Can Scott Skiles take the Bulls to Point C?

Thank god someone finally brought up Scott Skiles. I mean as a guy who can "design a play to get one score" he is aces, but I don't think he is good at getting his players to play for him. I don't believe Skiles is a natural leader, he has no charisma and I can see how playing for him is a bore and all work. I can see it on the Bulls faces that they have totally grown tired of his act. You can only beat a dog so long before it turns on a person. Look no further than what EVERY player the Bulls have let go of in the past few years are doing and it's plain to see. Curry and Chandler are coming into their own(Scott Skiles couldn't get them to play). Tim Thomas never even got a chance to play(I still believe that he got into it with Skiles so they sat him) and he has done nothing but be beneficial to the teams he went to. Even that kid JR Smith is working out and he never got a chance to play. Anyone remember Eddie Robinson? Got into Skile's doghouse and never got out.....I honestly believe that if Ben Gordon wasn't as clutch as he is he would be buried too! It's like he doesn't challenge his players in healthy ways. Healthy way: Ben I think you can be a great player and we have to get you to play better defense, let's work on some things. SKILE'S way(in a news conference no less)Well Ben won't start till he gets his act together and brings it on both sides of the court, he has to earn the right to play, just cuz he scores doesn't mean I am handing anything to him. UH WHAT??? Skiles always dresses down people in the media(Curry, Chandler, Gordon, Wallace) etc and it's awful. What does this say about Skiles? What it should say is that Skiles wasn't coaching when they pulled his butt off the scrap heap for a reason......think about that for a bit.

Scott Skiles doesn't pull any punches with his players. He has given them praise when deserved and criticism when deserved. If any pro athlete can't handle the criticism when warranted and use it to his own improvement then he shouldn't be playing. On the other hand a coach that does not call a player on lack of play is not doing his job. As I recall Tim Thomas didn't put forth the effort Skiles wanted during practice mainly because he felt he should be starting, he put his own ego ahead of team effort and that was why he was sent home. Curry was offered a new contract with a health contingency and refused it. Chandler maybe having a good year this year but can he maintain that and the trade made by Jerry Krause for Chandler was by far the worst trade the Bulls ever made. As far as does the team want to play for Skiles.....I think the fact that they play hard every game and never give up regardless of the score says yes they do. Can he take them to pont C? With the addition of a low post scorer I believe he can.

Did I miss him getting the Bulls to point 'A'? Point 'A' is not a one and done in the playoffs-anybody can do that. Point 'A' is concocting a fufilling season in which fan loyalty has increased as well as the expectations. I don't think anyone is expecting the bulls to be legitimate contenders(that would be point 'B') anytime soon either. So where does all this "getting to point 'C'" b.s. come from then?

Roman responds: Point B is getting to the playoffs. Point C is challenging for a championship.

Good lord I'm just now beginning to forget about Eddie Robinson. JR Smith, Tim Thomas?? Sure they might good for big scoring every 8th or 9th night but we don't need any egos to babysit.

Listen I'm not saying Skiles is the coach that can take you to the promised land that has yet to be seen, but this Bulls team isn't a serious finals contender until they add a couple more pieces and I'm willing to give Skiles the chance to prove he can do it.

Scott Skiles coaches the only way he knows; how he played. Tough, hard-nosed basketball with defense being a must. Give this man the right combination of talent and veteran leadership and there is no doubt in my mind he could lead them to the crown. He would fair no less in San Antonio or Dallas than the coaches they have now. Very possibly even better. The Bulls are doing well without a go to star or a complete presence in the paint. They're still very young and the loss of Noc has hurt more than we'll ever know. Eddie Curry was a major loss. I would have never traded him. Being a hometown boy he would have matured in the right direction to make his family proud. Instead he had to take a few steps backwards before rebounding and playing strong again. This kid would have given us the badly needed middle presence to start the play rolling and open things up for everyone else. Instead we play "ring around the point" with the ball only to force up a crazy shot with the shot clock running down probably 50% of the game. Why. NO INSIDE GO TO GUY. Wallace is starting to be aggresive on the "O" end a little more but the constant dribbling at the point, and Ben Gordon not knowing how to keep his head up is the reason we're losing leads at an astronomical rate. I think Thomas has come around enough to warrant crunch time. Not only that but give the kid the ball. He's gone to the hoop more times than Chandler did the whole time he was here. Gordon needs to be a set-up man at least 50% of the time in the fourth quarter as opposed to his current 10%, Deng needs to go to the RIM (not off the board, or short jumper) more often, and we need to maintain what got us the lead in the late third or early fourth quarter instead of consistently settling for the outside shot once we get there. Wow! Hey, maybe Skiles isn't doin' the job?

I have to agree with the first posting, i mean skiles is NOT a good offensive coach. Yes he gets the most out of his players defensively and yes he's one of the best in the buisness at drawing up inbounds plays in key situations but like bryant pointed out, if skiles is such a good coach, why is chandler and curry succeeding without him? And will someone please tell me what's the difference between what Ben Gordon does and what Jamaal crawford gave the bulls? Their shot selection is virtually identical and I mean last i checked, Ben Gordon isn't exactly leading the league in steals plus he's shorter. Crawfords defense and shot selection were reasons paxon soured on him. Now the bulls are STILL looking for a taller player at ben's postion who can defend. Now we must wait for the likes of Thabo sefolosha (who will be a good player) to develop when we could've had a J.R Smith who would've given us even more athleticism to compliment tyrus thomas's but Skiles wants to sit everyone who can't play hard defense. On some nights we will have to outscore the oppostion because the defense won't always have it and i'm not sure a defensive minded coach can bring that.

I think that there is a strong partnership between paxson and skiles, probably the strongest in the nba. The gm and coach relationship can sometimes be testy (see isiah and larry brown) so it's good to see one that actually works. Skiles coaching the bulls is really a consequence of paxson's vision in how a team should operate. Talent and atheleticism is secondary to team and organization. Maybe picking tyrus and sefalosha are signs for good things to come, but right now, this is where the bulls are at.

I agree with Bryant. I don't like Skile's playcalling. I believe that we don't have a postgame because of personal differences with Skiles. I believe Pax is just backing his man. Skiles is an ok coach who is towing the company line. We need a higher caliber coach. We have to wait on what Ben Wallace is going to say??? What can he say but "thank you for the cash", because we are light years away from Detroit and Miami - who have bigger things to worry about than headbands. Wallace seems unconcerned with the team and just getting his check. Bryant is right, you can see it ALL OVER the players faces when dealing with Skiles and during interviews. They are starting to reflect their coach - a constipated sourface. I ask you all to listen closely to Skile's postgame comments. He RARELY explains what is going on after a painful loss and offers vague solutions to how to fix it. All he ever expresses is discontent. He looks clueless. The media has to fill in the holes of his explanations. And us fans are tired of hearing the Bulls are a character organization. Thats simply another way to say "nice guys finish last". All of that is good for places like Utah, but Chicago fans want CHAMPIONSHIPS. We don't want to wait or guess about our coach and his likeability. Larry Brown has some of those same issues, but at least there are no questions about his pedigree. Time to cut bait with Skiles.

