GM John Paxson, Not Scott Skiles, At Fault For Chicago Bulls’ Struggles

The Chicago Bulls dropped a ba-humbug on Scott Skiles, firing their coach on Christmas Eve after the team stumbled to a disappointing 9-16 record.

The pink slip-even during the holidays-comes as no surprise. But the ultra competitive Skiles wasn’t the real problem. Nevertheless, the feisty sideline boss was an easy scapegoat and now finds himself out of work.

Here’s what went wrong in the Windy City:

• 1) No post threat: Opposing defenses can leave Ben Wallace and whoever plays power forward to focus on undersized guards like Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. Not surprisingly, the Bulls tiny backcourt can’t get open-looks and has misfired all season.
  

• 2) The Kobe rumor: The entire team has been traded a half-dozen times to L.A. for Bryant. This can’t be easy-even for professionals. Remember, the Bulls are still a young, fragile team. 
  

• 3) No return on Big-Ben: Wallace’s four year, 60 million dollar contract has backfired. The center isn’t an elite defender and produces little offense. Now the club is shopping Wallace, but they’ll find few takers for such a hefty contract.
  

• 4) Thinking about The Benjamins: Gordon and Luol Deng each turned down lucrative 50 million dollar extensions in training camp because they believed free agency would bring greener pastures. Their negotiations with front office became a distraction and both players have stumbled this year. 
  

Skiles deserves his share of blame. But GM GM John Paxson is getting a pass. After all, Jordan’s former backcourt mate failed to add a scoring forward, chased Bryant like a school girl with a crush, inked Wallace to his inflated contract, and turned negotiations with Gordon and Deng into a national soap opera.

Remember, Paxson also donated Eddie Curry to the Knicks and basically swapped defensive stud Tyson Chandler for the aging Wallace. So who is really at fault for Chicago’s woes?

Seems like Skiles’ pink-slip ended up in the wrong Christmas stocking.

Who would you fire: Skiles or Paxson? Get at us in the comment box below or hit us up in our new fan forum.

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