Vinny Del Negro looks like a used car salesman.
Not just a used car salesman, a defeated one that hasn’t made a sale in a while. That was how he looked in his final minutes as coach of the Chicago Bulls and how he looked during most of his odd tenure in the Windy City. I always found it weird that he coached the Bulls-considering all his assistants were more qualified-but I could not argue with the success on the court.
In addition to coaching a team that refused to resign its best shooter and most clutch player of the past decade (Ben Gordon) and that traded away its offensive replacement within the division (John Salmons to the Milwaukee Bucks), Del Negro coached the last four months of the season with everyone and his cousin knowing his days in Chicago were done. So when Del Negro battled rumors, injuries and controversy and still made the playoffs with a mediocre team, you know that his coaching abilities are not why he was fired Tuesday.
The Bulls didn’t let go of Del Negro because of his record or rapport with his players. They axed him because he doesn’t have the look or the reputation needed in a coach to try and lure one of the top NBA free agents to Chicago this summer.
The next step for the Bulls is to find that coach to get one of the big free agents, similarly to hiring Del Negro to draft and coach the No. 1 NBA draft pick in 2008. But the next coach’s role should entail more than just the ability to get one of the stars (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson). Unlike the previous coaches, this one should be long term. The Bulls finally have a star in Derrick Rose, a solid big man in Joakim Noah, and signing one of these free agents makes them a formidable Eastern Conference team for years to come.
But that is easier said than done, because hiring an attractive coach would require competence on the side of their front office. The Bulls haven’t successfully hired a coach since Phil Jackson was forced out (they have had seven coaches in 12 years since Jackson). And they aren’t so good at covering up those hired mistakes (firing Bill Cartwright during Thanksgiving weekend in 2003, Scott Skiles on Christmas Eve in 2007).
This firing was no different. It may not have happened on a holiday, but its over-publicized rumors were embarrassing to the franchise. It became clear in December that Gar Forman and John Paxson wanted Del Negro out when sources leaked to the media a decision had already been made on Del Negro’s future. The only reason Vinny lasted through the season was they could not find a viable replacement.
Del Negro went 41-41 in both his seasons in Chicago and will be best remembered for the incredible Bulls-Celtics playoff series last year. This year’s team was significantly worse on paper-especially after trading Salmons-and Del Negro still took the Bulls to the playoffs where they won one game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Rose has matured into a top-10 NBA player in just two years and Noah became a star, all under Vinny. Despite his goofy looks and lack of experience, Del Negro did pretty well with what he had.
Don’t get me wrong-Del Negro is not the guy that can get one of the big free agents to Chicago. But the possibility of one of those players joining Rose, Noah and Luol Deng better be enough of a pull to finally hire a legitimate coach, because I don’t know who would want to work for the Bulls after their pitiful handling of Del Negro.
Sports Columnist Kevin Fishbain is a Medill Senior. He can be reached at [email protected].
