Bye Bye

I'd like to start off by saying first and foremost, I don't hate Vinny Del Negro. I really don't. I always liked him as a player all the way from when he was at NC State. He seems like a nice enough guy. He's never (to my knowledge) been boorish, or a jerk to anyone. He's been fair with the media, fans, his teammates and players throughout his career. He was put in a pretty unfair situation by a GM who hired Vinny as a bailout for not landing Mike D'Antoni. There were also other things that happened to this Bulls team that were out of his control.

Yet 24 hours later my reaction to the Bulls exit from the postseason is still, "Please for don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out too Vinny." Rick Morrisey had the best line in his column today when he said Vinny was nothing more than a "Point A to Point A" guy. That's absolutely correct because Vinny wasn't ready to be a head coach in the first place, and hasn't done anything with this team that any other coach couldn't have done. Maybe he will be a good head coach someday, but that won't change the fact that he was a bad one with the Bulls.

I've covered the many reasons over the past season for why Vinny should have been let go a long time ago i.e. blowing a 35 point lead at home to the Kings, losing twice to the Nets, etc. There's another ultimate, much more tangible reason though, and that reason is a reason I've heard time and time again. The reason is that basketball Head Coaches ultimately earn their money and reputation one way only, and that's how successful they are at drawing up out of bounds plays to give someone an open look following a time out. Fairly, or unfairly, that is the ultimate measuring stick for coaches in any level of basketball. Vinny was just completely inept when it came to this skill. You only needed to watch this last game, when he was drawing up plays for Flip Murray...FLIP MURRAY!

So while the Del Negro era is soon to be over, a new much more interesting era begins. I haven't the foggiest idea of who the Bulls next head coach will be? What I do know is that there's a WHOLE lot of Cap Space now, and the Bulls are committed to bringing a superstar(s) player into the fold via Free Agency. Whether they hire a coach first before going out and spending money on players remains to be seen. Personally I'm hoping they do hire a coach first and make a firm commitment to him contractually. That way it tells any potential free agent that if you come to the Bulls you are going to play for this guy no matter what happens.

Like I've said before, now the real Bulls season can begin...