Vinny Del Negro has received his share of criticisms and endorsements as Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls. During the press conference following the Bulls' Game 5 first round elimination at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Del Negro received a strong endorsement from one of the most important people in the Bulls organization: point guard Derrick Rose. Rose expressed his gratitude for learning from Coach Del Negro, including Del Negro's patience in allowing Rose to both do well and make mistakes.
Unfortunately, the track record of two .500 seasons, two first round playoff exits--and a clash with Vice President of Basketball Relations John Paxson--has led Paxson and the Bulls to terminate Del Negro's contract. Despite an endorsement from the best player on the team, who is an up-and-coming star with star free agent recruitment potential, Vinny is gone.
While the Bulls were an inconsistent team the past couple of years, the situation worsened in part due to VP Paxson's handling of personnel matters. John Paxson struggled to deal with the contract situations of Ben Gordon and Luol Deng. While the team eventually retained Deng, they lost a top clutch playoff performer in guard Gordon. Paxson also made a failed gamble in landing top NBA defensive player Ben Wallace as a free agent in 2006. While his acquisition of Wallace halted the establishment of a Detroit Pistons dynasty, it also paralyzed the Bulls' payroll.
To his credit, he professionally handled the firing of longtime teammate and friend Bill Cartwright, who seemed to be a potential up-and-comer as a Head Coach. Then again, Paxson made a mistake that has not received as much criticism as it should have, and arguably the biggest mistake of his basketball career (as player, coach, broadcaster, and administrator): Paxson threateningly laid his hands on Coach Vinny Del Negro, challenging the coach to a fistfight. True, this matter is ultimately a private locker room matter, as the altercation occurred in the Bulls' locker room. Regardless, while Del Negro was already being considered a coach under fire, it is questionable whether Paxson should have still been with the team after this incident. In other cases and other workplaces, Paxson may have been suspended, fired, and/or charged with assault.
Despite winning 3 NBA Championships as the starting point guard of the first Michael Jordan led '90s Chicago Bulls team, John Paxson has not proven to be as good a clutch GM as he was a clutch shooter. Arguably the biggest shot in Paxson's career occurred in the 1993 NBA Finals, as he put away the Phoenix Suns with the game-winning 3-pointer in the clinching Game 6 victory. However, those were the days. Those days are past. Paxson is no longer the point guard for the Bulls. His treatment of Del Negro reflects a lack of a class and professionalism, symbolizing not only Del Negro's struggles as coach, but also his struggles as a VP of the Bulls. The VP job is very stressful, but his actions were inexcusable and far from 'clutch'.
Despite Paxson's declaration that he plans to be a part of the Bulls' return to the top of the Eastern Conference, team management should not be lenient in dealing with him. While Del Negro has had a couple years to coach the Bulls, Paxson has had 7 years to serve in his current position. While coaches and players take their share of the credit for success and blame for failure, personnel management should as well. As the recent track record for the Bulls has been somewhat mediocre, 'fairness' is a valid argument for Head Coach Vinny Del Negro's firing. However, the same 'fairness' should relate to the job evaluation of Vice President John Paxson, and based on the longer-term track record of mediocrity, the evaluation should result in a similar termination for the VP.
Unfortunately, the track record of two .500 seasons, two first round playoff exits--and a clash with Vice President of Basketball Relations John Paxson--has led Paxson and the Bulls to terminate Del Negro's contract. Despite an endorsement from the best player on the team, who is an up-and-coming star with star free agent recruitment potential, Vinny is gone.
While the Bulls were an inconsistent team the past couple of years, the situation worsened in part due to VP Paxson's handling of personnel matters. John Paxson struggled to deal with the contract situations of Ben Gordon and Luol Deng. While the team eventually retained Deng, they lost a top clutch playoff performer in guard Gordon. Paxson also made a failed gamble in landing top NBA defensive player Ben Wallace as a free agent in 2006. While his acquisition of Wallace halted the establishment of a Detroit Pistons dynasty, it also paralyzed the Bulls' payroll.
To his credit, he professionally handled the firing of longtime teammate and friend Bill Cartwright, who seemed to be a potential up-and-comer as a Head Coach. Then again, Paxson made a mistake that has not received as much criticism as it should have, and arguably the biggest mistake of his basketball career (as player, coach, broadcaster, and administrator): Paxson threateningly laid his hands on Coach Vinny Del Negro, challenging the coach to a fistfight. True, this matter is ultimately a private locker room matter, as the altercation occurred in the Bulls' locker room. Regardless, while Del Negro was already being considered a coach under fire, it is questionable whether Paxson should have still been with the team after this incident. In other cases and other workplaces, Paxson may have been suspended, fired, and/or charged with assault.
Despite winning 3 NBA Championships as the starting point guard of the first Michael Jordan led '90s Chicago Bulls team, John Paxson has not proven to be as good a clutch GM as he was a clutch shooter. Arguably the biggest shot in Paxson's career occurred in the 1993 NBA Finals, as he put away the Phoenix Suns with the game-winning 3-pointer in the clinching Game 6 victory. However, those were the days. Those days are past. Paxson is no longer the point guard for the Bulls. His treatment of Del Negro reflects a lack of a class and professionalism, symbolizing not only Del Negro's struggles as coach, but also his struggles as a VP of the Bulls. The VP job is very stressful, but his actions were inexcusable and far from 'clutch'.
Despite Paxson's declaration that he plans to be a part of the Bulls' return to the top of the Eastern Conference, team management should not be lenient in dealing with him. While Del Negro has had a couple years to coach the Bulls, Paxson has had 7 years to serve in his current position. While coaches and players take their share of the credit for success and blame for failure, personnel management should as well. As the recent track record for the Bulls has been somewhat mediocre, 'fairness' is a valid argument for Head Coach Vinny Del Negro's firing. However, the same 'fairness' should relate to the job evaluation of Vice President John Paxson, and based on the longer-term track record of mediocrity, the evaluation should result in a similar termination for the VP.