Bulls axe Skiles

Here's a post I did over at the Sun-Times yesterday.

All along it seemed like John Paxson and Scott Skiles were in this together. It was evident in the way they drafted, spent free agent dollars, and distributed playing time. I always figured that they would eventually leave together, joined at the hip throughout the third post-championship rebuilding process. The fact that Paxson actually had the fortitude to can his running mate is what surprises me the most about Skiles’ Christmas Eve firing.

With the team sitting at 9-16, it’s hard to argue it is unjust, especially given preseason expectations. It has been hinted that Skiles lost this team, something I find hard to believe. Maybe that is the case with Chris Duhon, Ben Wallace, and Tyrus Thomas, but not for anyone else. Still, I don’t believe an interim coach will be able to turn things around this season. The upcoming offseason will be pivotal as the Bulls will have to make decisions on style and personnel, as well as hire a coach.

If the Bulls don’t make a trade this season, and resign Ben Gordon, I believe it would be in their best interest to move to an up-tempo style. To do that, the Bulls may have to look at bringing in an untested head coach, much like Memphis did when they hired former Phoenix Suns’ assistant Marc Iavaroni this year. Hiring a coach like Jeff Van Gundy wouldn’t make the Bulls any better, as they have already been down the road of a tough-nosed, defensive-minded, disciplinarian with Skiles. Don Nelson would be ideal, though I doubt he would come to Chicago at his age.

If the Bulls switched to an up-tempo style, I believe the personnel they currently have could make the transition. Gordon, who’s main deficiency is his defense, could excel sprinting down the court and firing open threes, much the way Leandro Barbosa does for the Suns. The player who could most benefit from a change in style would be Tyrus Thomas, who’s lack of playing time was surely a big dispute between the coach and GM. Thomas’ skill set fits perfectly with an attacking, run-and-gun style, and after dealing a rising star in LaMarcus Aldridge to acquire him, Paxson may want to prove that he didn’t waste the second pick in the 2006 draft.