Before I get into the negatives, I will praise Del Negro for getting a poor Bulls team to 7-9. Going 3-4 on the Circus trip might be harder than the Bulls getting into the playoffs. It appears that even the disgrunted Bulls of last year (Deng, Gordon, etc.) like him. More importantly, they are playing hard for the guy. In the modern NBA, players who play for their coaches are a rarity. So props to From Black for that.
Lastly, if Del Negro was training to be a lawyer, he would still be in grade school. The guy has never coached (anyone) . So I will give him some credit for stepping in as an amateur coach to the big leagues.
But...................... To be honest, I don't care. Call me crazy, but I want my coaches to be great on day one. Its not like we're picking coaches one year out of high school. For as much as I loved John Paxson as a player, he has essentially picked "Mini-Me" as his coaches. Like Paxson, Skiles and Del Negro were all over-achieving (and yes, white) point guards. Which is fine, but we already have one of those as a player in Hinrich. It doesn't follow that we also need coaches that fit Paxson's playing profile.
But that's besides the point. Currently, the Bulls have no offensive system. Could you imagine what would happen if Derrick Rose wasn't on the Bulls? As I've said before Rose is a one man army. He is the offense. However, even with his magic, the Bulls oftentimes find themselves playing one-on-one offense with players like Deng, Gooden and Gordon forcing shots. Also, I still don't think that Del Negro has gotten the most out of Rose. In addition to scoring his points, Del Negro needs to get Rose into positions to share the rock. The offense isn't going through his hands enough. And that's just on the offensive end.
I've written repeatedly that the offense first philosophy of the Bulls will never win them Championships. Defense wins Championships. Just ask the Lakers and Suns. The 90's Bulls, the Duncan Spurs, the Billups Pistons and the Garnet Celtics all won because of great defense. At times, Del Negro has trotted out the following lineups- Rose, Gordon, Hughes, Deng and Gooden. These players couldn't stop a cab at the Peninsula's cap stand. I get that the Bulls want to field a smaller lineup to push the tempo. But you can't push the tempo, if the other team keeps on scoring on you. Fast break teams work when they create turnovers and convert defensive rebounds to fast break opportunities.
Now, there is one flaw with my argument that I haven't credited. Del Negro's other option is to field a lineup of Noah, Gooden or Tyrus, Deng, Hughes/Tabo and Rose. Its not terrible, but these guys can't score. Noah and Tabo have no offensive game. Still, I wonder if a lineup of Noah, Tyrus, Deng, Hughes and Rose could stop people and also convert fast break opportunities into points.
I don't want to close the book on Del Negro just yet. Its still early. And despite his lack of a resume, any coach would still be adjusting to a new team with new players. Ironically, Del Negro's legacy could rest with decisions Paxson makes. The glut of under-performing and short SGs (Gordon, Hinrich, Tabo and Hughes) can't stay for too long. To compete consistently, hopefully some of those guys leave to make room for a true low post scorer or a legit SG. Then we'll see what Del Negro's really got.
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I expected to have a lot of issues with your argument, but I really don't. At least you are honest in that you expect perfection from day one. OK. Personally, I think Vinnie has done well, better than I expected. You can put DR in position to distribute the ball all you want, but the rest of the guys, mostly, cannot finish, as you noted. Noah and Ty absolutely needed a kick in the pants and they just got it. If that helps, I'm sure your opinion of Del Negro will change for the better. I think having Tyrus and Noah on the floor at once is a major disaster because they are not active on defense.
I'm a big fan of playing big (a lot like Detroit had with Ben Wallace, Rasheed, and Tayshawn). I just believe that good defense will win more games in the long run. But, its really hard to win that argument when you have to rely on Noah and Tyrus. I still wonder whether we should blame those players for not stepping up (probably), or whether the Bulls just do a poor job raising their big men. With that point, I wonder whether Del Negro (to keep his job) just sticks with guys like Gooden and Noc., because there is little risk with them. With Tyrus and Noah, he would be putting a lot more on the line trying to make them players by providing them minutes.
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