I'm a fan of Scott Skiles. I think he gets alot of what he has. Every year of his coaching regime, they have improved their number of wins. He has worked tirelessly to improve players like Luol Deng and Ben Gordon. People get upset that he benches Ben Gordon at times, but when he is struggling to find his shooting touch and commiting a bunch of turnovers, I think it's the right move. Now he's not perfect. His teams tends to play as a perimeter orientated team, and I wonder if that stems from the fact he sees the game from a guard's point of view, and has trouble creating a more stable low post game plan. He's also way to easy on Kirk Heinrich, almost to the point of showing favoritism. I think Kirk can benefit from some bench time too because he's an inconsistant shooter that dribbles too much and causes a bunch of turnovers. My last worry/complaint, what is the deal with Chris Duhon? Why the fascination. I've only seen him play well against crappy teams, and makes costly turnovers against the very good teams. Please stop leaving him in there in crucial situations Scott!

the bottom line is that the Bulls have not improved much since the championship team. a better question is can John Paxson take the Bulls to the next level? will he be able to pull the trigger and fire Skiles when it is time? will he be able to hire a coach that can get the most out of his players no matter what their personal issues are? many people are enamored with Skiles no nonsense style and his demand for discipline. I respect him for the fact that he has maintained his tenacious competitiveness as a player and as a coach. I do not think that he is a good fit for Bulls in the long term. coaches need to grow and learn just as players do. Skiles seems to be trapped by his own rigid approach and inability to adapt or change. Roman said, "the Bulls play hard. And that's all you can ask for." that type of attitude is one reason why the Bulls have become masters of mediocrity. playing hard is admirable but is not a substitute for success. I ask for the Bulls to consistently win games and to be a force in the playoffs. I have had enough of rebuilding and trading away or releasing talented players only to watch them be successful on another team. I'll bet that Skiles old grammar school files say something like " Scott works very hard, but doesn't play well with others".

It's a fair question to ask. Reality is that I think Skiles would make a GREAT college coach. You know, the game where the players actually care about competing every game.
The only regret as a Bulls' fan is Chandler but not being in the practices I'm not sure who deserved more blame - probably Skiles. You can't treat every player the same.
Curry? No thanks - Curry has a solid offensive game now but wont' guard anyone if his life depended on it.
Eddie Robinson - ha
Tim Thomas - plays when he feels like it

I only wish we had Elton Brand here to play for Skiles...thanks for that trade Jerry!

I think Skiles is a great coach, i like his no nonsense attitude, if you want to play, you have to put the work in, or don't waste his time. Guys like Curry and Chandler didn't do that. And come on, they were kids when they came out, if it was anyone else you think the result would of been different. They both needed to grow up, literally.....As for Gordon and Wallace, they know Skiles doesn't play games and they respect that. They know whats expected of them and they do it. Eddie Robinson, what did he ever do in a Bull uniform? but sit on the bench, he was always hurt. Now is that Skiles fault? Don't even bring in his run in with Jason Kidd...Kidd is already notorious for running out another coach if they don't agree with him...remember Byron Scott. Skiles just had the moxi to stand up to him.....Hey Skiles is the best since Phil Jackson, thats good enough for me. I could care less how he is getting it done or who he pisses off, he is doing his job.

I like Skiles because he is a man who demands that his players play hard. Wheather a mediocre talent like Ben Wallace likes him or not is irrelevant. You see, I like a coach who has some integrity, not some a$$ kissing prostitute like Phyllis Jackson who lets his players walk all over him(can you say Dennis Rodman and 1.8 second Scottie Pippen). Because when it's all said and done you have to look at yourself in the mirror everyday, and I am sure Skiles has no problem doing that. As for Jackson, I have no idea how he can do it.

I am out in LA and there seems to be a different perspective on the Bulls then what there is in Chicago. I have watched almost all the Bulls games on cable for years so I see what they are talking about. The Bulls are one of the next young elite teams and are only experience away from a title run. Rememberr that Jordan was 27 and Pippen and Grant were 25!!! In fact if you could listen to the other broadcast teams they all talk about the talent, the solid coaching and front office, the development of players, the scarious of playing the Bulls and the "no clouds on the horizon" from bad chemistry. Players want to come to Chicago, Gasol wanted to and so did Kobie! Yes, he was serious and talked about it out here. So Skiles is not a problem.

Why do people think that.... they play hard, great outside game, solid defense, play well at the end of games, and wear the other teams down..... look at the shooting of the other teams in the 4th quarter. I do miss Tyson, but Thomas has alot of the same skills, seems to be developing as the year progresses and I believe has a bigger upside. The Bulls are short in the back court but are very quick and if they could stop the silly turnovers probably would have one another 5-10 games. They are considered a dark horse to win it all and I know they would give a western division team fits. They will have another could pick in this years draft, hopefully Noah, and another year of development and no real age problems, so........... Think positive, we are almost there again.

Skiles is a good coach but doesnt have all the pieces to take them to a championship. What the Bulls need to do this summer is a sign and trade with seatle giving up Noce (even tough i love him) and next years first rounder for rashard lewis. Thomas has made enough improvment this season to show that he can be a reliable contributor off the bench and he is only going to be better after a full off season to work on his game. Lewis will give them a clutch scorer in the low post that they desperatley need. With a starting lineup of wallace, lewis, deng, gordan, hinrich with duhon,thomas, and thabo coming off the bench plus whatever they get in the draft if that team is not in the finals next year it will be time to start looking for a new coach. Until then Sklies is the man.

Players are HUMAN beings and the NBA is not College or the Army. A whole lot of College players are MOTIVATED by the lure of the NBA and college is nothing but an interview process for some. The Army is life and death so lets not even go there. That Bobby Knight stuff does not work anymore - ask Larry Brown. You have to learn to manage people in today's game. That's right, it takes great coaching SKILLS to be able to get millionaires with great talent to perform for you. Noone wants to deal with a headcase, but WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE PAYING HIM FOR??? If a guy has talent or potential - some would argue that its a coache's job to get the player to perform! Skiles hasn't won a thing! Who is HE on the coaching ladder? I am simply saying ITS CRAZY to get rid of a rare talent to accomodate a coach's evaluation of his character! We cannot afford that, no team can. Think of some of the players we let go, and then think of some who look at the Bulls and say - "I could NEVER play for him". Thats almost ALL of the NBA. We don't need OUR players at odds with our coach, walking around thinking about how Skiles feels about them. Folks like Riley and Isaiah are laughing and waiting for Ben Gordon and Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas. They know its only a matter of time before James Gag-me runs them away!

