I have to say I'm a little underwhelmed. How do the Bulls really justify their selection of Vinny Del Negro as head coach? Mike D'Antoni has an impressive record from his time in Phoenix. He, along with Steve Nash, brought that team up from the cellar of the NBA to one of its elite teams. Doug Collins had at least a variety of head coaching experiences and has a grasp on how he likes to run teams.
Vinny Del Negro, however, has neither. He's never coached a team on any level. One more time for those of you that didn't read it correctly: He's never coached a team on ANY level. Not even an assistant head coach on a high school junior varsity team. That fact is worrisome to say the least. He was an assistant GM in Phoenix for one season, then apparently decided he could coach and dropped his name in the Phoenix coaching lottery. The Bulls then brought him in for a reportedly two day interview late in their search, and decided to hire him a short time later.
The Bulls can apparently move very quickly on a candidate that's never had any experience before, yet can't seem to pin down those big name coaches. I wonder why that is? Oh wait, I know. It's about the money. Vinny Del Negro is going to be ridiculously cheap for Bulls. He's on a two-year contract with a team option for a third. Collins wouldn't be in the same situation, and you can bet the mortgage that D'Antoni wasn't talking a contract like that, and its proven by the one he signed in New York. The money was obviously an issue, but it's not the only one I'm confused about.
This hire doesn't make sense to me from a basketball perspective either. John Paxson essentially has to save his job with this move and the number one draft pick. He's putting his eggs in one basket with the draft it seems. I wouldn't place my future with a coach that hasn't proven he can even housebreak a puppy. Del Negro is set up to fall in Chicago, and Paxson might be falling with him.
Keywords: Chicago Bulls, NBA, Vinny Del Negro
