Without fear or hesitation, Derrick Rose glided through two defenders before going airborne into the 6-foot-11, 265-pound Magic mountain, Dwight Howard, for a hanging, heroic layup.
Talk about the earth moving Wednesday in Chicago.
The thud felt when Rose landed on the floor registered higher at the United Center than anything out near Sycamore, Ill. For a few anxious moments of uncertainty as Rose lay there grimacing in pain, a franchise shook with fear.
Then Rose got up, took a few deep breaths during a timeout, and hit a free throw before limping to the locker room with 9 minutes, 36 seconds left in the first quarter. Like the team he leads, Rose can take a hit too.
Perhaps that’s what we know most about the Bulls as they head into the All-Star break. In that way, they reflect Vinny Del Negro, their embattled coach and one of Chicago’s favorite pinatas.
Rose’s bruised right hip prevented the Bulls’ star from returning in the 107-87 loss to the Magic. If the Bulls are smart, they will limit Rose during this weekend’s All-Star festivities too. As if anybody needed reminding during the 20-point blowout without their franchise player, the Bulls without Rose are basically the Nets.
Just another challenging day at the office this season for Del Negro.
“We’ve had to deal with our adversity, but guys have stuck together,” Del Negro said.
Through all the drama of the first 51 games, Del Negro has emerged as almost a sympathetic figure. Everybody in town, except maybe Del Negro, accepts the main purpose of the Bulls’ season is to build a bridge to the summer of chasing marquee free agents. That makes the job as Bulls head coach interim, in reality, and as enviable a role as that of Illinois lieutenant governor.
Yet Wednesday’s weak effort notwithstanding, Del Negro deserves more respect than he has received — at least from here.
I wasn’t exactly out on a limb when I predicted in a Christmas column that the Bulls would break Del Negro’s heart by Valentine’s Day by firing him. The Bulls recently had blown a 35-point lead at home in a Dec. 21 loss to the Kings. Players were grousing. Even before GM Gar Forman’s awkward vote of no-confidence Dec. 29, rumors abounded that Bulls management had begun researching possible replacements.
Publicly, Del Negro never flinched.
“It’s a long season and you just have to keep working every day,” Del Negro said.
Taking that approach, Del Negro regularly answered questions about his job status without losing his composure. He pushed the right buttons by benching vets John Salmons and Brad Miller for Kirk Hinrich and rookie Taj Gibson. He kept encouraging Rose to become more aggressive, something more feasible without Ben Gordon around to need shots.
Of most significance in terms of the locker room, Del Negro stood up to Tyrus Thomas last week when Thomas reacted like an immature NBA brat in going berserk in Del Negro’s office. That earned Thomas a one-game suspension, and good for Vinny for enforcing it even with Joakim Noah out with an injury.
The Bulls are 15-9 since Dec. 26 — a .625 clip for what often plays like a sub-.500 roster. Fair is fair, so if you criticized Del Negro for an uneven start — and many of us did — then you have to commend his part in the latest spurt. The wheels could have come off. They didn’t. The Bulls could have quit. They haven’t.
I am not going to go all Charles Barkley on you and suggest Del Negro should be NBA coach of the year if the Bulls make the playoffs. The Bulls better make the playoffs — assuming Rose returns from his injured hip — given the paucity of good teams in the Eastern Conference. That’s just Barkley being Barkley.
Nobody is comparing Del Negro to Phil Jackson or your favorite Van Gundy or saying the Bulls will play .625 ball through February. Nor should anybody misunderstand a nod of approval in Del Negro’s direction at the All-Star break as an endorsement that he should return for a third season.
Fact is, no matter how many strides Del Negro may continue to make, whenever the Bulls season ends his tenure likely will end a day or two later. He still makes moves that make you throw the remote at Neil Funk. The Bulls’ long-range plan still hasn’t changed.
For instance, of all the positive Bulls developments lately, the most exciting may have come Saturday night against the Heat.
Wade received the second-loudest ovation (behind Rose) before making postgame comments that hinted he would welcome a new home next season.
Deep down, maybe Del Negro would too after his treatment here. But as he prepares for that uncertainty his resume looks more impressive now than it did two months ago.
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dhaugh@tribune.com
