With the Chicago Bulls struggling to a 9-16 start, GM John Paxon fired head coach Scott Skiles today.
“This was a difficult decision to make, but one that was necessary at this time,” Bulls general manager John Paxson said in a release. “Scott helped us in many ways during his time with the Bulls; most importantly, he helped this franchise get back to respectability. I am appreciative of his hard work and the imprint that he left on our team.”
Chicago is in a familiar spot with this season’s slow start.
The Bulls dropped their first nine in 2004-05 and were 4-15 before going on a surge that led to 47 wins and their first playoff appearance since the Michael Jordan era. They needed a late surge the next season to make it to the playoffs, winning 12 of their final 14 regular-season games to finish with 41 wins.
I’m a little surprised about this move considering the team’s history of slow starts and Skiles’ general reputation around the league. It seems like Paxon’s moves (and non-moves) have affected the team more than Skiles’ coaching. The team has not gotten what it needs from Ben Wallace and the whole Kobe situation has been one giant distraction. Of course, Skiles is partly responsible for Wallace and how his team handles all of the Kobe talk.
For a while there, it looked like the Bulls were a team on the rise, but it’s not clear what direction they are heading now.
