A LETTER FROM VINNY DEL NEGRO

Bulls fans, check out this letter Coach Vinny Del Negro recently sent to Bulls ticket holders. One thing is for sure, Coach VDN is definitely saying all the right things in terms of competing every night and about his philosophy next year. Let's hope all of these things he listed and talked about in his letter really happens next season.

One part that really stuck out to me is when he talks about the Coaches that he has played under, and learned from. Those are definitely some amazing coaches he listed, so hopefully VDN has learned well, and can implement some of the things that he has learned from those coaches, onto the court next year.

Anyways, check out this letter, it is pretty cool...



A Letter From Vinny Del Negro...


Dear Vikas,

When named the new head coach of the Chicago Bulls, I couldn’t have been more excited. I had to sit back for a moment just to let it sink in. I thought of all the people who helped me in my life – my wife Lynn, parents Vin and Peg, sisters Therese and Nina, all the great coaches and teammates I’ve had and how fortunate I was to play professionally for 14 years. What a wonderful opportunity I’ve been given to coach one of the premier franchises in all of sports, especially one with such an incredible legacy. Being a head coach is something I’ve been working towards for quite a while, and with the support of John Paxson and Jerry Reinsdorf, everything worked out perfectly.

Being a first year head coach in the NBA, I understand that there’s going to be scrutiny from fans and media. It comes with this position. I haven’t coached before, so that’s to be expected. But I’m very confident in my abilities. I’ve been around the game my entire life as a player (12 years in the NBA and 2 in Italy), radio color analyst, director of player personnel and assistant general manager. I can guarantee you a few things you’ll see on the court next season. We’re going to be well-prepared, well-conditioned and we’re going to compete every night. We have a young group which is hungry to succeed, skilled and wants to get better. It’s my job to draw those skills out of them. I want to get this team back to playing at a high level – it’s what the great fans of Chicago deserve.

My coaching philosophy starts with defense. In any sport, all great teams need to have a defensive resolve about them. With the talent I have to work with, I expect us to dig in defensively and create some easy baskets on the offensive end. On offense, I want our guys to play quick, but not be in a hurry. NBA players enjoy a more up-tempo brand of basketball, and I want our guys to play loose, smart and take advantage of their athletic ability.

I’ve been fortunate to play for some great coaches, all of whom will influence my style and how I approach this new challenge. It’s hard to name them all, but a few that stand out are Greg Popovich, George Karl, Bob Hill and Jim Valvano, my college coach at N.C. State. I’ve tried to learn from their many strengths and philosophies, and also from their weaknesses. The game has changed a lot since I played. I believe communication with players is a huge key. A good head coach needs to be accessible and open-minded. And he needs to clearly communicate individual rules and team concepts.

I’m excited to get things started this summer and get everyone on the same page. A big key to our success for the upcoming season is how our guys work and prepare this summer. I’ve met with each player personally so they know what I expect from them. Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah are all players who I really liked when I was the Assistant General Manager in Phoenix, and the addition of Derrick Rose is certainly going to help me implement my system quickly. I want the ball in Derrick’s hands to push it up the court and make his teammates more effective. I’ll look to run a lot of screen/roll offensive sets to take advantage of his talents. He has all the physical tools to succeed, and as he becomes more acclimated to the system, we’ll give him more responsibility.

Although basketball has encompassed my entire life in a variety of capacities, I still find time to relax when I’m away from the game. I spend a lot of time with my wife Lynn traveling and going out to nice dinners. Being Italian and playing in Italy for 2 years, Italian food is definitely my favorite. I played a lot of golf when I retired from the NBA, and if I wasn’t a head coach or involved in basketball in some way, I’d be doing something in golf. I grew up playing a lot of soccer. I dribbled the soccer ball to and from school, around the house and played matches with my buddies. I also played baseball and ran track in high school. The Godfather, Gladiator and Braveheart are at the top of my favorite movie list.

Lastly, I want you to know how honored I am to be the new head coach of the Bulls. I understand the responsibility ahead of me, I look forward to the challenge and I’m excited to get the hard work started. I know what fantastic and supportive fans the Bulls have from my NBA playing days, and I’m confident we’re going to build this team back to a championship level where it belongs.

See you at the UC soon,

Vinny Del Negro