http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3167808

I am surprised, but I suppose something had to be done.

"Scott helped us in many ways during his time with the Bulls; most importantly, he helped this franchise get back to respectability."

Can't argue with that, even if it was time for him to go.

"Have your-self ahhh mer-ry lit-tle Christ-mas...."

First speculation: Pax got damn tired of the bizarre lineups, the nonsensical buring of Thomas and Noah.  

Second speculation: Skiles wore down his players.

Third speculation: Bulls turn it around, but we all miss Skiles.

improves the team's performance.

As a fan, I certainly hope it does.

That being said, I wonder if the Bulls' problems stem from the limitations of its players, rather than the limitations of its coach.

Most regime changes are typically accompanied by an immediate, short-term improvement because the players are galvanized and energized by renewed hope. Old wounds and vendettas are forgotten. So I think we should see a much better Bulls' team over the next month. The question is whether that improvement will be sustained into the playoffs and beyond.

Boylan or Adams?  I can't imagine they could hire somebody outside the organization this quickly.  

Nobody's a "favorite," nobody's in the doghouse.  Maybe Thabo turns it around, maybe Tyrus and Noah get more burn.  In short - this is the first time I've felt excited about the Bulls in awhile.  

site now (no new info):

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/skiles_relieved_071224.html

P.S. Damn Tomcat for stretching the posting field beyond the edge of the page.

My initial thought is Mike Fratello. After Hubie left the Grizzlies if memory serves Fratello came in and lead them right to the playoffs. We could sure use some offense.  Who else is out there? Van Gundy's clearly not an option...

for being bold.

I definitely did not think he would pull the trigger this soon. I was wrong about that, though. It makes me wonder if there really was tremendous discord between the players and Skiles. Or if Reinsdorf handed down an ultimatum.

It's going to be strange to watch a game Wednesday with no posts about Skiles rotations. LOL.

and condemned, but is there any chance the Bulls hire Larry Brown?

I am not saying they should, I am just wondering if they might consider it?

Bringing in Brown, yet another disciplinarian who has a history of alienating players, would be an odd choice to replace Skiles, who had a similar disposition.

Well, I wasn't one of the people FOR firing Skiles.    From my perspective, the players were the primary reason for the poor record this year.  Yes, I do agree that Skiles had some terrible lineups at times, but the players play has been terrible!  Everyone is physically playing under expectations (other than Aaron Gray maybe, haha).  Look at the shooting %!  Many of the losses early on were from terrible shooting %.  However, the last 3 losses have seemed to indicate that the team has lost faith in the coaching staff decisions and maybe even the team's identity.  Maybe this will be a good decision, but I was more for making trades than firing the coach.  What coaches are out there that can step in and coach the team better?

What player trades can we make to make the team better?  Please don't say Jason Kidd now that Skiles is gone.  The Bulls need to go a different direction in their current SG and need an all-star caliber low post scorer.

Paul Silas

that'd be interesting given the situation in New York. Like Isiah these are Paxson's players, he's picked them all.

Not a fan of Larry, he's too close to skiles. Noah, TT, and Thabo would def not get playing time. Lets not forget what happened to Darko.

Hubie could be a good choice if he's not too old...

I'm dying to hear comments from players now. No need to hold back any longer.

Maybe now we can get Kidd. hmm..