You know it sickens me to see everybody analyze what is mostly overly looked about developing a Championship team. “chemistry”!!! Mike did not concur the NBA in a day. It took 6 years, several player combinations, and small systemic tweaks that never took away the number one thing… "Mike this is your team", they will learn to play with “YOU”. Today’s game refuse to pay attention to the “U” factor. LB is not killing because he is that good. James is doing it because he has been given the irremovable “green light”. Kobe “green light”. Wade? “Green light”. You take away that light and criticize the way Scott does with his players and you get what we got. Ben Gordon. A guy who on any given night would destroy the numbers that Wade put up. But Wade? “Green Light” Ben “uumm NO GREEN LIGHT” Get ride of Skiles. He has done enough damage.

Before… To all you who support this man. If D was the way to the court. Why is Hinrich playing? After his rookie year dude has been getting killed night in and night out. When is the last time he held somebody?

Skiles is an above average coach but i feel he can never be a great coach. The one great thing he did was make this team respectful in the league again and even that hindered on pax's job as a gm. With that being said it would take an offensive star in this league to come to the bulls to make up for the lack of offensive knowledge that skiles has. I also feel that his college style of game with the perimeter being the focal point is not suited for this team. If deng, and whoever is playing sf,crashed the boards rebounding and scoring, we would stop losing this large second half leads and thats up to the coach to make those kind of adjustments.

For those of you that have criticized Skiles for being defense minded only you need to be reminded that jackson was also defensive minded, the triangle offense was not his baby it was Tex Winters, Jackson just insisted it be used. Those of you that keep insisting on tradinding Nocioni need an immediate CAT scan ofcourse unless somehow you could get Brand in a deal for him. Why not a 3 for 1 deal using Sweetny, Khryapa and Duhon? Within 2 years Tyrus Thomas will be a formidable force down low. He has already shown the willingness and ability to go to the hoop and Big Ben has started to get a bit more offensive minded (although not always a good thing). Duhon is expendable especially with Thabo begining to develope more. Getting back to Skiles....if sounding sour during a post game interview makes or breaks an NBA coachhow has Phil Jackson survived all these years with his monotone comments? Let's also not forget who really ran those championship teams MJ. Michael even stated that he didn't care what Rodman did off the court as long as he brought his A game on game nights he wasn't a distraction. MJ challenged all his team-mates during practice and pushed them to keep up with him. Paxson knows this very well and just maybe he sees the same attitude as MJ in Skiles' coaching. Since Pax took over and hired Skiles The Bulls have returned to being a play-off team. Let's not forget either that Jackson took over an MJ lead team in '89 and failed to get past Detroit umtil '91. This Bulls Team has nothing the likes of MJ yet still has the ability when they are in sync to beat any team in the league and much of that is due to Pax and Skiles. If they don't win a champiopnship by 2009 then I will say that Skiles hasn't got what it takes, but right now I believe he does.

Scott Skiles=Doug Collins. 'Nuff said.

Despite the feelings of many, i think skiles' offenses and defenses aren't that great. I mean they are getting us by, but in terms of x's and o's there are many other coaches available that are better then him. while i understand he keeps the bulls always working hard and giving 110%, I've talked to some inside sources and understand that basically every player on the team hates skile's guts. As was stated before, he is NEVER positive with anybody. he makes numerous carcastic comments to his players and thats just him being nice, other then that he straight up says "that was terrible, ur terrible, etc.". it seems like he is concerned with making sure he has the power more then anything. this may be alright for guys on the team currently under contract, but if word goes around the league to future free agents that everyone hates him, then nobody will want to sign with the bulls. skiles has taught the bulls the value of hard work, but he will not get them to the next level and i think a new coach is in order the second we start to slip, it is a sign that the players are physically tired, but more importantly mentally tired from all the crap they get on top of it from skiles. after the outcome of the bulls post season run, john paxson needs to take his relationship with skiles aside and seriously consider the direction he wants the bulls to go in, he's got a good head on his shoulders as he was a player under one of the best systems (triangle offense, etc.) there ever was. he'll know what it takes to win, as he was a winner himself...

Scott Skiles is a good coach, but would be better at the college level. His desire for complete control(bobby knight like) appears to cause problems with his best players, an would prevent top free agents from coming to Chicago. He attempts to force players to play in ways that appear to be against their talent, such as Ben Gorden playing point guard, where he appears turnover prone, instead of shooting the ball. Frequently benching and criticizing your players only creates a lack of confidence, an poor play.

I'm a bit surprized in some of the negativity that i'm reading in regards to Scott Skiles. I happen to think that he's a very good coach, who knows the x's and o's of BB, on both the defensive and offensive ends, as well as any coach there is. Is he going to be the players best friend? No. But, as any profession, bosses aren't an employees best friend, but with that said, i don't think there's any animosity at all between the players and Skiles, or else they wouldn't be playing as hard as they do for him.

This talk about Skiles not being able to get his team past point A might be accurate right now; however, i'm not quite sure how some of you are rating this team's talent level, but i don't rate it all that high myself, so for Skiles to even have the Bulls at point A is an accomplishment in my eyes. I think there's plenty of coaches which wouldn't, and we had a couple of those before Paxson hired Skiles. Fact is, this team needs a talent upgrade, and most definitely need a low post scorer. A coach having to try and win championships in this league with basically perimeter players is an inpossibity, so it's up to the GM to give Skiles the nessecary talent to compete for the championship before talk turns to running him out of town imo.

Just to compare, pit the Pistons lineup position by position with the Bulls lineup, and if you ask me it's remarkable the job that Skiles is doing just to have them in the same ballpark as teams like the Pistons.

Skiles strikes me as being a humorless, dour disciplinarian. He's the type of person who doesn't say much, and this trait puts his players in the position of being forced to read his mind. His penchant for using "the silent treatment" leaves players feeling insecure, and hesitant.

It must be difficult for first or second year players to go out on the court knowing that their first little mistake might result in them watching from the bench for the rest of the game.

I know you have to be more than a coddling cheerleader to coach in the NBA, but being human is also a requirement. I don't see any warmth in Skiles, and I doubt that any of his players consider him a friend. This is important, because in order to get to the next level you have to be able to get the most out of your players, and in order to get the most out of your players they have to be willing to play their hearts out for you. And it's hard to play your heart out for a guy you don't really like.

It's interesting. While Skiles is a good X's and O's guy that can clearly design a play to score a bucket. I'm not confident in his ability nor Paxton for that matter. They seem content on finding stiff players that have decent backgrounds and non-confrontational demeanors. While I don't want any trouble makers on the team either, they both seem content with 'safe' players and have seemingly either missed out on true gems or are invoking stupid rules and offending proven players, ala the no headband rule and Ben Wallace. The world knows that Ben W likes to wear a headband and is known for wearing a headband. It seems quite misleading that they did not inform him of this stupid, irrelevant rule until AFTER he signed his contract. Now some would say that with the money they are paying Ben W, he shouldn't care about not being able to wear the headband. But knowing how superstitious and ritualistic professional athletes are, I wouldn't be suprised if he never feels comfortable with out his head band.

