Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro gains credibility with Game 7

[Angel strike1]

aw. i kinda feel bad for him after reading that. he is still not the coach i want but can we give him chance? maybe if he gets good assistant coaches

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--clippers-coach-vinny-del-negro-gains-credibility-with-game-7-win.html;_ylt=Aurb_GjiNxHcgxLSH8_uiRm8vLYF


MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In the bowels of an empty arena, the NBA's most maligned coach stood in a long, narrow corridor and clutched a big tub of popcorn. The Los Angeles Clippers' Vinny Del Negro has been a punch line for people, a B-list Hollywood sitcom foil forever on the wrong end of the gag, a former player and front-office executive portrayed as a bumbling sideline caretaker.

Somehow, he's been the coach who gets all the blame and none of the credit. Yes, he understands that's the nature of the business. Only now, Del Negro was leaving Memphis with a Game 7 victory on Sunday, leaving with a berth in the Western Conference semifinals, and a measure of vindication belonged to him. He's been the easiest target in basketball, but people have underestimated his staying power.

In a shortened season with complete roster turnover, several injuries and no practice time, it had been reported that Del Negro lost his locker room two months ago. He was a dead coach walking. He listens to a lot this, lets most of it go, but that story cut to his credibility and stayed on his mind. In the biggest victory of his coaching career, on his way to San Antonio for the Western Conference semifinals, the mere mention still made him seethe.

[mkwest]

I edited the quote for length.

There needs to be a Del Negro popcorn gif.

It was a good article by Woj that brought up a lot of good points. Things go well, coaches are heralded (unless you have certain players on the team), things go bad, then the coach receives the blame. There are different types of coaches in the league. Some are strictly tacticians, others are motivators. Some are in the middle and that may still not be enough. Dunleavy had a million plays, but it was Lucas that was the motivator that got guys going. Someone like Doc can been seen as a motivator, but he has had assistants on the sidelines that cover any shortcomings that he may have as a tactician.

In the other thread, I said that I would not be surprised to see Vinny back no matter what happens in the San Antonio series. If we pass them, then he's definitely back. I would like to see us add a little more experience to the coaching staff. When we all thought that Vinny was on the hot seat, the interim coaches did not generate a great deal of confidence that they would do any better. I like Pack, but he only has 3 years of experience himself. Iavaroni was with D'Antoni in Phoenix, but didn't look so hot when he was HC for the Grizzlies. Demopoulos spent time in Portland as a defensive guy, but we have strong concerns about our defense. Perhaps Vinny benefits by not having a strong assistant that could possibly be promoted if the organization decides that it wants to shake things up mid-season.

I would love for Sloan to coach this team. That may be a long shot. Let's say that Orlando trades Dwight and keeps SVG. That gives us McMillan, D'Antoni, and some of the assistants around the league that are looking for head jobs. Those guys don't necessarily make us that much better and they have their own inefficiencies. It kind of sucks.

[DangerCurtis]

I support the team in giving Vinny his 3rd year option, but considering the coaching possibilities, outside of the ones mkwest listed, I've heard Brian Shaw brought up a few times and I'm intrigued by that possibility.

Though I highly doubt they'd consider Brian Shaw, it'd be interesting to see if he could implement the triangle in the event that the front office decides to depart from Vinny. Similarly as a small bonus, getting Shaw would send a message to the Lakers.

[og15]

Truth be told, a significant part of the coaching fraternity is much more interested in working the angles to get Del Negro's job for themselves. With Paul and Griffin as cornerstones, the Clippers have turned into a plumb assignment. This is a backstabbing business, and rest assured, there's been a serious scrum to get into position to replace Del Negro

This is an interesting point that probably gets ignored. For example, in game 6, JVG is commentating. Let's say he's still interested in coaching, he will be quite quick to criticize coaching mistakes, or to pin mistakes on the coach if the Clippers are a team he'd like to coach.

[TheNewEra]

Please no more Vinny after this series he could be an assistant coach though for us.