"Vinny is our coach,'' Forman said in a meeting with media prior to the Bulls-Indiana Pacers game at the United Center on Tuesday. "Our goal is to get better each and every day. We are exploring options to get better."
Forman was taken to task in Chicago for failing to respond Monday to an internet report that the Bulls have already decided to fire Del Negro as soon as they find a suitable replacement. Del Negro spoke to the issue at Bulls practice Monday but Forman turned down media requests to respond.
On Tuesday, Forman backed Del Negro to the extent team philosophy allowed him.
"There is a lot of season left this year,'' Forman said. "Today we are half a game out of the playoffs with 50-odd games left to play. We like our young core. That doesn't mean we aren't exploring options to make our team better.
"We have a philosophy with our organization that we are not going to talk about specific articles or rumors that may cross the internet, newspapers or TV,'' he said. "If we respond to every trade rumor or everything that is going on with negotiations or personnel, we spend our whole day responding to those things, and that takes us away from what we try to do each and every day, which is try to get better."
The Bulls are 11-17, and pressure on Del Negro grew strongest when the Bulls lost to Sacramento last week after leading by 35 points in the third quarter. Since then, the Bulls have lost at New York and beat New Orleans at home Saturday.
"Up to this point in our season, we have had a number of injuries to our key guys, and have had a very difficult schedule up to this point of the season,'' Forman said. "There have been things that have gone against us. But there is an old saying: 'You are what your record is.' We are 11-17, and nobody in the organization is happy with where we are at."
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