Why isn't anyone challenging the GM bad vision?

i believe scott skiles has to intimidate you a little for is design to affect you as a player and most players are'nt easily intimidated by skiles so his power base is his position as head coach.i believe a great coach has to have positive image buiding characters,and it does'nt have to be a great person to fill those shoes.but it does require him being a good leader.

The first post mentioned players like Curry, Chandler, Tim Thomas, E. Rob, who are "succeeding" for other teams. Are their teams successful? Knicks, Clippers and Hornets? These teams have worse records than before they acquire the Bulls rejects. These are players who have occasionaly good numbers while their teams lose. Their teams will never win anything because of them. The teams may win in spite of them. The Bulls are better off getting rid of their bad attitudes, laziness, selfishness and salaries. They should continue stockpiling hard-working, team oriented, albeit "less talented" players.

I think Skiles is a great coach in that he expects performance and accountability, he can develop players, has great offensive sets, has garnered a lot of respect throughout the league for his style of play, and recognizes when to change his style too. The Bulls are an undersized young team and are in the playoffs for the third straight year. That doesn't happen without good coaching.

If you look at Deng, BG's defense and Tyrus's development this year, there are marked improvements over last year. I understand that the ups and downs that BG and Skiles go through are due to BG telling coach that he wants to become a complete player. Easing Tyrus into the rotation is now paying dividends. Skiles is showing adaptability by giving the team video only practices these days, managing both rest and mental focus. Skiles' methods are really a throwback to Sloan's focus on defense, and like the Jazz, the Bulls are considered a top team.

Curry and Chandler, while both were good here, really needed more of a change of scenery than anything after all that losing. Tyson had such a bad year last year because he showed up out of condition on waiting for his contract and it snowballed on him. Also, he was pressing too much trying to compensate for Eddy's trade. Eddy, on the other hand, was a great offensive threat, but a defensive liability. For a 7 footer, there's an expectation that you should pull down at least 10 rebounds a game. Also, both are emotional players, and both would probably been playing at their current levels three years ago had they both had a year of college when they entered the league.

Scott Skiles now has a major challenge: creating a low-post threat with various players that he currently has. Ben Wallace and Luoi Deng probably are the best candidates to be a low-post threat with possibly Tyrus Thomas and/or Andres Nocioni. Thomas had low-post experience at LSU. He has done an excellent job of not having a "go-to" scoring threat. Instead he has developed a "go-to committee" (Hinrich-Gordon-Duhon) and the drive-and-kick offense to make it work. He now needs to develop a "low-post committee." If Skiles can make this work, he will push the Bulls past point C.

I think Skiles hates the triangle offense but if he borrows some its low-post plays, it might complement the drive-and-kick offense that the Bulls currently runs.

this is sad. ben gordon has been a bull for 3 years and because skiles wants hinrich to be something that he is not (leader,star,captain) this thing is never going to work. hinrich should never have total green light to shoot. do you think that he is a better player than gordon. what has hinrich accomplished in his overated career. nothing! no six man award. no all star consideration. below average points, assists, steals, shooting percentages. it is ridiculus for bulls fans to have to endure this farce. can hinrich win a championship with any team while playing so many unproductive minutes, i doubt it. enough of this charade, hinrich couldn't start for any other team in the league, how can you expect a guy like this to take you to the promised land. it's a joke. real bulls fans are not that stupid. the other teams in the league laughs at seeing hinrich in the starting lineup. paxson, skiles this ain't the sixties. hinrich sucks. someone please help and get rid of him!! please, before they lose my 35 year loyalty.

Why does Skiles and not Paxson bear the media pressure to take this team to a championship level? Pax did a remarkable job in changing the losing culture surrounding the Bulls. The tougher task will be turning this collection of hard working secondry players into a title contender. Does Pax have it in him to trade one his beloved young secondary players(+a mid 1st draft pick from NY) for a number one post option? I doubt it. Pax is a nice gap hitter as a GM, but the elite GM's are unafraid of taking big risks on the path to a title.

Scott Skiles well lets ask Jerry Reinsdorf if he will take them to point c?he was the one who made the deceision to fire doug collins and hire Jackson.i know he is alot more comfortable living in arizona now,but will he come give us some releif and fire skiles.i think and so do the players that he is through here,players dont listen as intensly as they use to.the team needs a new fire put into its belly did i here somebody say Larry Brown?I know he is going to Charlotte,uh why would he go there?they dont have the talent base or ready to make a run for the title yet.The bulls a re perfect team for Brown there Good and need some pushing and he will let the players play,and not worry about the little rules like headband.i just dont think paxson has it in his heart to fire skiles,but i know reindorf does,he remembers that last contract very well.

I personally think Skiles can do the job. I respect how he coaches and keeps the players honest. In an industry with way too many head cases causing trouble and distractions in a clubhouse, I think Skiles does a good job of keeping order. I think he's a solid coach too, and with the right pieces can take them all the way. He may not be the best in the league, but he's good enough. It's Pax's job to get him the players to take them all the way. It's clear that they don't have the team this year, so I think it's unfair to judge him until he has a complete team or a team deemed good enough to win it all before we can say whether he has the abilities to take the team all the way.

Scott Skiles = Doug Collins - (well, the real reason Collins was fired)

This has been a good blog. I look at the Bulls 3 guard perspective and know that they need a change at coach. 3 guard perspective being Pax, Skiles and Hinrich. Bulls do have a bunch of little "nice guys" that work/play hard, but that is countered by bigger talented athletes who come in and put on a show and leave with the win. Because of this assembly of nice guys, EVERY team has a 60% chance to beat us every night. Bulls have built their team around a coach, and he is not a winner. Reallity is that Utah should have won a championship, but they always got beat by a team with Talented Athletes, the kind that would'nt be caught dead in that town and playing for that coach. Just being good and not winning is ok for Utah, but the likes of Michael, Scottie and Phil have left us with the experience of winning ball. And it was a good experience! Its time that WINNERS taught Skiles what we want and expect instead of the other way around. I hold the media responsible for this also. Don't let him off the hook and send him the message that mediocrity is acceptable in Chicago. NOT in hoops! And to the poster that commented on Phil Jackson, I understand his viewpoint, but Phil has turned the Lakers to respectability. Don't get mad at him for being able to work with the BEST. It assures him as a coach that he will always be able to work with the best, and the players RESPECT him for that. Phil could care less what others think because contrary to what Mr. Krause thought, GREAT PLAYERS/TEAMS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS, not coaches. It is the wise coach who figures this out. The Legends figure that out, while the bulldogs like Skiles and Sloan get to be the Washington Generals. Pao Gasol and Kobe may have come to Chicago, but I trully wonder what would have happened. We had a star come here in free agency and lets look at how we have treated him??? Ben Wallace is up if things don't change. He is smart enough to just shut his mouth and wait til he leaves, but when he does - its coming don't worry about that. I look at everyone who leaves and they all have bad things to say about one person. Duhon played for DUKE, and how does a DUKE player get in someone's doghouse???? Bulls have become Full Metal Jacket.

