Junior — The reason I’m not sure I’d want Eddie coaching the Bulls is because, except for one successful stretch last season, he couldn’t get the Wizards to play defense with any consistency. The Bulls need that. That’s another one of their problems I didn’t mention in today’s post…

Hillmatic — You know, I suspect Vinny had some great ideas during the interviewing process. But sometimes it’s hard to put those ideas into effect when it’s time to do so. For instance, when I was in college, I was given a position that was, essentially, to be the night manager of a dorm (or Staff Resident, head of the R.A.’s). I got the job based on a home-run interview in which I isolated all the staff problems and proposed the perfect solutions…few of which I was able to make happen due to various problems with the staff itself. I think Vinny’s in the same place. I would like to know what he said in he interview though…

PT from Oaktown — I agree for the most part…although I think Gooden can contribute to the team. I just wish he was more consistent. Of course, i wish EVERYBODY on this team was more consistent.

DUDURTY — Yeah, Pax, I think, just wanted a placeholder coach. Guys have become available, and more guys will by the end of the season. And if there’s somebody he wants, it’ll be easy enough to get rid of Vinny, make him the fall guy. But Paxson has screwed up too many opportunities. Trading LaMarcus Aldridge, paying out the butt for Ben Wallace when he already had Tyson Chandler (whom he then traded away for nothing). So on and so forth.

That sums it up for me. This team is hard to watch. Gordon TT stop turning the ball over you are killing me!

It is much to expect them to change mid-season, but some improvement on the handles is within reason.

Given the quote you provided from vdn it seems like he gets all because he, essentially, said the exact same thing. “You can’t turn the ball over.” (self-explanatory). “You have to know your limitations and know time and score.” (i.e. the players who are trying to be go-to players are not real go-to players).

I guess the question becomes whether or not a coach can fix any of those problems mid-season and with no change in personal.

First, I mean really, what are you supposed to do about turnovers anyways? Do you practice NOT turning the ball over? Obviously not but the issue is still “coachable” in so far as the problem is chemistry: players sulking on the team, potential trades looming, and a coach that the players perhaps dont respect. Bad passing and bad flow come from teams that dont have set rotations and dont have a hierarchy of players that everyone respects (i.e some players think they should be playing more and other think they should be shooting more).

The giving away career nights to mediocre players is definitely an issue with the coach. It simply means that players are not being properly prepared for any other players then the opposing teams stars. Sure, players like noah and tt could be unprofessional and not really pay attention to scouting of mediocre players. I doubt this is the crux of the problem because the career nights seem to come from players at all positions not just, say, pf or center.

Not having a go-to player down the stretch. Well the issue here is the hierarchy on the team. Gordan has shown the ability to make big-shots and manufacture offense but he fluctuates on this because occasionally the bulls run into a team that has a player that can stay in front of him. Gordan definitely is not at the level of stardom where he can impose his will on whomever is guarding him.

I mean really you hit the nail on the coffin when you said they are relying on rose. Obviously, rose is that leader. What was the issue before this year? People where asking larry hughes at the end of last year whether or not the bulls needed a real pack leader, a wolf, and an assassin. They dont ask that anymore because Rose has shown glimpses of that this year.

It really comes down to the fact that the bulls when close games when rose is facing defenses that are prone to his type of attack and when his jump shot is falling. If you watch the games that rose has taken over down the stretch and been a true go-to guy — having his number called time and again — he essentially fakes the drive to the hoop, gets separation from the opposing point guard and knocked down the mid-range shot.

If they aint falling then the bulls aint winning in crunch time.