There isn’t much to say about the Bulls’ easy 120-87 victory over the slumping Detroit Pistons, other than, “What was Joe Dumars thinking last summer?”
So this is a good time to examine some recent Internet rumors regarding the Bulls.
--I saw one today on ESPN.com asking if coach Vinny Del Negro is now in the clear after so much speculation about his job security last month.
I’ll agree with the headline, since that’s what I wrote on Dec. 27. There’s no guarantee Del Negro will finish the season, but the Bulls are not anxious to make a change.
To review, the Bulls went through that brutal stretch in early December of two 30-point defeats sandwiched around a home loss to the lowly New Jersey Nets. Management made a level-headed decision to give Del Negro a chance to turn things around with a healthier roster.
Then came the 35-point blown lead against Sacramento on Dec. 21. VP of basketball operations John Paxson doesn’t take routine losses well, so I can only imagine what he was like after that one.
From what I hear, the Bulls did discuss the possibility of Paxson taking over as coach but decided against that plan, possibly due to the likelihood Paxson would be thrown out of every game. Keep in mind, he never would have made it to the NBA without that feisty side of his personality, which still exists.
They might have toyed with the idea of approaching ex-Nets coach Lawrence Frank, but did not turn to Doug Collins regarding the coaching job, as was reported in many places. There was a reason the Bulls rejected Collins as a coaching candidate in the summer of 2008 and nothing has changed. Let's just say Citizen Doug and Coach Doug are two very different people.
So I’m sure the Bulls are thinking about coaching candidates for next summer. What’s also apparent is Del Negro seems to have a lot of friends around the league. When word gets around that a Bulls’ representative is checking background on, say, Eric Musselman (don’t worry, he’s not getting the job), it gets shared with the media and Bulls management ends up looking bad.
The bottom line is the Bulls are 6-3 in their last nine games. Obviously, the players haven’t quit on Del Negro. That speaks well for his coaching style and probably refutes the idea that Bulls GM Gar Forman undermined Del Negro’s authority by declining to give a phony vote of confidence back on Dec. 29.
Indiana’s Larry Bird gave his coach, Jim O’Brien, public support at the same time. How’s that one working out?
BOSH AND THOMAS
--There has been speculation that Toronto’s Chris Bosh will be auctioned off before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. That may not be true, since Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo has maintained all season that he wants to ride it out and try to sign Bosh next summer. If the all-star power forward wants to leave, Colangelo has vowed to work out a sign-and-trade.
Anyway, the Bulls will absolutely make a run at Bosh if he’s available, offering basically anyone but Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Bosh would be much more effective with the Bulls if he plays next to Noah, because post defense isn’t his specialty.
There was a line in another story suggesting the Bulls will be devastated if they don’t land Bosh next summer because he’s their No. 1 target.
That’s not true. Dwyane Wade is their top target, unless LeBron James sends word that he’s interested. Atlanta’s Joe Johnson is probably candidate 1A and playing in Chicago would do wonders for his national profile. So that might be a realistic scenario.
--From what I can tell, Tyrus Thomas getting the quick hook in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over Minnesota was about him taking a quick jump shot on a fast-break opportunity.
He went into the game early on Monday against Detroit and attempted just 6 shots. I don’t remember any of them being a jumper. Thomas finished with a career-high 6 steals, to go with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
As I’ve said many times, Thomas works hard on his outside shot and the Bulls should let him shoot it, because there could be a nice payoff, especially in late-game situations, if a guy with his athleticism gets comfortable with his jump shot.
So Saturday's incident doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I think most Bulls fans would like to see Thomas get consistent minutes and be allowed to play through mistakes.
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