i think that skiles style of coaching is not for pro ball. more suited for the developmental league. his style is meant more for overachievers instead of superstars. actually his style hinders those with superstar abilities (deng,gordon,wallace). guys like hinrich, that you have to coddle in order to get the most from them, which is not much, skiles style is taylor-made for. much like himself. but what did he do in the nba? nothing. no rings. no all-star games. no leading league in anything. what is his vision? hinrich and duhon leading the bulls to a championship. pleeaasse! this isn't indian high school basketball. this is nba. let's stop this madness now and get a coach thats more in tune to nba style basketball instead of 60's style. you can't brow beat these guys for control. you have to respect these guys abilities and coach to thier strengths (hinrich drive,kick-out to gordon for instance) instead of hinrich having the green light to shoot at his discretion. actually, i don't think that hinrich is comfortable with standing in gordons shadow. which creates a chemistry problem. who would you rather have on your team? a marginal player at best (hinrich) or an explosive potential all-star (gordon). skiles, paxson, c'mon guys if you keep hinrich, you will need to have four teammates that are all stars and a great bench in order to compete for a championship. don't fall in love with a player like yourself. (pippen,jordan,grant,bj,kukoc,harper,rodman) remember? you don't have these guys. imagine relying on skiles or paxson carry a team to a championship. no chanch, right. now fastforward to hinrich.... get the picture. no chanch! you will need a veteran leader in the backcourt similar but younger than sam cassell. baron davis, leandro barbosa, come to mind offhand. skiles has to go number two. tyrus has to start, after spending time in the weight room. too many unproductive minutes by starters. GO BULLS OF THE FUTURE!!!!

I am so happy that rookie called Hinrich out. Now I like him, respect him and was even at the game, in his rookie year, when he had his 1st dunk. I cheered as loud as anyone and was proud of him. However, I believe that he is a bit overrated. How many times do we have to hear about Hinrich 'having to guard the toughest offensive player on the other team every game'; while he continues to miss layup after layup. Aren't these guys guarded by others on a night to night basis? Or is Hinrich the only guard in the league assigned to guard one of the 2 opposing guards every night?

I believe Paxson and Skiles are so desperate to have a guard in their image that it's hurting the team. I can't really speak to Hinrich's leadership. But the Bulls and the NBA's attempt to create him into a star/captain is truly sad. I challenge anyone to list the starting 1 and 2 guards that Hinrich is better than. What is more sad is that Skiles sat Gordon last year in favor of Hinrich and Duhon. That alone should tell us what's really going on.

He isn't Jordan by miles and miles however, where would this team be without Gordon? I'll tell you where, they'd be forced to watch Hinrich's inconsistent, lay up missing, fake star's you know what not in the playoffs. I know that as long as Reinsdorf, Paxson and Skiles are here we are stuck with this fraud of a player.

AND BY THE WAY CHICAGO FANS. WHY WOULD THE BULLS GO AFTER PROVEN SOLID, LESS 'SAFE' PLAYERS IN ORDER TO WIN? THE JORDAN YEARS HAVE CREATED THE CUBS OF THE WESTSIDE. PEOPLE WILL FILL THE UC FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. MY GOODNESS...IT'S ALMOST A TOURIST ATTRACTION WITH THAT STATUE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE UC! UNTIL PEOPLE STOP GOING TO THESE GAMES AND BLINDLY CHEERING AND PAYING FOR SUBPAR TEAMS THAT ARE BOUNCED IN THE 1ST OR 2ND PLAYOFF ROUNDS, THEY WILL NEVER CHANGE ONE DARN THING!

Roman responds: Won't change a thing? From the time I covered the Bulls three seasons ago to now, the roster is completely different and better. They change, and they improve. I truly think they're just one piece away. And as much as I like Gordon, he doesn't defend well.

I think that the Bulls could win with Skiles but they still neeed a real inside player. Wallace has been a bust while Curry and Chandler were soft and lazy.
How good would this team be with Elton Brand scoring 20 points and pulling down 10 boards a night? That was the worst move in team history... actually one of the worst in NBA history to be honest.

first of all Gordon was a starter in the begining of the season last year and was unproductive until he started coming off the bench and that was where he was needed last year and proved to be effective offensively, but as Roman pointed out he doesn't defend well. Hinrich does do a very good job defensively night in and night out which I'm sure does affect his offense. How many times have you heard announcers such as Red Kerr say the best way to affect someone's offense (like say Gilbert Arenas) is to make them play defense at the other end and wear them down? with the energy Hinrich spends playing defense is offense has to be effected.

Good Blog! Finally, someone is beginning to realize that management is responsible for the Bulls remaining a mediocre team. Skiles will never coach a talented NBA player because his personality will limit these types of players playing for him. As I have said before, they had a better bench and better low post players in Tim Thomas and JR Smith but - because they don't dive for loose balls in practice - Skiles didn't play them. One blogger noted that Thomas is now with the Clippers and they don't win but, Thomas left the Bulls and went to Phoenix and was very instrumental there. I know Thomas is known as an "underachiever" but an underachieving Thomas is far better than an overachieving Allen-Sweetney-Khryapa-Griffin-Brown. And, you need better bench scoring? How about JR Smith coming off the bench versus scoring-challenged Chris Duhon. Have you ever seen anybody in the league miss more wide-open threes than Chris Duhon? Especially at crunch time?

As long as Skiles is coaching, the Bulls will always be a talent-deficient team because Paxson and Skiles can only get second-tier players to play for them. Coaching/managing personalities in the NBA is something you can't get around. Skiles and Paxson's vision of winning championships with players like they were, is a pipe dream.

G Phillips - Heinrich no D? Have you ever seen him on D Wade? Go look at Wade's stats against the Bulls...well below his averages.

They made a big mistake by not taking Brandon Roy which would have given them a big guard in the rotation. As it stands now, they have the point (Heinrich) guarding the other teams' 2 guard and Sefolosha doesn't get the minutes. This mini-me guard rotation can't go on much longer.

