The team’s performance and effort against Boston really hurt us here. Here was a guy in Eddie Jordan who actually had an offensive system that emphasized up tempo play AND efficient, movement-oriented half court sets. I love Sam Smith, but he’s defended Vinny on the basis of the players’ effort down the stretch and the foibles of Mike Brown and George Karl during the playoffs. Vinny’s not worth keeping just because the league is full of crappy coaches whose deficiencies are often overcome by superior talent.

This is a player’s league and 7 times out of 10, talent wins out. But, when play bogs down or the situation otherwise calls for it, the coach has to step up and make something happen. Not only did we not have a defensive system for the entire year, but we didn’t have an offensive system either. How hard is it to realize that BG would excel off of pin downs (and not isolations time and again) or that Tyrus Thomas should be involved in at least 4-5 alley oops a game while he roams the baseline (instead of pick and pops and/or awkward TT one on one moments)? How hard was it to realize that, with a wounded Rondo on Rose in the middle of the series that we should have gone 1-4 and tell Rose to take him off the dribble? Nope – we get Vinny’s stupid coach-speak, stubbornness and general ineptitude.

Are we done paying Scott Skiles? Don’t we pay Vinny on a hourly basis anyway? As many have said here, we are going to get twenty games of VDN next year, the team will be 7-13 and we’ll be calling for his head. When we get it, instead of getting Eddie Jordan, we will get Del Harris. Great job Bulls!