For certain. They weren't able to get rid of him before he poisoned that locker room. They went from no leader on the roster to having a malcontent lead half the guys into quitting on their coach. Skiles was the team leader until Wallace showed up, and after your authority is lost, there's no getting it back. Hinrich and Deng weren't strong enough to stop what was going on. Paxson really screwed up. His not finding a way to make the deal for Kobe happen was catastrophic. Gasol, so what. He wasn't going to make that big a difference (I recognize what he's done for LA, but that's a different situation). Kobe? They'd be right there behind Boston and Detroit, making the East relevant again. Deng's not looking nearly as dominant now - and it's not like he was ever going to be as good as Kobe is now. Hold on too tight, and it all slips away. Now they've got Gordon and Deng both wanting big dollars this summer, Duhon making it transparent that he's not going to return, and still don't have a veteran star to build around. They may need to completely overhaul this summer. Evan
Skiles was part of the reason Chandler left. I think Skiles is the type of coach that can't stay in one place too long or players will tune him out. He's a decent coach but there is only so far he could take them.
I don't fault the Bulls for trading Tyson. He's a good guy and all, but he and the Bulls' coaching staff never got along. Whatever success he'll have in New Orleans, he wouldn't have had it in Chicago---he didn't want to be there. Boylan is poison. He's the worst type of coach: the media phony in the Isiah Thomas mold. He's run, what, twelve starting lineups since taking the job? He claims to be a hard-ass, yet is really rewarding players that don't deserve minutes (Hughes especially) and is punishing anyone associated with the ancien regime. This explains their disciplinary problems.
An interesting post. In regards to obtaining a veteran star to build around this summer, it is hard to come up with a Name that would be both available and also make a significant impact on the court. When KG was available last summer, Chicago was unable (unwilling?) to step forward and close a deal. After the Kidd, KG, Gasol, Shaq - Marion, etc trades over the past year, the availability of Veteran Stars is somewhat limited. After having the Veteran Star of MJ be the difference maker in the Glory Years, it seems that the Bulls would realize what it takes to structure a team roster. Not sure if they would be any better if Crumbs was still in charge, but hard to imagine that they would be significantly worse.
I thought, before they started loosing, the bulls' biggest advantage was their teamwork and chemistry. They reminded me of the Sonics that one year they won alot of games out of the blue with Ray Allen and no real post presence. their biggest downfall was living by the jumper and not getting much going inside the paint. I was amazed at how well they had been playing with a roster of overrated players.
It is Skilesesque for him to blow out of a job. He is Karl with less finesse. Ouch. The Wallace problem began because he was the wrong fit in Chicago, just as Chandler was the wrong fit. It is a roster of good players waiting for a leader, or not waiting and running amok. Pax has no apparent vision, and no ability to actually do something, the deadline deal not withstanding. He put rival Cavs steps ahead of his team to rid himself of his mistake, by taking Cavs' mistake in the process? Make no mistake, Bulls need a complete overhaul - starting with GM. Then a coach (JVG?) to reflect the vision going forward. Somehow they'll need to deal talent to get talent and Gordon has played himself out of a 10mm/yr deal and Hinrich has not evidenced his 11mm/yr. Bulls could be fun to watch this draft/July/summer. But if Paxson is still there they will not be fun. (If JVG were their hire I wonder who might be targeted from Rox whom the Rox might be attentive to an offer for?)
Each young player on this team, each south or (in Luol Deng's case) well south of their prime, had consistently improved per minute year to year. This year, for whatever reason, each of them took a step back. In the meantime, Tyrus Thomas has improved, while Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray look like a solid center tandem for the next ten years. After the Tyson Chandler fiasco (watching him improve year by year, suffering through one fluke bad year, then trading him only to watch him continue an upward trend), I'm not going to freak out too much. This is the youngest team in the NBA, and a good (or competent, even) coach can do some great things with this group. And I'm a fan. I should be freaking out and wanting everyone traded (like a lot of Bulls fans). I don't. I'm not going to start giving up and then watch Luol Deng enjoy his prime on a better team five years from now. Or Tyrus Thomas seven years from now.
Howdy KD...you're a fan and a bit of an aficianado, so what is your take on the GM situation? What can/will/should be done with Gordon? Sign Deng, certainly. And what of TThomas? BTW - I hope Bulls stay out of playoffs, Nets, too. Go Hawks Go (except for tonite) and lower the Suns' pick!
