Clippers Introduce Vinny Del Negro as New Head Coach

[IWannaGoHIGHER]

Hey Bulls Fan here. I think you guys got a great guy and a good coach. While it didn't work out here (for a couple reasons) I always liked Vinny as a coach. While he won't wow you with his X and O knowledge, he does work extremely hard and always has his players back. He always says the right things (I under the belief that isn't always a good thing) and he puts winning games before anything else. In two years we had a big mid-season trade his first year, we got rid of our leading scorer last off-season, in his second year we had another big mid-season trade, and were destroyed by injuries all year. With all of this we still went .500 in two years and made the playoffs twice. On paper I think you guys have a really good team and I think VDN will be a coach that will bring you success for years. All the best to VDN and Clippers nation.

Sincerely,
Bulls Fan

[mkwest]

Thanks IWannaGoHigher.

I'm hopeful. It's not the decision that I wanted by any means, but it's his team for the next 3 seasons. If he can keep the guys motivated and Blake is good to go, then we should be a fighting team. Will that result in wins? Time will tell, but I'll gladly take a team that wants to play hard every single night over one where you just don't know what type of energy is going to show up. That can go a long way and be the difference maker in between a win and a loss. We've had some games where we showed a tenacious spirit to beat a superior team or battle back from a deficit to win. The next night we might come out looking as bored as can be. If he infuses some heart and moxie into this team, then I'll gladly accept it.

For Panda and anyone else who missed and would like to see Del Negro Press Conference.

There are a couple of other videos to watch as well. Blake also shares his opinion.

The main thing to take away from the press conference is that we're going to play the right way

[Det the Threat]

Thanks IWannaGoHigher.

I'm hopeful. It's not the decision that I wanted by any means, but it's his team for the next 3 seasons. If he can keep the guys motivated and Blake is good to go, then we should be a fighting team. Will that result in wins? Time will tell, but I'll gladly take a team that wants to play hard every single night over one where you just don't know what type of energy is going to show up. That can go a long way and be the difference maker in between a win and a loss. We've had some games where we showed a tenacious spirit to beat a superior team or battle back from a deficit to win. The next night we might come out looking as bored as can be. If he infuses some heart and moxie into this team, then I'll gladly accept it.

For Panda and anyone else who missed and would like to see Del Negro Press Conference.

There are a couple of other videos to watch as well. Blake also shares his opinion.

The main thing to take away from the press conference is that we're going to play the right way :lol:

Not just that, we're also going to play defense, the right way.

Anyways, let's give him a chance and see what he can do.

We can always start a new fire Vinny homepage like that one of Dunleavy if he doesn't do well...

[cinnamon]

I just turned on the NBA Today show and heard the announcement that it's Coach Vinny for the Clippers.
His great strength seems to be that he presents himself brilliantly and talks a great game. Sure hope that turns out to be just what the team needs, however unlikely it seems to me.
Also, he's probably a great match for Sterling in that he will surely be cheap.
He must certainly be given a chance with this young team, to see what he can do. I hope they put someone in there who can do all the Xs and Os for him, as they did in Chicago, not that it worked there.
Personally, I haven't yet really recovered from seeing Marcus Camby removed from the team when he wanted so much to stay, and this feels like another really big blow --- I had hoped for so much better for the Clippers.
I like and respect the people on this board so much, but I hate to feel any bitterness over what's happening with the team when I've managed to avoid those feelings through years of Clipper difficulties, so I think it may be time for another (I hope brief) break for me. I'll go and do some deep breathing, and plan to be back here very soon.
Meanwhile, I surely do hope that Coach Vinny will prove me entirely wrong, and turn out to be the very guy who knows how to lead our guys out of the wilderness. May be that these young guys don't need an Xs and Os coach.

[mkwest]

Cinnamon,

I hope Vinny can prove a lot of people wrong, myself included. He's not who I wanted, but I'll give him a shot and hope for the best. I don't think that he is all bad, but I'm just skeptical that the players wouldn't have benefited more with a coach that is more of an effective teacher. Now, it's up to Vinny to bring in proper assistants to fill in the gaps.

DJ Foster at Clipper Blog is saying that Clipper sources confirm that Dean Demopoulos is under heavy consideration to join the team as our top assistant. He's known recognized around the league as one of the best defensive basketball minds in the league. He was an assistant at Temple under John Chaney for 16 years before joining Nate McMillian in both Seattle and Portland.

[mkwest]

Dave Severns and Dean Demopoulos will be assisting Del Negro for Summer League. Severns was on staff at Chicago and Demopoulos is out of Portland. Both are being considered for staff positions.