Bulls will open the preseason on Thursday at home against the Mavericks
Del Negro stressing focus, energy in first training camp
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Posted October 7, 2008
Head Coach Vinny Del Negro recently took a break from training camp to talk about the upcoming season, the teams to beat in the NBA, the progression of rookie point guard Derrick Rose, and what he expects out of his Bulls in the coming weeks.
Bulls.com: Talk about your training camp so far and your prospects for the upcoming season.
Vinny Del Negro: “Training camp has gone well. We’ve got a lot of things to put in. There are so many things to talk about in terms of training camp—adding Derrick Rose, a new coaching staff, a new system; some veteran players and some young players. We’ve had a few injuries for some of our big guys but they’ve been nothing major. We’ve got a good balance and we’ve put a good number of things in [place] in a short period of time. It’s a building process and there are no easy answers. It’s just a matter of getting on the court and getting the work put in.”
Bulls.com: Is it easier to move forward now that Ben Gordon’s contract situation has been resolved?
Del Negro: “Absolutely. Ben’s been terrific. He’s a big part of this team and we need him to have a great season. It’s time to play basketball and he will resume conversations with the Bulls after the season. Now, we need to find a way to win games. He loves basketball and is a competitor and obviously he’s a big part of what we’ll do.”
Bulls.com: Which team do you feel improved itself the most over the summer and why?
Del Negro: “There have been a few. Houston did a good job improving their team by adding Ron Artest, not to mention getting back a healthy Yao Ming. Philadelphia is definitely improved. They re-signed Andre Iguodala and they added an All-Star in Elton Brand. Night in and night out, he’s a double-double player and he’ll draw a lot of attention. New Orleans comes off a run to the semifinals last year and they added James Posey, who just won a championship with the Celtics, to their great, young nucleus that includes Chris Paul. There are several teams in the league that definitely have improved. Toronto now has Jermaine O’Neal to go with Chris Bosh, so obviously they’re going to be difficult. Miami is getting a healthy Dwyane Wade back; Shawn Marion missed part of the end of the season as well. Obviously, adding Michael Beasley [will help]. There are a lot of teams out there that improved themselves.”
Bulls.com: Is there a team that you think is flying under the radar and will surprise?
Del Negro: “That’s tough. You look at adding Greg Oden to Portland’s team. They already have a great core in Brandon Roy, [LaMarcus] Aldridge, [Travis] Outlaw and Channing Frye. They’re going to add Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless. They have a great, young nucleus and I expect them to pick it up. Nate McMillan has done a fantastic job there. There are always teams that step up, whether it’s from injuries that happen to your team or someone starting to develop a little bit. There are always those surprise teams that end up winning more games than anyone thinks.”
Bulls.com: How much of an impact do you think a healthy Greg Oden will have on a young, but talent-laden team in Portland?
Del Negro: “Whenever you can add a seven-footer who is active and agile, it can definitely alter the game and have a positive impact on a team. They are not only adding Oden, but other quality players and they obviously already have young kids who can play at a high level in Roy, Aldridge and Outlaw. Whenever you can add someone like Oden, you’re very fortunate. He’ll bring a big presence for them in the middle and help them in their transition game in getting their fast break going with all those young athletes.”
Bulls.com: What's your view on using the D-League as a way to improve your team?
Del Negro: “I think if you can afford the luxury of placing young prospects in the D-League, it can be a benefit. Many kids that are coming out only have one or two college seasons under their belt. That’s only 30 or 60 or so games. The D-League gives them a chance to get some quality minutes that they might not get on an NBA team. With the length of the season of the NBA and the scheduling and traveling, there is not as much practice as you get into your difficult schedule. Skill development is the way to improve, especially for younger players. Getting the opportunity to play a lot down in the D-League is a benefit to help grow them as players.”
Bulls.com: Do you view the Lakers and Celtics as the teams to beat in each conference?
Del Negro: “Not necessarily. I think they both will be contenders, but with Houston getting better; San Antonio and Phoenix; Detroit is a veteran team; New Orleans; Utah is always going to be solid there. There are a number of teams with talent and experience that could be playing at the end of June. Other teams will step up. Things happen to teams at difficult times; but no question, the Lakers and Celtics could be back there. But I wouldn’t count out Phoenix, San Antonio, New Orleans and some of those teams that have experience as well.”
Bulls.com: Do you think Elton Brand going to the Sixers shifts the balance of power in the East?
Del Negro: “I think that there’s no question Elton makes them better with that low post presence to go along with the rest of their core group. The East will be a battle, with Boston, Detroit and Cleveland. The East will be difficult and it keeps on getting better. Like I talked about earlier, Toronto and Miami are getting better and without question, Philadelphia too. The East is definitely starting to improve. The depth of the East is still probably not as strong as in the West, but it’s definitely improved.”
Bulls.com: Do you think Ron Artest going to the Rockets shifts the balance of power in the West?
Del Negro: “He’ll make an impact, no question. The West is loaded and I don’t think you can count anyone out. Ron Artest will definitely add something to their team. He’s a quality player and they’ve got a healthy Yao Ming. [Head Coach] Rick Adelman does a great job and I expect them to be battling like everyone else.”
Bulls.com: Who do you think will have strong rookie seasons?
Del Negro: “You have to look at Greg Oden coming in, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo; those are the most talented guys. It’s hard to pick just one right now. Obviously, I think that Derrick [Rose] will be considered in anything you talk about with the best rookies coming in. He’s been fantastic so far in training camp and he’s just going to continually improve. He’s a hard worker and it’s going to be great to see his development. As he gets a feel for everything, obviously we’ll give him more [expectations]. We don’t want to overload him; we want him to go out and enjoy himself and play hard, which he’s done. He’s grasping [things] as quickly as possible and some of our veteran guys have helped him as well. Kirk [Hinrich] has done a good job so far in terms of getting Derrick under his wing a little bit. All those things are important. I think all of it will work out well and Derrick will continue to improve.”
Bulls.com: Who do you think are the candidates for 2008-09 MVP?
Del Negro: “You’re always going to talk about Kobe, Kevin Garnett, LeBron, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade looked great in the Olympics so his name will be mentioned as well. There will be other guys that step up, but you’re always going to talk about Kobe and LeBron and those types of players. But hopefully some of the young guys continue to develop. We have a great core of young superstars right now and any of those guys, depending on the success of their team, could have an opportunity for that award.”
Bulls.com: What player(s) do you think will have a breakout season?
Del Negro: “Any of the young guys I’ve mentioned could; it’s just very hard to say right now… hopefully some of our players. There’s a lot of young talent in the league. Depending on what role they play on their team and how the coaches use those guys obviously will be interesting. But there are a lot of young, talented guys in the league and it will be interesting to see their development and see how they impact their team.”
Bulls.com: With the team’s preseason opener on Oct. 9, what should fans expect from the Bulls in the coming weeks?
Del Negro: “We have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of young players, we’re trying to incorporate our rookie point guard, and we’ve had a few injuries in training camp with some of our ‘bigs.’ But guys have come in here with a great focus, great energy, and they’ve grasped things well. We have a lot of work to do, but I expect us to play physical and aggressive, to be unselfish offensively, and physical and aggressively defensively, and continue to build. We’ll continue to get better and find ways to win.”
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