Wojnarowski: Sources: Bulls VP Paxson shoved Del Negro

Yea, that's tough to believe. Of course, the anti-VDN spin didn't provide an details of what really happened. And on the other side, more details come out explaining what happened ("i should have fired you", "f you", push) on Chicago radio yesterday and

from http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...l-negro-john-paxson-b20100414,0,5586197.story

"Sources have told the Tribune it took two assistants to restrain Paxson."

 

Well, here's what Del Negro said after the game

And then Forman comes along and says:

So basically, Vinny is explaining things in a non-confrontational way. He's actually saying "this is my interpretation", leaving open the possibility he was wrong.

Forman follows this up by saying something vague (how much is "as needed" in this context) and improbable (the implication that Vinny should have played him more and was just wrong). In short, he made Vinny out to be a fool and said management approved of playing Noah in the OT.

Now, Vinny is not a good coach, and he may be a fool, but the GM saying as much is almost as inappropriate as an employer physically attacking a subordinate. And likewise, there was nothing to be gained from it at all. By hanging Vinny out to dry, Forman provoked a response. If he'd simply said something along the lines of what Vinny said, it would have been a non-issue.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...oah-bulls-nets-chicag20100409,0,6653177.story

Actually, VDN first said,

Now, your larger points stands. GarPaxDorf could have let this alone...and should have. GarPaxDorf can talk to the coach privately. GarPaxDorf can fire him. GarPaxDorf doesn't have to go to the media and ignite this controversy. They are emotional babies.

Slightly OT: But why is Paxson the guy to make the call whether Noah can play more than 35 minutes? If it's Noah's health that is the concern, why isn't the trainer deciding?

 

John Paxson, MD knows what's best for his guys.

I always wonder how these health things become issues or not issues. I mean, James Johnson had an even more severe form of the same injury Taj had, and he came out and said he was playing. And he did. Taj had a milder form, but has apparently played without limits.

Are there medical reasons for this, or is it just because Pax gives a shit about Noah and wants to play it safe with him, but gives less of a shit about JJ and Taj?

I hope all of this stuff is backed up by medical advice, but even under the best of circumstances, that medical advice is uncertain. While Noah's obviously a more important player than JJ or Taj, there's no sense in being less cautious with them than with Noah.

 

I give less of a shit about Taj, and especially JJ. And I think Paxson was the guy holding Vinny to the trainer's recommendation all along so that he could eventually come back. By the time the Nets OT came around, there was nothing to hold him back for, the season was basically on the line.

And that's why I think Vinny's response was him trying to be cute. Because that's what the arrangement was supposed to be before. Then GarPax said go ahead and play him, and Vinny decided to show them how silly he thought their original plan was. Or something along those lines.

I also think the fact that Gar pulled the rug out from under Vinny on that one speaks to the ongoing nature of the problem and gives credibility to the previous Vinny altercations. So does the "Vinny getting sworn affidavits" thing. If Vinny was viewed as the good soldier, they would have covered for him. They covered for him last year when he did dumb stuff and lost games.

I don't think Vinny played this one too smart. Everybody has given him the benefit of the doubt for the team's struggles because BG was let go despite Vinny's shortcomings and the fact that letting BG go was a no brainer. So all he needed to do was make sure guys played hard. He was gone either way. Leaking this thing was a bad idea. Now this whole thing is going to come back and stain him.

 

Ah, the rewards of being a good soldier.

 

I wonder:

How serious was the 35 minute limit? Was it set by Paxson or the doctors?

Before this happened, what were the players attitudes towards management?

The way the end of the Nets game played out struck me as queer. The coach trying to relay a message to the GM at the end of a game about whether to play a guy for one minute does not seem like good management practices. Either the injury is pretty serious or Paxson is just trying to exert his dominance, it would seem.

I'm worried that this stupid fiasco may cost us our 2010 free agent. This is almost as bad as being a 16 win team. The one saving grace would be if the players already has an 'us vs. them' attitude when it came to management, and.....possibly.........this scenario might even give Vinny some street cred, but that's probably wishful thinking.

 

At this point do we want Vinny to have street cred? Cause he's gone no matter what. The more sympathetic he becomes, the more weird it'll get for the Bulls.

That being said, it'll be a lot of fun to follow the story lines. Think of how hilarious it'll be if the Bulls somehow knock off the Cavs. How does management go about canning Vinny in the (extremely unlikely) event that happens.

re: the minute limit, I agree it's pretty queer. It's probably something to take seriously, however, if it's in place a week after your boss turns green, rips his clothes off, and beats the snot out of you over breaking it.