Especially weird Pax-speak after the Boylan wake on Thursday:

(Before I rant on nearly every word he said, I acknowledge that Paxson is likely lying or at least embellishing about some of this. It's either that or he's overmatched as a GM, so I'd choose to believe the former.)

First of all, it's unforgivable (if it's true) that he has no preconceived leading candidate, let alone no idea what kind of candidate to look for. Not only should starting an informal coaching search have been deemed necessary after seeing a week of Boylan, he should have replacements in mind even when Skiles was coach. Pax is playing it off as being thorough, but I consider it unprepared.

And notice the quick jab at the media when saying "contrary to what has been written". Yet another example of Paxson giving too much worry (i.e., any) to that darned 'misinformation' out there that keeps him from doing his job. For someone who isn't worried, he sure spends a lot of time saying how he isn't worried.

And worse yet, he should be worried, if it's regarding the possibility that someone is hired in the meantime. What if they're the best choice? Right, he doesn't even have an idea what criteria he'll be looking for, let a lone who fits that. Holy crap.

And then there's the pandering to the fans.  I don't want the coach to "resonate" with me. I don't even care if he "connects with the organization", as even Pax has said that the same organization needs to be reevaluated at all levels (And it sounds like he's right on that point. Of course, no part of that reevaluation involves canning 'organizational guys'  Myers and Adams, though they weren't promised seats on the bench either).

For contrast, look to Ben Gordon, who said regarding his preferred style of coach: "It really doesn't matter to me, I think we just need a coach who knows the result is winning." I feel the same way, as winning will resonate just fine. Pax should be even less worried about the fans than the press when it comes to this.

For a guy who's supposed strong suits include dealing with the media, Pax sure finds ways to irk me often. And the examples above wouldn't get to me so much if he didn't reinforce them every chance he got, and worse yet make personnel moves that echo them. It's a pattern that's getting harder to explain away.

So reports KC Johnson. No official word from Paxson yet on Boylan or his staff.

Good riddance.

We've been hearing reports now that Skiles knew 'something' was up with this team in the preseason that foretold doom.

But meanwhile, I saw worriesome things regarding Skiles himself, especially when he was entertaining the idea of starting Aaron Gray.

And lo and behold, by the end of the season, Aaron Gray started, put up the worst-looking 19 and 22 game possible, and the Bulls lost some ping-pong balls as a result of beating a given-up Raptors team for their 33rd and final win of the season.

Ah...finally this awful, awful season is over.

And so is the season of the open game thread, specifically the last game thread on the `old' SBNation platform (BaB is migrating this weekend).

Special thanks to those who helped me this season in writing previews for each game. As you can likely tell they're not my favorite thing to do here, but beyond the shared workload I enjoyed getting new voices in on the action once in a while. So much gratitude to commenters joemoses, wjb1492, chgobr, bullshooter, Big D, and prashantrao for helping out.

It's also a goodbye to Boylan, Duhon, and likely a bunch of other Bulls. Even though this team this season brought feelings of ambivalence to outright hatred, I'll miss actually watching them play. The offseason seems fun but it's really short bursts of fun spread out into a verrry long time.

One of those bursts of fun is the lottery, and the Bulls are one win `ahead' of Charlotte. Both teams (Charlotte with the Sixers, Bulls with the Raptors) are facing playoff teams with their fates already decided.

So I guess it'll depend on who wants those pingpong balls more. Ugh, that's enough to forget what I said above: I'm truly glad this is it for a while.

Sham with the fitting eulogy:

Man, I sure hope that's true. As I said before, his recent incomprehensible increase in playing time along with my general twitchiness with all things 'hustle-y' related with this team leave me unconvinced. Some times I think the only thing that would survive a Bullsocolypse is Chris Duhon.

In fact, I won't be convinced otherwise until he's holding up another team's jersey. Whether it's in English or not.

Paxson gave out some media morsels on Monday (and we all talked it out today),  with the announcement that a meeting with the Boylan Bunch will take place Thursday, followed by the players on Friday.

And then came the PaxSpeak:

(I wish he gave a better timetable, although I assume that he doesn't mean the players have to be around all summer, merely around sometime before training camp and after whatever individual workouts or respective national team commitments are scheduled. At least sometime after a new coaching staff is hired and free agency is settled.)

At first glance, it looks like another instance of Pax concerning himself way too much about off-court 'habits'. We all heard last summer's tales from the Berto Center Parking Lot that made Gordon and Deng seem to be workout mavens, and where did that get anybody?

And the example given of how Pax used his summers to work with the team rings hollow, as what was more important: the workouts between blackjack sessions? Or that they had Michael Jordan on the team?

Sometimes I worry that Paxson isn't sure.

It sounds like the biggest concern going into the offseason is getting a great coach (as, apparently, a very good coach who may quit on you wasn't the answer), and getting everyone 'bought in'. But in the grand title-striving scheme, those should be secondary steps, with the first getting a team talented enough to compete without such things.

However, I think Paxson is just gearing up for the truth that there's little sense banking on some major upgrade 'star' acquisition, or lottery dreams. Not that it's impossible, just that it takes some luck anyway, so while always keeping an eye on that, in the meantime you have to worry about the little things that could make a team go back from above average to below average. It's not the ultimate goal, but it's a start.

Though even with that goal in mind, I sure hope that Paxson doesn't value the interview over the resume. Especially with a franchise with an abysmal record of developing players, maybe it's best they get away for a while.

I know I made the joke somewhere else in this space before that the Bulls weren't going to catch the Bucks at this brief tank-a-thon because the Bucks have so much more practice.

And with a new GM and a completely mucked-up salary structure, Milwaukee will likely be looking to make some major changes in the offseason. As in 'might even consider taking Larry Hughes' type changes.

They do have pseudo-star Michael Redd, who is better currently than anyone on this squad, but is also turning 29 by the start of next season and therefore likely won't be a part of the next great Milwaukee Bucks team. I'd imagine the Bucks would be willing to do a move similar to what the Sonics did with Ray Allen: take on an equally crappy contract in a worse player, but for shorter years, along with 'assets'. For Allen, the Sonics received Wally Szczerbiak (1 year shorter deal), with the assets being the #5 pick and Delonte West. I'd think starting offer for Redd (who's younger and owed less, but for more seasons, than Allen was) would be Hughes and #8, but then you could really expand the deal considering the contracts both teams may want to unload, and other fun things the Bulls could throw in (like Thabo).

I'm not even sure I'd want to acquire Redd, even though he may be a maxed-out Ben Gordon,  he's also getting paid more than Gordon will likely (as if I have a clue) ask for and you're getting his end-post-prime seasons whereas Ben's best is yet to come. Plus there's the sticky issue of committing max dollars into that magical summer of 2010 when James/Wade/Bosh are free agents. And the issue of committing max dollars to anyone who really doesn't deserve it. But it did get Hughes out of town, didn't it?

Think of that instead of this stanky tanky game. I'll collect your sheets at the end of class.

Man, not only a post on the weekend, but in bullets...

• After reading the game thread comments, I taped the replay of the Bulls/Cavs game from Friday night. Unfortunately ESPN cuts up the replays so I didn't get to see everything, but it was a fun game to watch considering how well Tyrus and Noah played, especially together. Unfortunately it was all in extended garbage time, the kind where Luol Deng attempts 25% of his season total in 3-pointers, so while I'm not surprised they can play well together, I won't proclaim it proves they're the ideal frontcourt. They do need a 3rd man (who starts or sits, as a non-Boylan coach could figure out how to give everyone minutes) in the rotation to take the pressure off those two when they're overwhelmed physically. Drew Gooden's good(en) enough. Nocioni isn't.  Aaron Gray neither.
   
• Speaking of Red Kerr's binkie, he was the subject of some KC Johnson bias this week. I used to really like KC's work at the Trib, and missed it when he took a year off the beat, but the more I read or hear his 'opinions' instead of straight reporting, the less I'm liking that reporting. And it seems that since Sam Smith has left, the Trib's figuring to save money by having one part of KC's job blend into the other. First it was the consecutive days where Tyrus Thomas was referred to as 'who will be shopped in the offseason' (one instance was in a game story), and the implication that it's unknown whether Thomas will work hard in the offseason because he didn't tell KC as much. Contrast that with the glossing over an example of Noah's lack of professionalism while praising his professionalism, and I notice a suspicious lack of recognition concerning Aaron Gray's lapses in that department, considering he had his own blowup with Boylan, and hasn't been keeping weight off during this season.
  
  Do I notice (or imagine) this because I'm fearing the organization's using the media to grease the wheels for a Tyrus exit this offseason? Yes. I'm not sure it's an irrational fear, however.
   
  update: Forgot to throw this in as well: after Thomas' nice game on Friday, both the Trib and Sun-Times gave implicit credit to the Pete Myers motivational toolbox.
  
  
• One coach may be unavailable in the Bulls' search this offseason, as the Bucks have hired a GM out of the Pistons front office, and he may hire an ex-Piston head coach, Rick Carlisle. (via MLive.com).
   
• Why is Chris Duhon playing, at all? After the latest snooze-button fiasco and subsequent 'illness', coupled with knowing he's an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason, he was all-but forgotten for good and didn't play from March 7th to the 26th.  But Bulls coaches just can't quit him, as since then in the subsequent 9 games he's averaged 13.5 minutes a game. And this is in the midst of a supposed logjam of guards on the team. As Tyrus is 'who will be shopped', Duhon is often named 'who's not in the Bulls future plans'...although now I have to wonder. And it makes me ill.
   
• Two instances of strategies I only thought the Bulls bizarrely liked: sitting your best scorer (he'll thrive against second-teamers!), and acting as if there's only 5 fouls allowed a game as an excuse to sit young talent.
   
• Back to Friday night's game: every once in a while I'm awed that a team with this much talent could win so few games. It truly is a testament to awful coaching (and maddeningly absent GM involvement) to let it happen. There was speculation (courtesy of WSCR's cruddy Bulls sources) that Paxson's tenure is as long as he wants it, yet he may not want it anymore. Not that I believe he will quit this offseason when he has a chance to swiftly right this ship and look like a genius again, but I do think he more-or-less quit on this season when he hired Boylan and gave him free reign. It's a decision that's as awful as any he's made in his tenure.