Del Negro still Employed??
Vinny Del Negro made it past the usual Christmas Eve head coach firing squad the Chicago Bulls are famous for. His two predecessors, Tim Floyd and Scott Skiles, were let go with sorry we want someone new, but hey, Merry Christmas. Del Negro has kept his job and looks to want it for some duration.
Even after he made it past Christmas, rumors were still being typed on the web, printed in papers, heard on the radio and discussed on countless Chicago street corners. Then about a month ago, the Bulls started to play the game they are being paid for.
The Bulls had a 7 game west coast road trip at the end of January. They lost the first two games and then went on to win the last five. Before the 5 game road win streak, they won four straight in mid-January, including a win in Boston.
Winning is any team’s main goal but watching a team that looks like they want to win the game means a lot to Chicago fans. They finally l
ook hungry. The dull uninterested demeanor has been replaced with Rocky’s eye of the tiger. Del Negro was blamed for the dull, why not be praise the reversal.
Some said Del Negro had lost the team. In Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Del Negro was pacing the sideline guiding his team with plays and advice after mistakes. The Bulls lost, but a ten point hard fought loss is superior to the way the team was getting beat earlier in the season. Of course the Bulls have to defend and play an entire game with tenacity so they score more than 11 points to Atlanta’s 27 but it is an improvement. They were at least in the game at the end. Also, Josh Smith’s triple-double earned his squad the win.
Del Negro has done something. The team is playing as a team. Before, John Salmons or Luol Deng would hoist up any shot they pleased. The odds of making their shots with a defenders hand in their face were not good. Now, they are patient. All the Bull’s shooters are waiting for the open look or the room in-between the defender to go baseline and dish to a cutter. The offense is beginning to look crisp.
Instead of every player on the court trying to do everything, they are playing their roles. Joakim Noah has never really been an offensive factor. He does not step out for a mid-range jumper. Tyrus Thomas is on the same level. He quit lurking around the elbow because he knows he will not get the ball there.
Del Negro’s changes in the starting lineup have given the second team a better look with more offense. Kirk Hinrich has replaced Salmons. This gives Derrick Rose and Luol Deng more
looks to start the game and Salmons more looks in his minutes. It seemed like the three of them were fighting for shots. Hinrich is an assist first guard who is going to look them instead of Rose, Deng and Salmons all trying to find their own open shot.
Defensively, Del Negro is finally taking advantage of his athletic big men. Even with his eye away from the basket, Thomas knows where the ball is and will swat anything into the bleachers. The rookiies, James Johnson and Taj Gibson, defend in the paint and grab all rebounds that come their way. The wings have been stepping inside adding extra pressure to a driving opponent.
These improvements may be the players realizing their talents. On the other hand, it could be the head coach realizing what he has and using it to win games. Why shouldn’t he get some credit? His team went from having the sixth worst record in the league to being a game under .500. Also, if the playoffs started today, the Bulls would be a 6th seed playing Boston. We all know what happened last year.
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