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On Sunday, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said John Paxson and Gar Forman should be executives of the year over the Heat's Pat Riley. On Monday, Paxson offered his take to the Tribune. "I truly appreciate what Stan said," he said. "But the right thing for other general managers to do if they choose to vote for the leadership of the Bulls' organization is to put Gar's name there. He's done a tremendous job. Gar has been carrying the duties of the day-to-day operations for us for two seasons now and I truly respect everything he has done to put us in the position where both the present and future are bright." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy, John Paxson, Gar Forman 

Can you explain -- in practice, not in title -- the postions of John Paxson and Gar Forman? It seems Pax stepped down as GM in title only. He is the one talking to the media. You certainly get the feeling that he is the one in charge. Who answers to who? Why did they make the switch? Sam R., Chicago Paxson doesn't talk to the media. Forman does. Paxson's title always has been executive vice president of basketball operations. Jerry Reinsdorf promoted Forman to the title of general manager to reward his longstanding work with the organization and for him to take on more of the hands-on, day-to-day duties. Paxson wanted to take a more behind-the-scenes organizational role. Forman deals with most of the player agents and other general managers and also the media. Paxson continues to be involved in all basketball operations decisions and he and Forman talk daily. Other teams employ similar arrangements. Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, John Paxson 

But if drafting these players was Paxson’s best decision as general manager, his physical assault against former coach Vinny Del Negro, whom he later fired, was his worst. “It never should have happened, and I never should have done it,” Paxson said Monday. “It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, and I was very frustrated with the way we were playing. “What also disappointed me is that [Del Negro] never owned up to making a mistake. That says more about him than it does me. I was trying to protect my player [Noah, who was coming back from injuries], I did it in the wrong way and I’m not proud of that.” Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls, Vinny Del Negro, Coaching, John Paxson 

But if choking and jabbing Del Negro was the price Paxson had to pay to hire rookie coach Tom Thibodeau, then the Bulls appear better for the “mistake.” “Tom came in with a positive plan and a belief system from the start, and he has adhered to that.” Paxson said. “He’s done the best job in the league.” Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls, Vinny Del Negro, Tom Thibodeau, Coaching, John Paxson 

"We're not going to compromise our chemistry, because it's an underrated thing in this league when you have a group that plays well together and fits together. And we're not going to compromise what we believe we can do in the future to make us a championship team, not just for a year, but for a long period of time with Derrick being just 22 years old. We'll be cautious. We talked to a lot of teams. We listen, and throw ideas out there. And you never know, things can happen before the deadline ... but we feel good where we're at." ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Trade, John Paxson 

The Bulls invested considerable time, emotion and money this summer on the courting of free agents LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, all of whom wound up in Miami. But Bulls executive vice president John Paxson insists he did not feel used. "I don't feel it was a waste of time because every team that had (salary-cap) money did the same thing," Paxson told the Tribune. "We were making our pitch, and none of us knows if that was set in stone long ago or (we) were just spinning our wheels. It doesn't really matter. I think as an organization it was really good for us, because we put together a plan and a program to show what we are about and what we want to be. I think it reinforced a lot of things that we believe in. We tried our best and unfortunately didn't hit what would have been a grand slam. But both (general manager) Gar (Forman) and I are both confident that we've improved our team." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, John Paxson 

Chicago Bulls executive vice president John Paxson said Scottie Pippen, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday, would make a good coach someday. "I think Scottie is smart enough and dedicated enough to the game that I think at some point he's going to want to get into coaching," Paxson said Tuesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "My personal feeling is that Scottie Pippen will be an excellent basketball coach." ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Coaching, Scottie Pippen, Hall of Fame, John Paxson