Vinny Del Negro has never been a coach at any level.  He's been in player personnel. He's been a broadcaster.  One day Vinny woke up and decided he wanted to be a head coach in the NBA.  And, for reasons known to only The Chairman and John Paxson, Vinny will reportedly get his shot with the Chicago Bulls.

After all of the days and weeks of speculation, the best qualified leader The Chairman and John Paxon could come up with is Vinny Freakin' Del Negro?  I mean, this is a guy who lost out on the Suns job, a team he was already employed by, to Terry Porter.  TERRY PORTER. (71-93 with the Bucks)

Obviously, the Bulls are using opportunity vs. money.  The Chairman is long known for his incentive laden contracts.  If Del Negro wins, he'll be rewarded.  If he fails, the Bulls won't be out much. 

However, there is one factor that The Chairman is forgetting.  If the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago's other winter team return to prominence (and they are close) the Bulls may find them in a fight for entertainment dollars.  If the Hawks young guns mature into the team most of the experts think they can be, they have a potential of several years of deep playoff runs.  The Bulls, as they sit right now, are a player or two better than the dreadful Milwaukee Bucks.  If the Hawks come back to life, the Bulls may find themselves back where they were in the 70's and early 80's: Chicago's fifth most popular team.

Makes you want to pick up the phone and see what Flip Saunders is up to, doesn't it?