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TechnographBulls introduce head coach Del Negro amid skepticism
By Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press
Posted: 6/11/08 Section: Sports
CHICAGO - Vinny Del Negro realizes he won't win over fans until he wins a few games, so the Chicago Bulls' new coach understands the skepticism given his track record. After all, there is none.
The Bulls introduced Del Negro at a news conference on Wednesday, ending a seven-week search in which they tried to lure Mike D'Antoni from the Phoenix Suns and discussed a return engagement with Doug Collins. Instead, they wound up with someone who has never coached and a long line of skeptics in Chicago.
"I think that's fair," said Del Negro, the Phoenix Suns assistant general manager this season. "I haven't coached before. ... Winning builds confidence and there's a young team here that needs a confidence boost, I think. I'm not a magician. I just can't create things all of a sudden. It's going to be a daily process. Those are fair questions, I don't have a problem with that."
Del Negro may have been the third choice, but he convinced the Bulls he's the man to help turn around one of the league's biggest disappointments. The Bulls went from 49 wins to 49 losses and missed the playoffs after making the second round in 2007, leading to coach Scott Skiles' firing in December and interim coach Jim Boylan's dismissal on April 17. Their outlook improved when they struck gold in the lottery and landed the No. 1 pick in this month's draft.
Now they hope they found a gem in Del Negro, who spent the past two years in the Suns' front office after a three-year stint as a radio analyst. He got promoted to assistant general manager from director of player personnel and was interested in replacing D'Antoni after he left for New York, but a lack of experience kept Del Negro off the list of finalists. The Suns ultimately hired Terry Porter, and Chicago wound up with Del Negro after a seven-week soap opera.
The Bulls were prepared to offer D'Antoni the job in early May once they met for the second time in as many days, but D'Antoni took the Knicks' four-year, $24 million offer before hearing chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's pitch. Collins entered the picture after Chicago won the lottery and seemed headed from the TNT broadcast table back to Chicago, where he coached Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in the late 1980s before their championship run.
The Bulls introduced Del Negro at a news conference on Wednesday, ending a seven-week search in which they tried to lure Mike D'Antoni from the Phoenix Suns and discussed a return engagement with Doug Collins. Instead, they wound up with someone who has never coached and a long line of skeptics in Chicago.
"I think that's fair," said Del Negro, the Phoenix Suns assistant general manager this season. "I haven't coached before. ... Winning builds confidence and there's a young team here that needs a confidence boost, I think. I'm not a magician. I just can't create things all of a sudden. It's going to be a daily process. Those are fair questions, I don't have a problem with that."
Del Negro may have been the third choice, but he convinced the Bulls he's the man to help turn around one of the league's biggest disappointments. The Bulls went from 49 wins to 49 losses and missed the playoffs after making the second round in 2007, leading to coach Scott Skiles' firing in December and interim coach Jim Boylan's dismissal on April 17. Their outlook improved when they struck gold in the lottery and landed the No. 1 pick in this month's draft.
Now they hope they found a gem in Del Negro, who spent the past two years in the Suns' front office after a three-year stint as a radio analyst. He got promoted to assistant general manager from director of player personnel and was interested in replacing D'Antoni after he left for New York, but a lack of experience kept Del Negro off the list of finalists. The Suns ultimately hired Terry Porter, and Chicago wound up with Del Negro after a seven-week soap opera.
The Bulls were prepared to offer D'Antoni the job in early May once they met for the second time in as many days, but D'Antoni took the Knicks' four-year, $24 million offer before hearing chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's pitch. Collins entered the picture after Chicago won the lottery and seemed headed from the TNT broadcast table back to Chicago, where he coached Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in the late 1980s before their championship run.
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