Some Thoughts on the Gordon Fining

January 23rd, 2009 by Andrew Wamboldt

As many Bulls fans know by now, Vinny Del Negro fined Ben Gordon for missing a team flight deadline. This led to a heated exchange between Gordon and Del Negro in front of the media, before the two went off to a disclosed area.

Whether Vinny was right that Gordon missed the flight deadline or not, Del Negro is still in the wrong.

The Bulls last road game was against the New York Knicks on Monday. The game was played at noon, so there might have been some uncertainty over the flight departure time. These things happen. Just yesterday, Stan Van Gundy chose not to fine Dwight Howard for arriving to the stadium late, because Van Gundy was understanding of the circumstances that made Howard late.

But the big thing, was Vinny’s approach. Why did it take until Thursday to inform Gordon of a fine for an offense that he would have had to committed on Monday at the latest, as that was the last time the Bulls would have been flying. Did Ben Gordon irk Vinny during practice that he had to go fine Gordon for something that happened a few days ago? Players should be fined then and there, not eons after the incident occurred.

And the approach was unprofessional. Leaving a note in a player’s locker informing him he was fined? Is Del Negro too scared to confront a player face to face? If that’s the case, Vinny has no business coaching any team in this league or even a junior high team. This is very reminiscent of the communication breakdown between Scott Skiles and Tyson Chandler, when Skiles insisted that he had sent Chandler emails. Vinny was sold as a great communicator, but it turns out that he isn’t a very good communicator, which begs the question, what is he good at?

It is time for Bulls fans to rise up and demand a real coach. The Bulls should currently be coached by Mike D’Antoni, the choice of general manager John Paxson. Unfortunately, Reinsdorf scared D’Antoni away with his cheapness. There is no reason why the Bulls fans should have to suffer through another incarnation of Jim Boylan. It’s time for the Bulls to get a real coach. Coaches like Jeff Van Gundy and Avery Johnson fit the bill. Hopefully Bulls fans will be blessed to have a coach of that ilk next year.