Paul Forrester's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Paul. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Vinny Del Negro, Chicago Bulls

Challenges

• Establish himself. The learning curve is going to be steep for someone with no experience as a head coach or assistant. Beyond the strategic demands, which new assistants Del Harris and Bernie Bickerstaff can facilitate, Del Negro will have to endure a crash course in all of the practices, scheduling, interviews, promotions, game dissections and front-office meetings that come with the job. Oh, and he also has to find a way to boost the Bulls back into the playoff race. Looks like Del Negro better invest in an office cot.

• Set a clear agenda. The Bulls were focused on everything but basketball last season. Luol Deng and Ben Gordon faced off with the team over new contracts, followed by the Kobe Bryant trade rumors, coach Scott Skiles' firing and a locker-room dustup between Ben Wallace and Joakim Noah. Every month this team seemed to inadvertently find a new issue to distract it. If Del Negro does nothing this season but redirect the club's energies into simply playing ball, he will have made more progress than two coaches in Chicago did last season.

• Clear up the backcourt. While No. 1 pick Derrick Rose is the Bulls' future leader, Del Negro has to sort out the team's present. Should Kirk Hinrich remain the starter at point guard, and if so, should he be showcased for a trade or lead the effort to return to the playoffs? If the unsigned Ben Gordon returns, where does that leave Thabo Sefolosha on the depth chart? Can Larry Hughes be counted on as a reliable second scoring option and would he even accept being the third option?

Prospects

The Bulls are retooling with a new, inexperienced coach and a new, inexperienced lead guard. For Del Negro, who was hired in part for the "positive vibe" general manager John Paxson felt his team desperately needed, refreshing the locker-room relations would be a good first step toward recapturing the promise this team once had and may again -- in time.

Terry Porter, Phoenix Suns

Challenges

• Prove he is worthy of the job. "He's very tough-minded, confident, yet humble in a way that I think players will respect. He's a really good communicator," general manager Steve Kerr said when he hired Porter to succeed D'Antoni in early June. He's also 71-93 as an NBA coach. In Porter's two seasons with the Bucks, from 2003-05, Milwaukee ranked in the upper half of the league in offense but languished in the bottom 10 defensively. If, as the Suns want us to believe, they traded for Shaquille O'Neal and let D'Antoni go so they could truly dedicate themselves to defense, Porter seems an odd next step.

• Go easier on Steve Nash. The Suns have long talked about the importance of buying the two-time MVP enough rest in the regular season so that he can be fresh for the playoffs. In four years in Phoenix, Nash has averaged 34.3, 35.5, 35.3 and 34.3 minutes. In each of those years, Nash has shot 52 percent, 50 percent, 46.3 percent and 45.7 percent, respectively, in the playoffs. If Porter hopes to get the Suns past the first round, he has to limit the 34-year-old Nash's minutes. It will cost some games and perhaps affect playoff seeding, too, but Nash at close to 100 percent on the road to open the postseason is a lot more promising than a hobbling Nash at home.

• Integrate Shaq. The idea behind adding Shaq for the playoffs wasn't a bad one -- for another era. The league, in large part as a reaction to the Suns, has become quicker and more fluid on offense. Size is important, but versatile size is crucial. Shaq, 35, may be big, but he certainly isn't versatile anymore. And he certainly didn't fit in with the breakneck style D'Antoni advocated. Porter will have to figure out some way to maximize the big man's contributions.

Prospects

The personnel doesn't scream fast break as completely as it once did, nor does it mandate a half-court style. Porter doesn't help clarify things much, given his spotty record in his previous coaching stint. And he faces high expectations in taking over an experienced team that averaged 58 victories the last four seasons.

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat

Challenges

• Watch his back. Spoelstra may have Riley to thank for his first head-coaching opportunity, but, if history is any guide, he had better adjust the mirrors in his office. It was only two years ago that Stan Van Gundy left the Heat in the middle of the season to "spend more time with his family," with Riley stepping in and eventually leading Miami to a championship. Two seasons later, Van Gundy suddenly rediscovered his love of the NBA and became the Magic's coach. Far be it for us to say Riley pushed a longtime coaching ally to the curb so he could grab a fifth ring on the cheap, but where there is smoke ...

Given that Riley said he is "sure I don't want to do this anymore," combined with the fact that the Heat don't have championship aspirations coming off a 15-win season, Spoelstra should have at least 82 games to show what he can do. He'd better use the time efficiently.

• Play the bad guy. Part of an assistant coach's job is to play middle man between the head coach and the players, to offer a comforting voice when a player is chewed out. After assuming that role for seven years in Miami, Spoelstra now will have to be the bad cop to many of the same players he played buddy-buddy with as an assistant. That new dynamic will test the relationships Spoelstra may be counting on to ease his transition.

• Embrace Shawn Marion. With an expiring $17.8 million contract, Marion has been dogged by trade rumors all offseason. As long as the four-time All-Star remains in Miami, Spoelstra has a chance to utilize one the league's unique talents, someone who can score inside and out, hit the boards and defend almost any position. Teamed with a healthy Dwyane Wade and an eager Michael Beasley, Marion could help the Heat regain respectability quickly.

Prospects

There isn't much room for the Heat to go but up. And with Wade back on the floor, fresh off a great Olympics and highly motivated, Spoelstra is in position for a decent start as the Heat try to rebound from last season's disaster.

Scott Skiles, Milwaukee Bucks

Challenges

• Adapt. Skiles figures to be at his fire-breathing best (worst?) right away, and with good reason: The Bucks allowed opponents to average 103.9 points and shoot 48 percent from the field last season. Milwaukee could benefit immediately from Skiles' no-nonsense, dictatorial approach, which works wonders in toughening up teams that need a bit more tenacity. It has its limits, though; few players work well if the demands never cease, if the barking becomes a constant din. Skiles needs to accept the idea that once you cajole a team into your way of thinking, it's important to ease off a bit on occasion.

• Changing the team's focus. The Bucks have spent a lot of time in recent seasons talking defense and playing offense. After averaging 33 wins over the past five seasons, they finally decided to pay more than lip service to defense and hired Skiles to actually instill the approach. Importing Richard Jefferson and his Nets-honed defensive instincts will help, but Skiles will have a lot of work to do with this group.

• Altering the point of attack. As gifted a scorer as Michael Redd is, former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut is that rarest of species: a center who can play both ends of the floor effectively. After Bogut spent his first three seasons playing second or third option, the Bucks need to exploit one of their personnel advantages and run the offense through the Australian giant. With shoot-first point guard Mo Williams having been dealt to Cleveland, Bogut should have more luck demanding the ball from new point guard Luke Ridnour. Doing the same with Redd and Jefferson may be too much to ask for in Year 1 of the Skiles administration. Introducing the concept, though, would be an important first step in getting the Bucks to utilize their strengths better.

Prospects

Given his track record, there's little question that Skiles can make the Bucks better, but will the team let him? Reports ran rampant last season that Bulls players had grown tired of Skiles' demanding style, a theory that seemed to explain their lethargic start -- until they struggled just as much under interim coach Jim Boylan after Skiles was fired. No matter, Skiles' reputation precedes him -- after all, players talk. While a fast start would quiet some of that chatter, there are sure to be some strained relationships as Skiles looks to make Milwaukee a harder-working team. Considering new general manager John Hammond's willingness to shake up the roster this summer, Skiles will get the benefit of the doubt during this rebuilding effort.