Please don't insult Doug Collins with a comparison to Skiles. Doug Collins was BELOVED, and had the SENSE to see who who should be running the show. Sadly Doug had no offensive system to rely on when teams were focussing on MJ. Skiles has an offensive system which has kept the Bulls floating around 500. This is as far as they can go under this system. Doug had the Bulls in the same place the Cavaliers are now with LaBron. They also need a coaching change. Phil Jackson would take Cleveland and Challenge for a title in 2 years. Doug Collins is a good coach who's players loved to play for him. Skiles is a good coach who is only still in the league because he is smart enough to have an offensive system. I have to defend Kirk Hinrich. Kirk is an underrated player. I too see how management favors him, but Kirk is the most balanced and complete player we have, so was John Stockton on his team, but John Stockton knew there was a better player on his team and a better scoring on the wing, and he looked for the assist instead of scoring. Stockton scored when the team needed it. Hinrich has to guard the toughest scorers in this league and consistently does it. Dwayne Wade is a beast, but his numbers go down consistently when playing against Kirk. I have watched it closely and Kirk wins 85% of those battles at his position. He is not as flashy as a lot of those guards, but he is effective. He needs to get off that company stationary and get back on the bus with his team. Kirk needs to use his talents to make those around him better. A smart guard would recognize that and use it to his advantage. Forget about outscoring Gordon, because he NEVER will. Lead Gordon and make him even better, that is Kirk's challenge. Now that is something you would think Pax and Skiles would TEACH Hinrich.

Roman, you say that you like Ben Gordan, but he lacks defense. Let me ask you a question.. Does Kirk have defense? or Consistant offense for that matter? If I was to choose between the two I would pick Ben Gordan. He has about the same defensive capabilities as a taller Hinrich, but more offense. Who would you choose? This isn't rocket science. Defense is a team effort.. If one player has awesome defense and the rest of the team doesn't get to their assigned spots on the floor what effectivness does that one defensive player has. Remember the Bulls? They had TEAM defense.. Everyone got to the boards, everyone got to thier assigned spaces, so that made defensive players like Pippen and Jordan seem even more effective. The Bulls right now has the offensive and defensive talent to go deep into the playoffs if Scott Skiles only knew how to manage players. I agree with the post that stated a coach of today MUST know how to manage players. You can not treat every palyer the same. Everyone has different personalities, and you must manage them differently.

Skiles wasn't an accomplished player, so does he really have the tools that it takes to be an accomplished coach? No. I dont care what industry you're in. To be an accomplished leader you must have experience,and leadership and Skiles doesn't have either..

I won't down Skiles because he wasn't a great player. Not many great players have coaching careers that translate into being considered a great coach. Name a few,please. Sometimes a great player can't tell you how they were able to do the things they did. Try having Jordan explain what made him a great player without mentioning hard work. He couldn't do it. Skiles has a inflexible nature that no one here will get very far with. I know people love those throw backs but every once in a while you do have to throw them back.

Keith-Lifetime Southsider....do you know the real reason Collins was fired? I would type it but Romo couldn't let slide through (Romo, please confirm)...not sure if this story would be somewhere on the internet but let's just say he wasn't fired for basketball reasons.

Roman responds: Yes, I've heard the rumors, but I'm not sure how valid they are. You never know. And you're right, I wouldn't let it slide through. Thanks for saving me the trouble.

I surely want to know about Collins! WOW, DIRT! Hilarious! Doug was the man because he believed in the Bulls and he loved MJ as much as we did. Skiles is on the sidelines playing poker and I am just not buying it. Nothing wrong with being mad or angry, but appearing mad all the time is a downer. Doug was like Jimmy V, and Dickey V. Win or lose he wore it on his sleeve, and so did MJ. That's sports drama, and I love it! Skiles should join the Army. I really want to know what Doug did! hehehehe!

Gordon, Deng, Hinrich, Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas second tier players? Not Hardly. As Kieth-Lifetime outhsider said (and many sportscasters have also said) Hinrich is under-rated. An earier post referred to him as a fraud, then explain to me how he ended up on Team USA with the likes of LeBron and D Wade. Gordon, although at times is streaky, DOES have the green light that G. Phillips claims he does not have. Deng is begining to emerge not only as a great mid-range shooter but also as a slasher. Nocioni is as fierce a player as there is in the league, no one draws a charge any better or sparks a team coming off the bench like he does. Tyrus Thomas although still a raw talent has improved nicely through the season and besides showing an uncanny ability to come from nowhere to block shots he begining to be the inside scoring presence the Bulls have been lacking. If Thomas begins to consistantly knock down the 8 to 12 foot jumper he will be one hell of an offensive threat. Defensively opponents are already becoming aware of his presence and some of the calls that have gone against him have been typical rookie calls that will go his way as he becomes more established. And with Thomas and Wallace on the floor together along with Deng or Nocioni the Bulls will become one of the best rebounding teams in the league.
As Far as Skiles ability to coach players, Deng's improvement this year is a result of Skiles talking to him about concentrating more on his mid-range shot and driving to the lane and less on three point shooting. Last year he shot less than 30% from the arch. This year has taken only one shot beyond the three point line and that was to beat the shot clock and he made that one.
for those who have said Wallace came to Chicago and is not the same player he was in Detroit....even Ben has said it has taken some time to become acclimated to his new team mates but things are starting to gel now and there are many things Ben does that don't show up on a stat sheet.
Thursday and Saturday will tell the tale of how far the Bulls can go in the play-offs. If they beat both Detroit and Cleveland this week look for them to end up as a second seed and only Detroit's home court advantage will stop them from getting into the finals.

Kirk Hinrich would be coming off the bench for any other team in the NBA, but in Chicago he is the saviour of the franchise. What a joke! But I guess this can be expected of a team that traded away several All Star caliber players. Eddy Curry was traded because he failed to take a DNA test for his heart, but the same requirements were not made of Malik Allen. Tyson Chandler is turning into a beast, not to mention J.R Smith. Even Eddie Robinson could have made a positive impact on the team had Skiles played him. Paxson needs to step up, make some real moves (get rid of Skiles and Hinrich) or make his way to the door. I miss winning!!

Good Blogging! Scott Skiles is to be credited with having his team competitive and for having an offensive system that most teams do not have (drive and kick). He should also be credited for their winning record. But he is NOT to be credited with players growth and development. You have to be on the floor to develop, and that is a major flaw of Skiles. Things were great with Doug Collins (jury is still out), but Phil Jackson made us forget all about him. Maybe we owe Doug Collins more than we think? Someone wrote that Bulls fans are like Cubs fans in a sense and he was right. Bulls have banners, but must we settle on those? We that remember must hold Chicago to higher standards! And we don't have to wait like we did before Michael finally broke through. The Pistons didn't rest on their laurels and neither should we. Skiles is not the answer and we must not be affraid to demand better. Paxson must also be held to a higher standard. Krause (who I hated) rolled the dice with Chandler because he was not trying to break even, he was trying to break the house, and I applaud that effort. I know this will not be a popular post, but Pax should have given away Deng or Gordon or Hinrich for Gasol. And Yes I saw Deng's 38 last night, and RAINBOW-Gordon is my favorite Bull. But that non deal showed what kind of pair Paxson has. To make the playoffs, play hard, and exit stage right. And that is a waste of PJ and Wallace's time. This is a what-about-next-year mentality. LA thought about next year, but not Miami. They have Kobe and his highlights, but Riley has the Rings and the Champagne. Detroit and Miami added soldiers to get ready for war! Bulls didn't select a gun off the rack because they don't plan to do much shooting. Bulls with Gasol have a chance to do battle and who knows in the East right? Without him, they are going be good, just like their coach - but not winners. And Chicago deserves BETTER!

