Del Negro sets sail on maiden voyage

Денг Гордон · Sep 30, 2008

In October 1988, Vinny Del Negro reported to his first NBA training camp with the Sacramento Kings. That same month, Derrick Rose was born.

Tuesday, Del Negro and Rose took the Berto Center court for their first NBA practice in their new roles as head coach and No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

"It's basketball," the upbeat Del Negro said. "How can it not be fun?"

Nearly five hours of practice over two sessions, not to mention sporadic quizzing from Del Negro, might test some players' theory of fun. But in the all-positive early days of any training camp, everything goes.

"He asked us questions about what we're trying to run and what's in the playbook," Rose said of Del Negro. "He means business."

Several players talked about Del Negro's communication and organization as benchmarks from his first official practices as an NBA coach. Del Negro is using the morning sessions to review concepts and terminology with drills and also work on conditioning. The evening session is more for scrimmaging and contact.

His message to his players before taking the floor was simple.

"We're all together pulling in the same direction," Del Negro said. "Obviously, it's a long season and adversity happens. But I have faith in our younger guys, and especially our veteran guys, to take ownership and not let those things become an issue.

"I won't stand for that. And the players know that. They're going to work hard and play hard or they won't be out there."

Del Negro complimented the players' work ethic, energy level and leadership. The players, in turn, complimented Del Negro. Again, everything's positive when the record is 0-0.

"Very organized, every [work] station was on time, guys were moving and he kept everyone focused," forward Luol Deng said. "He has been great communicating. He's easy to reach and easy to talk to."

Del Negro may be conducting his first training camp, but he has been around the NBA long enough to know bumps are coming. His boss knows too.

"There will be a learning curve with Vinny," general manager John Paxson said. "But I know Vinny has worked very hard at preparing himself."
Click to expand...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-01-bulls-chicagooct01,0,4159907.story

Денг Гордон · Sep 30, 2008

On Vinny Del Negro's count of three, the Bulls broke their first practice under their new coach Tuesday with one word: ''Together!''

Del Negro next had the players pair off for lunch, with the coaching staff giving each duo questions to ask each other.

''We're doing a lot of different things,'' Del Negro said. ''The better they get to know each other, the better they'll want to fight for each other. That's what it's all about: getting everybody on the same page as quick as possible. You're all together, pulling in the same direction. I'm big into, when they walk into the building, being focused on what their job is.''

Top draft pick Derrick Rose was understandably excited to get going for his first official practice. The former Simeon and Memphis star rolled out of bed at 7 a.m. to prepare for the 9:30 practice, which ran almost 2½ hours.

''This was great,'' Rose said. ''I really couldn't believe it that I'm finally in the NBA. So I got up early, thinking that I was a professional. I got here early to warm up and all that stuff. It made me feel good.''

The training staff will monitor just how good Rose's right knee tendinitis is for each of these first five two-a-day sessions. Rose had the knee wrapped in ice after the first session, which included non-contact, conditioning and shooting drills. Del Negro wants to make sure he doesn't give Rose more than he can handle, physically or mentally, during training camp.

''He's had a very demanding summer, and he's worked very hard,'' Del Negro said. ''But he's still a rookie. The point guard position is the most difficult to adapt to. We're going to monitor him, and the more comfortable he feels, the more we'll give him. He's been tremendous, and obviously we expect a lot out of him.''

General manager John Paxson told the players Monday that the fans expect a lot more from this team than the often-subpar effort of the 33-49 squad last season.

''I did mention to them [that] last year, for the first time in a long time, the thing I heard from fans was that guys don't look like they play very hard,'' Paxson said. ''[They] look like they play selfishly. That's Vinny and the staff's job. They need to get our guys back to playing competitively. Our fans have always appreciated for as long as I've been here [that] if you go out and give it all you have and are playing together, playing good, hard basketball, they can live with that.

''We all want to win. But we're coming off the heels of a 33-win season. I'm not worried about anything right now other than us getting back to playing hard and playing competitively like we have in the past. That's really the bottom line. Then everything else takes care of itself.''

Del Negro prides himself in being organized, an attribute that was on display Tuesday.

''Very organized,'' forward Luol Deng said. ''He's really good at communicating, on and off the court. He was walking around keeping everybody focused.''

Del Negro was asked if his practice plan was perfect to a ''T.''

''I don't know about to a 'T,' but I have a plan,'' he said. ''Hopefully, it will continually evolve on how I feel the team can be best used with their skills. A big job for a coach is to put your players in the most successful areas [and] hide their weaknesses. Everybody know their job and work together. As we move on, everybody will understand even more.''
Click to expand...

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/basketball/bulls/1194482,CST-SPT-bull01.article

Денг Гордон · Sep 30, 2008

As the Bulls walked off the court following their first practice of the 2008-09 season, first-year coach Vinny Del Negro barked out one final instruction:

"(Assistant coach) Mike Wilhelm has your questions!"

Does that mean Del Negro is planning to administer post-practice quizzes for his players?

"Yeah, we're doing a lot of different things," Del Negro answered. "I'm big on when they walk into the building, being focused on what their job is. Obviously, I think the better they get to know each other, the more they'll want to go fight and go to war with each other."

Tuesday's workout at the Berto Center featured two notable debuts. It was the first time Del Negro had ever conducted a full practice as an NBA coach, and No. 1 draft pick Derrick Rose made his official debut as a member of the Bulls.

While Del Negro shrugged off the launch of his coaching career by saying, "It's just basketball," Rose expressed strong sentiment about the personal milestone.

"This is great," said Rose, a lifelong Chicago native. "I woke up early around 7 o'clock. Practice was at 9:30, but I really couldn't believe it that I'm finally in the NBA. So I got up early thinking that I was a professional, getting here early, warming up and all that stuff. It made me feel good."

Del Negro and general manager John Paxson have made a point to stress that Rose will be brought along slowly. They know point guard is a difficult spot to learn, and Rose has just one year of college experience at Memphis.

At the same time, the Bulls are also setting out to mold their style of play around Rose's talents. Basically, the plan is to run the floor as much as possible and take advantage of a small, but deep, roster.

"He looked great today pushing the ball," forward Luol Deng said of Rose. "He was really paying attention, running through the plays."

Tuesday's morning practice lasted 2 hours, but Del Negro said it was mostly about conditioning and learning concepts to put into use for full-contact practice in the evening. Five double sessions are planned for the first week of training camp.

Del Negro has a reputation for being meticulously well-prepared, and Deng felt that trait was displayed at the initial practice.

"It was great," Deng said. "Very organized. Every station was on time. Guys were moving in the right place. He was moving around, keeping everybody focused."

For his part, Rose seemed willing to tackle whatever quiz questions were in store following practice.

"I think there are going to be questions like, 'What did we talk about in practice? What did he write on the board? The playbook, what's in it?'" he said. "(Del Negro) means business. It's really just to help us get better."

If one of the questions is, "Should a rookie start at point guard for an NBA team?" Rose has an answer prepared.

"If we're winning with me on the bench, winning with me in the lineup, I'll take either," he said. "As long as we win and make it to the playoffs and this city is going crazy. It really doesn't matter who's starting. As long as we're winning, I'll be happy."
Click to expand...

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=239414&src=150

Log in or Sign up

Del Negro sets sail on maiden voyage

Денг Гордон Member

Денг Гордон Member

Денг Гордон Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Del Negro sets sail on maiden voyage

Moderators

Денг Гордон Member

Денг Гордон Member

Денг Гордон Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches