I say CoachK praising Vinnie via Rose and it got me to thinking. I'm pretty torn on Del Novice He committed a series of tactical errors and a basic scheme at the beginning of the year that almost had people wishing for He Who Must Not Be Named back. On the other hand, everyone played hard and the team didn’t completely implode or fall apart the way it appeared it might several times. They played about to my expectations, given injuries and the unmerited fair shot that Hughes got (keep in mind that I didn’t have high expectations for Tyrus and Thabo). Another thing that’s tongue-in-cheekingly in Del Novice’s corner is that he unflinchingly played the guys who gave him the best chance to win instead of the guys the team owner seems to get a woody over. I suspect there’s a correlation between that fact and the fact he doesn’t get any love from said woodyless owner. OK, that’s the best endorsement of Vinnie I can give. With respect to Coach K saying this (H/T Blogabull... can't find the original link to Smith) I don’t see how in any way, shape or form he’s responsible for Rose’s desire and maturity to be a great player. I wonder if Kevin Loughery and Stan Albeck were getting this sort of praise 25 years ago.
Vinny and the staff kind of gave the keys to Rose and cut him loose. I don't know that a lot of other coaches would have done that with a rookie guard. Vinny's there to be a good people person and in that area he's exceeded. The moment Rose starts tuning him out is the day that Vinny is gone. He's a complete jackass but I like him for some reason. He's got everyone including fans, the Bulls owner and the rest of the NBA saying he's a novice but he's doing the best he can under those circumstances.
I agree, DC. Vinnie made Coaching 101 type tactical errors, like not having timeouts at the end of games. On the other hand, he was the polar opposite of unnamed coach - a players' coach. The game seemed to be fun for the players, not just a business.
