Meanwhile, in Bulls' Town...

Couldn't help but notice this item as it trickled across the newswire. New Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro (left) added former NBA coaches Del Harris (center) and Bernie Bickerstaff to his coaching staff. This is Del Negro's first head coaching opportunity, and it shows either confidence, or stupidity.

Confidence, because it would indicate that he's secure in who he is and knows that he will benefit from having seasoned, experienced coaches around to advise him as he learns the role. Stupidity, because if he isn't up to the job, GM John Paxson can just install Harris or Bickerstaff in his seat.

I suspect it's the former. "When I first accepted this position, I made it a top priority to surround myself with an experienced coaching staff," Del Negro said. "Now. . .you would be hard pressed to find a staff with the combined number of years experience that we have assembled."

It's an approach that makes a lot of sense for someone new to coaching. And it reminds one again of the reservations many fans, and members of the media, have about Cavs coach Mike Brown.

Brown has proven that he can get a team to play defense -- often, great defense. But his offense hasn't worked, and doesn't work. At best, the Cavs offense seems to succeed when they overwhelm teams with athleticism -- usually on the part of LeBron James -- with the occasional and timely tip-ins of Zydrunas Ilgauskas as a follow-up to missed shots (which tend to be numerous). The roster has been littered with lousy shooters, and the offense typically deteriorates into the LeBron-James-dribble-dribble-dribble-shoot pattern. It elicits what one might call the "Ilgauskas chant": Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z. . . .

A frequent topic of radio talk shows and Internet message boards has been the need for Brown to hire an offensive guru to bring the Cavs into the 21st Century. He's resisted the idea, apparently operating under the belief that he and his current assistants can oversee an offense that will win championships.

My 13-year-old son knows that isn't true. Tens of thousands of frustrated Cavs fans do, too. And, as I've written here before, TNT's Charles Barkley told it like it is when, during the playoffs, he called the Cavs' system a "crappy offense."

The Bulls have been on the verge of being a contender for the past two seasons. With Harris and Bickerstaff (both with 13 years' experience as NBA head coaches) now on board to help Del Negro, this could be the year things get serious again in the Windy City. Brown would do well to take a page from Vinny's book and bring in an expert who could help the Cavaliers take full advantage of LeBron's talents and install an offense that will be both entertaining and productive.