Gordon Fined By Del Negro

Published: January 22, 2009

NBA egos are fragile–even ones that don’t appear to be inflamed like Ben Gordon.

Gordon, the soft-spoken and poker-faced scorer for the Bulls, was fined by Vinny Del Negro on Thursday for undisclosed reasons. According to 670thescore.com, Gordon was seen waving a piece of paper, shouting expletives.

This comes after Del Negro fined Tyrus Thomas and Larry Hughes for eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the locker room before a game.

I guess all those inspirational quotes are helping this under-accomplished team. Maybe a dash of Lou Holtz. Maybe not.

Players like Luol Deng were asked if they respected their first-time coach. Deng was generous by saying he did, but wasn’t happy about the fine for his teammate.

Del Negro is beginning to paint the portrait of the overzealous teacher who comes into a failing school and passes out Shakespeare when the students are busily sending texts on their cell phones.

“Who is this guy?”

He’s watched too many Morgan Freeman movies.

He’s not quite a disciplinarian (Scott Skiles); nor is he a tactician (Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich). He is without an identity, without credibility, without a team that cares.

But what’s more, this team has regressed on the defensive side of the ball. Del Negro has given his players or fans little confidence in any aspect, really. Where’s the run-and-gun that was boasted? Sure, there’s the occasional fast break, but the Bulls aren’t even good at it.

Bottom line: I’d be surprised if Del Negro is not gone by season’s end.

For a team that is still trying to establish a direction–rebuild or win-now–this is a dramatic and terrible indictment on John Paxson. Del Negro deserved some room with this team, but it’s becoming obvious how the roster is reacting to his antics.

The scarier thought is: What does this do for Derrick Rose?

Rose is a marvelous talent, one that could redefine the point guard position as we know it with his off-the-charts athleticism. But he’s young, malleable and dependent on some direction, particualry at his position.

Thankfully Rose is good enough to go through another coach. After all, he was only coached by John Calipari in Memphis for one year. But it’s not an ideal scenario for a young star.

Rose has struggled on defense and part of that is experience, and the other part is coaching.

Obviously, it’s the latter that can be changed.

Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media

One Comment on "Gordon Fined By Del Negro"

rashad on Fri, 23rd Jan 2009 3:55 pm

When I heard this story, I immediately said out loud, “Who the hell does Vinnie think he is?”. He and Wade Phillips should switch jobs

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.

Gordon Fined By Del Negro

Recent Headlines