I think I'd rather fail to win a championship with a guy like Skiles than have a submissive coach come in and miraculously win one. As crazy as that sounds, I am just trying to express how nice it is to see a coach hold his players accountable. No matter who you are, what you're paid, or how much you're needed, Skiles just sticks to his principles and does the right thing with his players. Despite a little riff here and there, you can see his players have bought into it. It's no coincidence all his players come from winning college programs or are used to winning on the NBA level. They've created a nice culture and as a lot of bloggers have pointed out, getting a championship is more a function of needed player personnel than it is Skiles inability to get them there. I actually think Skiles has found ways to get more out of his teams than he should have. I always marvel at the talent on other teams and how the Bulls manage to play with some of these better teams or even win. But they do it somehow and Skiles deserves a lot of credit. Will they win one? I tend to doubt it unless they do quite an overhaul and get themselves a real playmaker and big man. But they are definitely a good team and I really enjoy watching them play. So if they continued to play like this and managed to get themselves into a Conference Finals or the NBA Finals and lose, I can live with that. I'm not realy craving more NBA championships like a lot of people. If we get one, great. But I'd rather see the Sox get another one first. I'm just happy to see the Bulls back on the radar and keeping the interest if Chicago fans until baseball gets back into full swing.

Keith-Lietime Southsider, you said a player must get time on the floor to develope and Skiles is not to be credited for his players developement. Well excuse me but Skiles uses more of his bench than almost any other coach in the league, unlike Phil Jackson who when in Chicago used a 7 to 8 man rotation and seldom went deeper into the bench than that. You also claim the non trade for Gasol resulted in wasted time for Wallace and PJ Brown. Well Big Ben did not expect to come to Chicago and win a title the first year and he is now begining to gel with his new team mates and as for PJ he has been instrumental to Tyrus Thomas' developement and knowing that he is on the back side of his career he has shown a great deal of class in helping Tyrus learn the game at the NBA level. And that may well be one of the things that was asked of him by Pax and Skiles. Pax and Skiles have made much progress in the past 3 seasons including this one and it takes more than just 3 years to develope a championship team. I'm confident that during the off season Pax will manage to get that last piece of the puzzle that is needed, in the mean time I'll enjoy seeing just how far they can get this year and hope they surprise everyone and make it to the finals.

Tim I appreciate your perspective, but one only has to look at all of the players who are no longer Bulls to see what I am talking about. Tim Thomas, Eddie Curry, Tyson Chandler, JR Smith, etc. In fact, the players we have gotten in trades and free agency are ALL playing below their averages on other teams including Ben Wallace, PJ Brown, Mike Sweetney, and Adrian Griffin. At some point you have to stop blaming all the students and point to the teachers. No one loves to see the Bulls succeed like I do! I like Paxson and respect what Skiles is trying to do, but I calls it like I see it. Bulls fans ARE becoming like Cubs fans and that blogger made me look in the mirror and I say Hell-to-the-NO..I will not accept less than the best! Skiles...turn those players lose! Pax...you cannot keep and sign them all - wheel and deal for today while we have the services of Ben Wallace! Window is open NOW! We will look around and all of these young stars will mature and rule like Jordan for a decade!!!

Keith if you look at Ben Wallace's numbers since the all-star break he is not only putting up numbers like he did in Detroit but in some cases better and with Ben, Deng and Tyrus Thomas on the floor at the same time the Bulls have controlled the boards. They have won thier last four games. Although none were very pretty and they had leads slip away from them, they found ways to win them where in the past they came up short. I doubt that with 7 regular eason games left they can catch the Pistons but on Saturday they can take the second seed from the Cav's with a win and if by some chance they finish with an identical record with Detroit they own the tie breaker. As for Tim Thomas he has always been streaky and still is, Eddy Curry still does not defend well and since Crawford went down Curry's production has dropped because Crawford isn't there to feed him, Chandler I can honestly say I haven't followed but trading Brand for him was the worst trade in NBA history as far as I'm concerned. And from most of what I've read on this blog even if the Bulls win the Eastern Conference title Skiles won't get any respect or credit unless they win it all and maybe not even then.

I would love to show you the real numbers, because they support my argument, but that would take too much time. Anyone have the numbers? The Bull's recent little run is commendable, but its the regular season, and I don't care if they come in first place if they are not going anywhere in the playoffs. Detroit played hard, but looked unconcerned for the most part. Cleveland will be a better test. Skiles is commended for what he has done, but ask yourself - is it closer to what Doug Collins did or Phil Jackson? And if you ask players - or fans - which coach is better of the 3, you'd have to put Skiles at the bottom. Bulls don't have a post game - which was glaringly obvious last night. The Bulls have to shoot 75% just to be in the games, and they don't have a shot at doing that in a seven game series - after the first round. The refs don't respect our players or our coach. The GRIZZLIES got more calls than we did. Most of our opponents do. Skiles leaves me with the look he expresses...sour. Just like MJ, you have to earn respect. MJ had to win a championship before the media, his peers and some fans would give him respect. When Skiles moves the Bulls to the conf. finals, then I will begin to respect him. When he gets the respect of his players, then I will respect him. Playing Tyrus Thomas more is a no-brainer for the Bulls current roster. Bulls finally figure it out at the end of the season. If they had figured it out earlier they might have a more confident player and a better record. Folks say Skiles have been given credit, I say he has been scrutinized enough! This David and Golliath ball does NOT impress me. And Skiles is not Jimmy V!

Ben Wallace's real numbers:
with Detroit...13.3RPG..1.5APG..1.8SPG...2.3BPG

with Chicago...10.8RPG...2.5APG..1.5SPG..2.1BPG

not dramatically different especially when the first 2 seasons with Detroit he averaged 16 rebounds a game and last season only 10.5 and he never averaged more than 1.7 asissts per game with Detroit.

I agree with your comment that even MJ got no respect from the fans or officials and media until he won a title and that is unfortunate. Chicago is a tough town to please, in fact the toughest and except for the Bulls championship years they have been 2nd fiddle to the hapless Bears.

I doubt Phil Jackson would have this team in a better position in the conference because Phil wouldn't take the job of coaching a team without a superstar scoring machine. He left LA when Shaq went to Miami knowing Kobe couldn't do it alone and came back when LA got Odom thinking he might have a tandem comparable to MJ and Scottie.

Keith I respect your opinion and although I at times don't agree with you you have made some valid points.

By the way I am glad I could make you laugh with with that world series prediction. Having been a Cubs fan all my life (even though I no longer live in the Chicago area) I figured that would be the ultimate Cubs fan heartbreaker.

