Linkabulls:Hoopsworld gives Del Negro a C-

Grading the Coaches-Joel Brigham/Hoopsworld

I’ve been going back and forth on this one. And in the end, with the Bulls sitting at 6-9, I’m going to give Del Negro a pass. And for this reason:

Derrick Rose, our cornerstone player, has been the key recipient of all the attention since Ben Gordon has departed to Detroit. Defenders can shrink on Rose without even hesitating now, with no worries of ANYBODY keeping them honest from downtown. We wonder why Rose isn’t playing up to his ability? And let’s not forget Rose had a balky ankle to deal with.

Let’s look at the Rose crossover on Andre Miller from last season. If Ben Gordon isn’t on the floor, Willie Green would be in the paint before Rose would start the dribble.

I’m not saying we need to acquire a big time scorer. But we have to have somebody out there who will keep the defense honest. It’s a simple game kids….

Hoopsworld gives Scott Skiles an “A”

Listen, I’m not saying Skiles is a bad coach by any stretch of the imagination. But the “A” he’s receiving is in large part to the unforeseen debut of Brandon Jennings. I’ll be curious to see what adjustments will be made on Jennings as the season goes on. He can’t stay this hot, can he?

Raptors to use a zone defense-Doug Smith/Toronto Star

It’s never a good thing when a team is discussing using a zone more frequently. You only hear this from horrible defensive teams, like the Raptors and the Knicks, who are simultaneously having the same discussion.

How do you best use a zone? By using it in smaller increments. I’m a proponent of using zones out of timeouts, and basically switching it up to keep teams off balance. Let’s face it, zone’s open up the offensive boards for the other team. Add to that, if you use it too much, the offense will develop a rhythm unless they are the Bulls and couldn’t shoot their way out of a paper bag.