Bulls Fire Skiles

Just checked... Floyd "resigned" on Dec. 24, 2001...

 

For what it's worth, NBA people I know say it was actually done yesterday morning or possibly after Saturday night's game. The Bulls look at the timing of the announcement as a courtesy to Skiles, thinking people will leave him alone on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

 

Anybody have Skiles before Thomas in the first-to-be-fired pool?

 

I'm actually not that surprised. I won't be stunned if Thomas lasts the season...

 

That's Skiles' reputation, but the general opinion in Chicago was that he went too much the other direction - trusting guys like Gordon and Ben Wallace for too long in certain situations, especially defensively, based on what they had delivered in the past.

I think Skiles has grown since those days in Phoenix. Maybe too much.

That all being said, this is Paxson's mess. It's a very unbalanced team, and he's held onto assets like Gordon, Deng and Hinrich too long without making a move. This reminds me of Hendry's situation with the Cubs when he shuttled Dusty - this next hire is Paxson's last straw. Because he's next.

 

Wait a minute. Isn't this the same team that everybody loved going into the season? It was supposed to be full of all this young talent, a conference finals contender, etc. All of a sudden it's an unbalanced roster and Paxson's in trouble?

 

Krause is a moron, but anyone who uses the word "bullshit" when addressing Mariotti has something going for him.

 

This is the league that plays on Christmas.

 

It's been well-known and well-documented for a while that they were essentially living on borrowed time without a bonafide low-post scoring threat. This isn't revisionist history. Paxson has been far too reluctant to pull the trigger on deals for guys like Garnett, Kobe, etc., etc. It was bound to catch up with him. There were plenty of Chicago media who questioned the Ben Wallace signing at the time as wasted money. And Tyrus Thomas over LaMarcus Aldridge? Horrible decision.

 

Was it ripped as a horrible decision at the time? Serious question, because I can't remember. I saw both those guys play quite a bit in college and I'm not so sure I wouldn't have made the same choice. Of course, I'm not an NBA guy getting paid to make those decisions.

 

No, it wasn't, which is why I always roll my eyes at this kind of Monday Morning Quarterbacking. Aldridge was viewed as soft and unable to rebound well or defend at all, and Thomas was said to have a much higher ceiling. Paxson rolled the dice, and it hasn't worked out yet. But Thomas is only 21; there's still time.