Bulls Season In Review - Part 3

By: David Lister

Hold on there, don’t forget about Part 1 and Part 2 of CSR’s Bulls Season In Review.

Dec. 26 - The firing of Scott Skiles was met with mixed reaction in Chicago. Once again the Bulls started off slowly under Skiles, only this time they weren’t showing signs of turning it around. He was also reluctant to play youngsters Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, and while both players showed a lack of maturity at times this season, they are both also top 10 draft picks and an important part of the Bulls future.

At the same time, it’s hard to blame Skiles for Ben Wallace and Kirk Hinrich’s disappointing seasons or Luol Deng’s injury problems. Skiles had shown in the past that his teams could rebound from poor starts and he was undoubtedly the best coach for this team this year (as Jim Boylan would later show).

Charlie Danoff wasn’t thrilled with Skiles’ dismissal, as many experts were arguing that the Bulls players had ‘tuned out’ their coach. In a prophetic statement, Danoff argued this would end badly for Chicago:

The team is flawed. They have been, despite their success over the past few seasons. A small backcourt with no inside scoring is a bad model in any basketball textbook.

Despite all that, Scott Skiles figured out a way to make it work with what he had. They were struggling this year, but that was nothing new for this group. They figured it out in the past, turned things around, and were stronger because of it.

They had faith in each other in past years when things started poorly, and were rewarded once they hit their groove. They trusted each other and played better. Respect is built when teammates stick together through the lowest of times - it is shattered when a leader gets stabbed in the back in the middle of a mild storm that the ship’s owner does not have the stomach to endure.

Now, that trust will never come back. Paxson chose to put the blame squarely on Skiles, removing accountability from the players and himself. Instead of grinding with the only coach they have ever known together - and eventually realizing it’s really quite easy to make the playoffs in the East - Paxson panicked and lost the trust.

I hope this galvanizes the team and makes everything better. I doubt it will.

Dec. 30 - The Bulls would start off 2-1 under interim head coach Jim Boylan, a noted ‘player’s coach’. With their record at 11-17 the team was still in the playoff picture in the miserable Eastern Conference.

Charlie elected to put aside his feelings about the Skiles firing to profile the new coach and even let a little hope show:

At the end of the day, he seems a fine choice to be the interim head man of the Bulls. His Heathcote pedigree and championship experience are pluses, and despite the poor performance of the NBA teams he has been with, he has been working in the league over 16 years and deserved a shot.

I have no choice but to be optimistic about him turning around the Bulls, otherwise this writing gig could get really depressing.

Boylan himself better be damn excited. Even if it’s only 50 games, almost no one gets the chance to be a head coach in the NBA. It is an amazing opportunity for him - lets just hope he wins a few more games than he did in his previous head-coaching gigs.

Jan. 8 - Possibly the most interesting year for any of the Bulls was that of Ben Gordon. The third overall pick in the 2004 Draft turned down a big contract extension before the season and then proceeded to show he’s not yet a complete enough player to be a starter for a championship-caliber team. Oops.

Gordon still had a nice season, averaging a team-high 18.6 ppg. On Dec. 28 he scored 19 points in the fourth quarter of the Bulls 103-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, causing Michael Redd to drop the ‘Mr. Fourth Quarter’ nickname of Gordon. Charlie Danoff decided to look at the numbers and see if the nickname is appropriate:

So, then - is Gordon deserving of the nickname or not? Certainly it seemed appropriate in his first two seasons, but not as much in his third. So far this season he has largely lived up to the lofty title, especially since he has resumed his - dare I say - proper role of sixth man. If the Bulls are to have any hope of making this year’s postseason dance, Gordon will have to find a way to continue to elevate his clutch performance.

A good start would be getting more of those points they give away for “free.”

Jan. 11 - A win against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight puts the Bulls at 14-20, the closest they will get the .500 the rest of the season. You will begin to notice a trend in CSR’s stories, as for the next month or so we will implore the Bulls to begin making trades. After all, the firing of Scott Skiles was essentially the waving of a white flag, right?

So, what’s to do? Trade everyone, save: Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. Aaron Gray and Duhon can stay, because they barely make anything and are worth more than their salaries. Gordon could stay, though he is less of a priority than the first three.

Everyone else? Dump ‘em. Move them right now. Maybe a Ben Wallace trade to the LA Lakers for Kwame Brown’s expiring contract? How about Hinrich to the Heat for Jason Williams and Ricky Davis? Both of their deals come off the cap next year.

I realize moving players Paxson has put so much faith and effort into will be difficult. The hardest thing for anyone to do is admit they have made the wrong choices in the past, and realize it is time to cut their losses and move in a different direction.

The only thing harder is continuing down that wrong path.

Of course the big trade would come, but you have to come back next week for the conclusion of our Bulls review. Until then, try to enjoy the NBA Playoffs Bulls fans.

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David Lister is the web editor for the National Sports Review. You can reach him at chicagosportsreview@gmail.com. Go Cards.

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