Bulls’ players, GM, wake up!
CHICAGO — The Bulls decided they had to fire Scott Skiles now to try and salvage their lost season. It’s hard to determine if this move is a bigger indictment on their whiny, under-motivated and overpaid players or on the poor decisions made by general manager John Paxson.
That the players would simply quit on their coach is more symptomatic of the modern culture of sports. The team starts to lose and the players don’t want to accept responsibility, so the easy out is to start mailing in games because they know ultimately the coach will take the fall. And to think the Bulls’ roster is allegedly stocked with “high character” guys. Do the Bulls ever think they owe anything to the organization that pays their bloated salaries or the fans who pay to watch them?
Hey, Pax, how about stepping up and mentioning the poor moves you’ve made? You drafted and traded LaMarcus Aldridge, the inside scoring presence so lacking on the Bulls, to get the immature, underachieving, offensively challenged Tyrus Thomas. You also had a shot at Brandon Roy, the tall and talented two guard and instead drafted Thabo Sefolosha later in Round 1. You signed the one-trick pony Ben Wallace, for $15 million per season, and he is now barely an adequate rebounder. You drafted Joakim Noah, who offers nothing that Thomas doesn’t except perhaps a better attitude and longer hair.
One thing is apparently certain: The Bulls no longer felt they could succeed with a passionate, fair, hard-working coach who expected that players practice hard, play hard in games, show improvement on the court and be accountable when they didn’t. Beyond the short-term improvement that generally occurs when a new coach is brought in, I can’t wait to see what difference Jim Boylan can make with this mismatched collection of selfish underachievers.
— Michael Morrissey
Wallace should look into mirror
INVERNESS — I’m a Bulls fan, and I’ve seen Bulls coaches come and go. To motivate a team, I understand that sometimes the coach becomes a scapegoat — it’s cheaper to fire him than one or more players.
I like Scott Skiles and John Paxson — they both believe that great teams start with great defense. I saw the first Bulls dynasty develop that way. I saw in Scott Skiles a coach who wasn’t afraid to get into any player’s face and challenge a lack of effort, until Ben Wallace came to the Bulls. Probably because of the amount of money he was being paid, it was obvious that Wallace was being coached by committee. I cite last year’s headband incident, one which Skiles handled with way too much patience, and I consider it the beginning of the end of Skiles’ coaching career in Chicago.
Ben Wallace said Skiles gave up on the team, so they gave up on him? Maybe Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen deserved the slack Wallace was given, but a guy who can’t score and has stopped being a defensive force has no business criticizing anyone but himself. How can anyone who claims to have a competitive nature ever give up, regardless of how much money he makes or who his coach is?
If Scott Skiles was guilty of anything, it was being too loyal to his players and letting upper management (John Paxson and Jerry Reinsdorf) do some of his thinking for him. I don’t care how much you pay the tail, it should never wag the dog.
— Jim Mays Jr.
Shocking choice: Hire Laimbeer
PERU, Ill. — I’m sorry the Bulls released Scott Skiles and I know this may sound crazy, but can you imagine if the new coach was none other than the most hated Detroit Piston in history, Bill Laimbeer?
Think about it. Better yet, look at his record with the WNBA’s Detroit Shock, and look what he has done with his players. The Bulls need his winning attitude and his winning experience. A winner is a winner. Think about it, Pax.
— Ed Sigmund
Thank you, Prior
CHICAGO — Now that Mark Prior is officially an ex-Cub, I wish him nothing but the best over the rest of his career. I would also like to share a story.
It happened after Game 2 of the Cubs-Braves division series in 2003. I was with some colleagues at the outdoor beer garden at Turner Field in Atlanta. The Cubs had just lost, and the series was even at one game apiece.
Before we left the ballpark, a Braves fan said the Cubs were now destined to lose the series. And without so much as a second thought I responded. I told this Braves fan, and a number of his friends, that Mark Prior was pitching the next game back in Chicago. I even predicted a stat line, which he exceeded, pitching a complete game to beat Greg Maddux and put the Cubs ahead once again.
But the exhilarating thing was that after all the losing I had seen as a Cubs fan, I still had the confidence to boast about my team in the opponent’s park.
I hadn’t felt that before, and unfortunately I haven’t felt it since either.
Thanks, Mark, for giving me that kind of confidence in my team and in you.
— Rob Harris
A lesson in growing up
FRANKFORT — Mark Prior’s signing with the San Diego Padres gives new meaning to the word ungrateful. While Kerry Wood shows us how a person with character acts, Mark Prior shows us that he’s still a baby.
— Lino Canalia
What’s in a name — nothing
DEERFIELD — Rick Morrissey is absolutely correct when he writes that selling the naming rights to Wrigley Field will not make a difference in the experience of attending a Cubs game (Tribune, Dec. 28).
If it means Cubs ownership will receive additional revenue by selling the naming rights and in turn increases the player payroll, more power to them. Go ahead and sell advertising space on every seat and even the toilet seats if it will change the only experience I care about, and that is the one that has Wrigley Field empty come mid-October every year.
— Dan Marder
Give Orton his due
HOMEWOOD — Why is it so difficult to give Kyle Orton any credit for his performance? We have an imperfect team in an imperfect city in an imperfect state in an imperfect country in an imperfect world. We crucify everyone who does not meet some preconceived standard. We live in a past that is just that: the past.
This kid is a gamer. He appears to be a regular guy who people warm up to. Why doesn’t everyone root for him? For his success is the Bears’ success, isn’t it? He may not fit some mold, but so what? Maybe the reason is that management is ashamed they spent so much money on stiffs.
— John F Dzurak Jr.
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