program.
Greg - coach isn't the problem? Ha. Sorry, that's all I have to say.
keep del negro he's not the problem. the problem is in the front office. they draft guard after guard and who can't shoot or run an offense with any consistency and never draft bigs who have any ability to actually score in the low post. this only exposes the guards inconsistency at shooting. and you can keep ROSE he will never be an elite point guard he's overrated
The bulls are a major market team. They have to stop hiring young coaches to try and groom them. Yes we can do Pete Meyers and then fire him 3 years later again.
Aside from Phil Jackson and Doug Collins, who were both young unproven coaches, they had a strong assistant coaching staff in Tex Winter and Johnny Bach and had some of the best talent in the game to help ease the pain of young coaching mistakes.
But, lets look at what is is needed. Someone who has a "philosophy" and a style of play. Vinny, and Tim Floyd were unsuccessful because they lacked that demeanor and style.
Skiles was successful because he brought a system to the team and thats what was needed at that time. The problem with him is, you can only work with him for 3 years before you want to kill him and he wasnt going to change his style or demeanor for any player. Thats his weakness as he didnt adapt to his maturing team as he should.
Talent is a huge problem. John Salmons is the big guard we need but he cant hit the side of a house. Kirk is too slow and small and this team cant seem to run a basic pick and roll to save their life with one of the best point guards in the league.
Too many basics and fundamentals are missing from this team that theres no reason they should be this bad. Ben Gordon was instant offense and sorely missed, but he bailed them out of alot of bad offensive schemes.
I would love to see Tyrus and Rose run a pick roll like stockton all day long. Watch Phoenix play and they run it to perfection with Nash and Amare.
We cant hit a wide open jumper, run a pick and roll, or get a damn layup.
bad coaching that doesnt utilize its talents.
"motojones" how could you say we were at full strength for the Celtics Series, Deng was out!? You can see what he does for a team when 100% healthy.
No we don't need Doug Collins!!! We've been there done that No Results!!!
Get someone younger and more aggressive. Avery Johnson, Mark Jackson there are a lot of quality ex-player/coaches out there stop picking from the second hand bucket!!
Bring in Mark Jackson, he's hungry! and won't cost too much.
Stop overrating that bulls vs celtic's series.It took a bulls team with all it's key components to got multiple OT's and 7 games just to compete with a celtics team without KG, and powe got injured in game 2 if the C's had KG bulls get Swept or maybe win 1 game if they're lucky.Everybody thinks the bulls are some great team after that series they were a 7th/8th seed last year(41-41 record) now everyone expects them to be some great team on the rise a top 4 seed in the east when they are average.WITH BG last year bulls were a 7th seed stop crying BG is gone he was'nt the answer how many bulls championships did he help win?? He was an erratic gunner with NO D who wanted 55-60 million the bulls were smart to let him go.Celtics started last year 27-2 bulls could never compete with them if they were healthy.del negro was average last year bulls are worse this year, it's the constant blowouts and embarassing losses plus the 35 point choke is why he should be fired.
I am guessing that the Bulls spoke with Collins in regards to being an interim coach. Perhaps they offered an option for a long term deal if the team played well for him for the remainder of this season.
Oh well, let's see what VDN can now that he has an eight-man rotation.
Vinny should be fired just for his inability to handle clock management and substitutions correctly. He continues to make these mistakes which have cost the team several wins. The team will only succeed when Paxson is removed from the equation. The albatross around his neck is the Tyrus Thomas for LaMarcus Aldridge trade.
Forget Collins; he had his chance and blew it big-time. Bring back Michael; as Coach or Mayor. Or Both!
Why the Bulls could not keep Ben Gordon is beyond me.They could not score enough at least 25% of the time last year.Now this season its more like 60-70% of the time we have no scoring.You have to have proven scorers to win,I dont think they gave Vinny enough good players plain and simple.Quick name anyone they signed last off-season,Its like that EVERY YEAR,they never sign anyone.There are players to be had right now,T-Mac, has worn out his welcome in Rocketland.Kevin Martin from the Kings can be pryed loose with the great play of T.Evans pushing Martin out.Paxson is so afraid of making a trade.NO name Coach will EVER come here unless some MAJOR player moves are made.God this Team is BURTAL!!!!Make some moves already!!
