Bulls try to downplay Del Negro-Paxson spat
The Bulls have hired independent investigators to help determine what exactly happened when vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and coach Vinny Del Negro argued in the coach's office following a home game on March 30.
What they hope to accomplish by this investigation, well, that's an excellent question.
• Will assault charges be brought upon one of the two parties? No.
• Will Paxson and Del Negro sit down with the human resources manager and discuss how they can constructively improve their working relationship? Of course not. Del Negro is going to be released the day after the season ends.
• Will the Bulls determine Paxson has trouble holding his temper? Maybe, but they already knew that.
To recap, a story appeared on yahoo.com Tuesday, about 90 minutes before tipoff of the Bulls-Celtics game, reporting that Paxson and Del Negro had a physical altercation after the Phoenix game on March 30 while arguing about the number of minutes Joakim Noah played.
After sitting out 10 games with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, Noah's playing time was on a strict limit set by the team's medical staff and he exceeded those minutes against the Suns.
There is little doubt that Paxson and Del Negro got into a heated argument that night. There were several witnesses in the room, while players and game personnel could hear the ruckus.
The yahoo.com story suggested Paxson pushed Del Negro during the heat of the moment and team insiders confirmed that version.
Then on Wednesday afternoon, a story posted on espn.com offered a different version of the altercation, one where Del Negro was the aggressor. That story also suggested Del Negro and general manager Gar Forman had a similar confrontation earlier this season. A Del Negro-Forman spat could not be independently confirmed.
On Tuesday evening, the Bulls deflected all questions about the March 30 incident, saying it was an internal matter.
The Bulls finally chimed in on the issue Wednesday, releasing a statement from Forman that acknowledged a heated argument between Paxson and Del Negro inside the coach's office.
"Reports of a recent internal disagreement between a Bulls executive and the Bulls head coach were the result of each expressing their passion about the health and well being of their players and the desire to win basketball games," Forman's statement read.
"This disagreement, while not communicated well by either party in the heat of the moment and in the immediate aftermath of a tough loss, was a result of conflicting views, but all based on the fine balance required to ensure both the immediate and long-term success of the team and the health of its players. The fans well know that the Bulls are dedicated to the team's day-to-day success, but first and foremost want to protect the health and well being of its players.
"The Bulls have a full and complete understanding of what took place, but, as requested by all parties, will address the attendant issues with the participants after the season is over. At this point, everyone intends to keep focused on the remaining games."
NBA Commissioner David Stern addressed the Bulls issues during a playoff teleconference on Wednesday.
"I'll be talking to the Chicago representative at the board meeting to get a deeper understanding of it," Stern said. "Over the years we have taken action on teams that have engaged in conduct detrimental to the league - and I want to understand it better before we set down some rules here."
The players managed to put aside this distraction and qualify for the last playoff spot in the East. No matter what complaints Bulls management may have about the head coach, Del Negro is 2-for-2 when it comes to making the playoffs.
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<li><a href="/story/?id=373302">Gar Forman's statement </a></li>
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