Thanks for the numbers Tim and for taking the time to comment! Numbers rarely lie. On the Bulls, Ben Wallace should have had even better numbers because he was needed more. See, even Phil has to earn that respect. He has to win without a star to validate his gifts (but not to me).

That Cubs comment was good stuff! Keep em coming!

more than happy to provide the numbers for you Keith and if I could get you his numbers since the all-star break I am sure they would show he has been better than the total season average since having the time to adjust to new team mates. now if he could just get his free throw percentage up to that of at least Shaq's his points per game would go up 2 to 3 points. I do know he has averaged over 13 rebounds per game since the break including 19 last night. and i will concur with you that playing Tyrus is a no-brainer the kid is an uncanny shot blocker with a vertical leap even MJ has to admire and is starting to develope some low post moves that are badly needed. I would like to see him start and have PJ come off the bench to give Tyrus a rest and Sweetney in for Ben, I think PJ and Sweets are better suited to each other than PJ and Ben.

And Sweetney is another situation I don't like. Might wanna check his numbers also. Sweets should be on that bench, but there are times when we could use his size. When Skiles is on your case, you go to the bench and into oblivion. Duhon is also in his doghouse. If I were a reporter...bet you I could get the truth out of these players. Tyrus should be starting with Ben Wallace, but they start PJ out of respect. Ben Gordon is a starter also, but what are no brainers become problems with the Bulls who act like they are the Pistons with 5 legitimate starters. Bulls have 2 persons that are complete balanced players and that is Deng and Hinrich. I could make a good argument for not starting all the rest - including Ben Wallace. Problem is, we have noone to start in their place. So Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace, and PJ round out the starters. Tyrus, Duhon, Sefolosha, Malik, Viktor as first options off the bench. We haven't even seen Michael Barrett even once. Pax will address the middle in the offseason, but when he did that, he doomed the rest of this year. Ben Wallace's contract is up after next year. The playoffs will be entertaining and good for the young bulls, but I see a missed opportunity. Chasing the trophy is what its all about, and never has there been an easier time to come out of the east. Its just a matter of time before Labron, Kobe, Howard, and other young stars learn how to reign like MJ, and once that happens - my fear is the Bulls will become Utah.

Tim and Keith-southsider: why don't you guys just get a room. Just kidding. I've never seen two people go back and forth so much since BBB and I kept up our running feud. At least you guys aren't implying that the other one was stupid or anything like that. You guys are great fans. I really don't follow B-Ball but you guys really taught me a few things lately.

Sweets averaged 17.7 minutes,5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds with the Knicks. His numbers with Chicago 15.5 minutes, 6.6 points and 1.7 rebounds. His reason for being in the dog house has been weight. I am glad to see that you're not one of those who think Hinrich is over-rated but I believe you left out one complete player....Nocioni. If he is able to play in the play-offs that gives the Bulls yet another option and will most likely cut PJ's time and may even bring him off the bench to spell Wallace. Ofcourse that would push Sweets farther down the bench and Nocioni being able to play would put Khryapa right next to Sweets. I have mixed feelings about Duhon and will admit he would be one of the young players I would be willing to trade along with Sweets, and Khryapa to get a steady low post threat. A superstar low-post player isn't necessary just one that is consistant because I believe Tyrus will soon become an all-star power forward. Also if memory serves me corectly Wallace was signed to a 4 year contract not two, which means barring a trade he'll be in a bull uniform until 2010. PJ on the other hand I believe is in the last year of his contract.
Until the Cav's get LaBron a better supporting cast he will be like the Pippenless MJ, close but no cigar. Kobe had his era with Shaq and his ego will keep him where he is now. Dwight Howard could very well become as dominate as Shaq has been with the added feature of being able to make free-throws.
In any case yes the play-offs will be entertaining and The Bulls may even surprise everyone and make the finals. But I believe this is Dallas's year to win and the Bulls next step to trophy.

Donald I almost spit coffee on my keyboard! I am Crackin upppp! But thanks for the compliment! Tim, your last email is the Bomb! I only hope you are right about Labron. I don't see a better opportunity to come out of the East than this year. With Miami coming off their win, I thought they would be less focussed and too old and I was right. Detroit were getting old also. Every team in the east is vulnerable, but I don't see that happening next year. Like the Bulls, everyone will be scrambling to make moves this offseason. And with this rich draft coming up, some teams are going to make significant steps. Tyrus has answered a lot of the Bulls questions, but the thing about his game is that its more suited for the regular season (open court). Playoff ball as you know is half court, grind it out ball. To get the most out of Thomas, the Bulls need a better point guard. You are right about Ben Wallace's contract, it is a 4 year contract. We are down to 3 now.

I wish we were blogging about Florida's success. Was a great story with a Media/Fan friendly ending. We read ad-nauseum about players that are selfish, but here is a good story about a player like Corey Brewer who needs those NBA dollars but unselfishly said no to the instant payoff. It paid off, and I applaud Marrioti for his article commending Florida. Florida over Ohio State again (hoops and football)! Going to make a good trivia question.

I think Bulls will never realize their full potential with Skiles. Few examples, Nocioni is an awesome 3 yet he plays him at a 4. Even with BenW, Joakim, JoeSmith, Tyrus Thomas all set to play at 4/5 (some more fixed at one position)he will continue to play Noicioni. We can do without the 'mismatches' caused by our smaller lineups. Other is please limit Duhon's minutes. trade him or just cut him. Also we have to play Sefalosha more at 2. With Kirk/BenG/Sefl/JCurry we should be set at 1/2. I like the idea of playing Deng at 2 at times if Noc is gonna be at 3. Even Tabo can play the 3. but dont put Tabo at 3 and have midgets at 1 and 2. May be Paxson will rescue the day and just trade away some of these players so Skiles can't misuse them.

Here we go again with Skiles. Glad he finally figured out that he need to let young players learn on the court, example Tyrus Thomas against Philadelphia. The problem is that we did not see Aron Gray at all. How can you not give even five minutes to a 7 footer with a soft touch. Tabo committed two bad turnover but who does not. Sure you can argue that the Bulls lost to 76ers because Deng was distracted...Bulls will face stifling defense in the playoffs and unless they have Gray, and Tabo ready playing and 5 and 2 respectively I don't see the Bulls going any deeper into the playoffs. Hopefully the early loosing will be a blessing in disguise forcing the Bulls to make changes early.

well we saw some positive signs in the game against the Clippers. Skiles had only one small guard palying with 4 long quick players. And the Bulls actually took back the lead in the 4th quarter. Then again before the closing minutes Skiles inserted 2 small guards and with disastrous results. I just don't see Skiles playing Tabo in the closing minutes over the other guards. We will loose a lots of close games this year.

Scott Skiles is not a good motivator and owes Tyrus Thomas and all black people a apology for his racist remarks!