Why is Vinny the only one in trouble?

It's a shame this relationship is about to end, because Vinny Del Negro and John Paxson deserve each other.

It's not enough that they're both clueless, but now they're taking turns leaking information to the media about their dust-up a couple weeks ago.

First, it was Del Negro - or his peeps - putting out word Tuesday that Paxson went after the Bulls coach, and Wednesday it was Paxson - or his chums - sending word through the media that it was Del Negro who went after the GMH (GM in Hiding).

The fact that Paxson is still running the team but hiding behind Gar Forman is bizarre enough, because neither one of them is available when it really matters.

Like in December, when neither would come out and see their shadow long enough to speak, even though reports were rampant that Del Negro was cooked.

So they let Del Negro twist in the wind, and Forman only showed up to say nothing days later after the media skewered Bulls management for being invisible.

In total turmoil now, it took a full 24 hours, until 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, for the Bulls to release a Forman statement admitting both Paxson and Del Negro were wrong in the way they behaved.

But why Forman? Where's Paxson? Where's the man who runs the organization, whose teams have won a single playoff series in seven years?

It's somehow fitting that amid this foolishness the Bulls made the playoffs Wednesday night with a win at Charlotte, thus forcing Paxson to watch Del Negro coach his club for another week or two.

And when Paxson fires Del Negro after the Cleveland series, he'll be dumping a coach who's made the playoffs in both his seasons in Chicago.

It will be cruel and it will be right, which means it will also be the first thing Paxson's done right in several years.

Other than Derrick Rose, who was the lucky result of a bouncing ping-pong ball, what's Paxson done for the Bulls?

Right now, he's best known for going after his coach, and while a fascinating confrontation, in reality it matters not a bit.

What matters is it never should have happened because Del Negro never should have been here.

It was Paxson who couldn't find a coach and settled on a guy with zero experience, and Del Negro has looked appropriately lost for two years.

Paxson either couldn't get permission to fire Del Negro a year ago, or just didn't want to pull the trigger.

He couldn't bring himself to fire Vinny this past December because he couldn't decide on a new coach, and failed to talk himself into doing it after what must have been some interesting conversation.

It was also Paxson who failed to land Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol.

It was Paxson who waited too long to trade Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas and Andres Nocioni, and it was Paxson who signed Ben Wallace for four years and $60 million.

It was Paxson who could have told Joakim Noah he was done for the year many months ago, thus ensuring that Noah would be healthy for next season.

But instead it was Paxson who allowed this nonsense to go on with Noah and his plantar fasciitis, thus putting the coach in an impossible position.

Del Negro needed to win games and make the playoffs, not baby-sit a player who shouldn't be in uniform at all.

Play him or don't play him, but counting minutes is a fool's errand.

All of this is on Paxson, yet somehow he always escapes unscathed.

In the meantime he's managed to make Del Negro a sympathetic figure, something that seemed unthinkable just days ago, and by refusing to rip Paxson in public, Vinny is helping himself with future employment.

Oh, don't worry, Del Negro's still a goner as soon as this is over.

You just have to wonder if he'll be the only one cleaning out his desk.

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM.