Skiles set to run with the Bulls

Skiles succeeds Bill Cartwright, who was fired on Monday after the Bulls got off to a 4-10 start. Pete Myers was named interim coach and guided the Bulls Tuesday in a loss at Dallas, the team’s sixth straight. Myers is also expected to lead the club on Wednesday night, as the Bulls wrap up a five-game road trip in San Antonio.

Skiles, 39, spent parts of three seasons as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, posting a record of 116-79. He took over for Danny Ainge in December 1999 and led Phoenix to a 40-22 record, plus a first-round playoff series victory over San Antonio.

The Suns were 51-31 in Skiles’ lone full season on the bench in 2000-01. He then resigned on February 17, 2002 after the club started 25-26.

Skiles played 10 seasons in the NBA after being selected with the 22nd overall pick of the 1986 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 assists in 600 career games with Milwaukee, Indiana, Orlando, Washington and Philadelphia, and still holds the NBA record for assists in a game with 30 in a December 30, 1990 contest against Denver.

Cartwright registered a 51-100 record as the head coach of the Bulls. He became their general on December 28, 2001, when he took over for Tim Floyd, who is now the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets.