Vinny Del Negro is on the hot seat as head coach of the Bulls and fired back at reporters on Thursday.

"It's easy to sit back on the sidelines, and everyone has all these great ideas and all these things that people think they know what they're talking about," said Del Negro. "But until you live it and do it, no one has an idea.

"All you guys have to write and do your job and come up with stories and things, and that's all great, and you have to do that, but you guys really don't know what it's like because you've never done it."

Del Negro was a surprise hire last year, but he led the Bulls to within one win of the second round of the playoffs.

"Oh, yeah. Absolutely," Del Negro said when asked if criticism has been unfair. "But that's part of the deal. You can't take a position like this and not think you're going to get criticized. It's part of the deal. If you can't live with criticism and the heat, then you shouldn't take the job. You shouldn't be in pro sports. That's part of the deal. You got to be able to suck it up sometimes and understand it."