It won't matter... Whoever the Bulls replace Del Negro with will get quit on by the players, then fired...
If we want any of those awesome free agents at the end of the year then someone better stop the inmates from running the asylum and get a good coach in here to keep these crybaby quitters in line.
This is the players as much as the Coach people, and the upper management for not making a statement and getting the malcontents out of the locker room in time.
The core of this team that's worth keeping (Rose, Noah, Thomas, Deng) is talented and undisciplined. Give Bobby Knight the job.
i think they should hire mike north.
Doug Collins? Again? Really? What is this organization's love affair with him? He will NOT be a good coach, again.....learn from your mistakes!
VDN looks like a deer in the headlights, night in and night out. We're not going to get anyone of quality 1/3 of the way through the year, so just give Pistol Pete the interim title for the year - and go out and get a REAL coach for next year. We have too much talent on this team to be wasting it like we are. This team is an embarrassment.
This is just another dumb decision by people who should not be in the position to make decisions why are they "Reaching out to Collins"? He never did anything for anybody leave him in the booth. Why do so many teams recycle crappy coaches i.e. Ron Zook, Ron Turner, Lou Pinella just a couple of examples. Illinois professional and college teams stink bad where is the outrage?
I personally like Avery Johnson, but think that the Bulls need more than just a coach. Miller needs to go and we need a real threat from the outside that can help our allstar point guard.
Doug Collins? Wasn't he the guy who could take them from point A to point B but could not take them to Point C?
I don't understand what happed from last year to this year. This is the same coach, along with mostly the same team, that took the celtics to 7 games and played them tough the whole time. The only glaring difference is the absence of Ben Gordon. So is it a personnel issue or is it a coach issue? I don't know. Just asking...
If the Bulls are serious about winning, they'll pony up the cash and bring Jeff Van Gundy out of the booth. He's stated he'd like to coach again, and the Bulls have talent and money to spend. Now, knowing this is the Bulls, they'll go on the cheap and hire Lawrence Frank and try and pass it off as a new commitment to winning. Then they'll bypass every quality FA this offseason and settle with a 3rd tier guy who can muddle us to 43 wins and a 7 seed. Such is life under a Reinsdorf regime...whatever can help fund the White Sox. The Bulls will NEVER contend again until Jerry Reinsdorf is no longer majority owner and Chairman of the Board. He has more or less said he doesn't care over the years, and his actions fully support that.
So if all these coaches are so great, why aren't they working? What was franks record this year? Yeah, he is the answer
I said it in a previous post -- hire the guy who washes windshields on the 290 off-ramp for Ashland Ave. The Bulls royally screwed up the last coaching hire, why not screw up to the extreme? Hiring a dude literally off the street is no worse than hiring the Phoenix Suns' experience-less and clueless assistant GM. Just imagine how bad it would be if Vinny didn't have his book of cliches lying around for reference.
December 24th, 2007 -- Fire Skiles or exile Ben Wallace? In retrospect, which would have been the better decision?
any Bulls fan who is cool with any of these clowns is just proving that Reinsdorf can do whatever he wants to save a buck and that people will still show an interest and blow cash on his embarrassing group of losers year after year.
Enough already, he can't get the job done so fire the Putz
Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Avery Johnson...this is the best batch of unemployed coaches in a while. I hope we don't go to an interim.
Give Avery Johnson or Pip a try? Doubt there is a long term solution there today. Please, don't compound by replacing with Pete Myers. Need an actual coach, you know, someone who runs plays, that kind of thing.
The move that should've been made in the first place.
Doug Collins might be back coaching the Bulls. Why I ask? He never has won a championship and his act wears thin with players within a couple years. Is this the best the Bulls can do? I say no. I'd rather have Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Avery Johnson to name three.