CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said he’s been tempted to stand up and boo his own team, calling this season “a disaster” and “embarrassing.”
Reinsdorf made his comments Friday on Comcast SportsNet’s “Monsters in the Morning” show. He absolved general manager John Paxson of blame for the Bulls’ dismal 20-27 record, but didn’t defend coach Vinny Del Negro.
“All I know is what we have right now is not good and we have to get better,” Reinsdorf said. “They are playing hard in the last half-dozen or so games. We had some games where they were mailing it in and I felt like standing up and booing with everybody else. They’re not mailing it in anymore.”
Asked to rate the season, Reinsdorf said, “You want the grade up till today? What’s the lowest grade you can give? This has been a disaster. It’s embarrassing. But it will get better.”
Whether Reinsdorf was pointing a finger at Vinny Del Negro was unclear, but he said it wasn’t Paxson’s fault.
“If there’s one person that is not responsible for what’s going on right now, it’s John Paxson,” Reinsdorf said. “I have tremendous confidence in John Paxson.”
Del Negro responded by saying Reinsdorf was probably trying to motivate the team with his comment.
“He lets you go do your job. We’ll talk once in a while. We’ll text once in a while. Frustration builds for him just like everybody else,” Del Negro said. “So I focus on what I can control and that’s making this team better. And I feel we are.”
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