The Bulls and coach Vinny Del Negro are earning accolades after winning five straight games on their recently concluded road trip. But TNT analyst Charles Barkley says Del Negro never should have been on the hot seat in the first place.
"Vinny has done a good job," Barkley said Monday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on WMVP-AM 1000. "Last year when they took the Celtics to seven games, he did a good job. I couldn't understand why they were trying to throw him under the bus.
"The truth of the matter is Derrick Rose was not playing well (at the start of the season). They say he was injured, so I give him a pass on that, but the reason the Bulls weren't playing well was Derrick Rose wasn't playing well. I don't think it was fair they were thinking about firing Vinny. Let me preface that: Vinny is a friend of mine, so I'm a little biased, but Vinny did not deserve to get fired."
"Vinny has done a good job," Barkley said Monday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on WMVP-AM 1000. "Last year when they took the Celtics to seven games, he did a good job. I couldn't understand why they were trying to throw him under the bus.
"The truth of the matter is Derrick Rose was not playing well (at the start of the season). They say he was injured, so I give him a pass on that, but the reason the Bulls weren't playing well was Derrick Rose wasn't playing well. I don't think it was fair they were thinking about firing Vinny. Let me preface that: Vinny is a friend of mine, so I'm a little biased, but Vinny did not deserve to get fired."
Barkley said Del Negro deserves credit for holding the team together during the rough times.
"They could have cracked under the pressure," Barkley said. "I've been around teams when there are a bunch of trade rumors and thinking about (firing) the coach, and the team packs it in and folds. So give Vinny some credit. He's done a good job."
Barkley said Rose deserved to make the All-Star team and feels teammate Joakim Noah should have been selected as well.
"Derrick Rose is playing very well, very well," Barkley said. "I was a little disappointed that Noah did not make the All-Star team.
"Noah has become one of my favorite players to watch, and I was really pulling for him to make the All-Star team. Because he's been the most consistent player ... all season long for the Bulls. Derrick Rose is clearly their best player and plays very well, but Noah's been their most consistent player all year."
"They could have cracked under the pressure," Barkley said. "I've been around teams when there are a bunch of trade rumors and thinking about (firing) the coach, and the team packs it in and folds. So give Vinny some credit. He's done a good job."
Barkley said Rose deserved to make the All-Star team and feels teammate Joakim Noah should have been selected as well.
"Derrick Rose is playing very well, very well," Barkley said. "I was a little disappointed that Noah did not make the All-Star team.
"Noah has become one of my favorite players to watch, and I was really pulling for him to make the All-Star team. Because he's been the most consistent player ... all season long for the Bulls. Derrick Rose is clearly their best player and plays very well, but Noah's been their most consistent player all year."
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Scott Baio indeed! And here's to another 100 yrs of Cub flubdom!
Barkley is right when he says he kept the team together during the bad times of injury, sickness, and trade rumors.
VDN, for now, has a new set of problems. How do you work in, productively, a pretty good player with the existing bunch. I say, for now, because the trade deadline looms.
For now, Vinny has 2 choices really. Add Devin Brown into the rotation and subtract his minutes from Tyrus, Johnson, Taj, and Salmons. I believe starting maybe, Friday, this option will be worked out. And a few nice leads would sure make Vinny's job easier.
The OTHER CHOICE, is to sit someone and go back to the SHORT ROTATION. Remember Grey didn't play.
I figure in about 4-6 games we'll see if adding D. Brown is a net plus or minus for the team.
If Vinny can make it a plus, so much the better. If he can't, maybe Pax thru a trade, can.
Barkley is my favorite tv personality!
"TNT analyst Charles Barkley says Del Negro never should have been on the hot seat in the first place."
That's actually pretty accurate, the Bulls should have never hired Scott Baio in the first place.