Per the NY Post


FIELD NARROWS FOR JAX
By MARC BERMAN

April 21, 2008 -- Scott Skiles verbally has accepted an offer from the Bucks, erasing him as a Knicks coaching candidate, according to a league source.

Skiles' imminent hiring strengthens front-runner Mark Jackson's candidacy, which received another boost over the weekend with Jeff Van Gundy's endorsement.

The Skiles camp was disappointed Donnie Walsh did not contact them this weekend. Skiles played for Walsh in Indiana.

"They're not going to get a chance to speak to him now," a source close to Skiles said. "The Knicks head coach is not going to be Scott."

The Skiles camp denies it reached out to Walsh. That Walsh didn't bother to call Skiles is an indication how strongly the Knicks president feels about Jackson, who could be interviewed as soon as Wednesday, with Walsh indicating it's his job to lose.

Skiles' bid may have been damaged because two prominent Knicks starters, Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford, despised him with the Bulls. Skiles got them traded.

Curry indicated his distaste for Skiles when asked by The Post his reaction if Skiles was hired. "(I'm) speechless," Curry said after a long pause. "We'll see what happens."

A friend of Skiles scoffed at any connection. "If Curry and Crawford despised him, then the Knicks should've hired Scott immediately," Skiles' friend said.

When Jackson's interviewed, the key for him will be to explain how he would fill out his coaching staff, considered vital by Walsh because of Jackson's inexperience. Hiring a veteran top assistant is a must. If Jackson gets the job, he may consider former Knicks assistant Brendan Malone and/or Patrick Ewing.

Though Van Gundy dreams of one day returning to coaching, he acknowledged Saturday Jackson is best for the job now, calling it "a one-horse race." Van Gundy might have inside knowledge, considering he worked on some playoff telecasts in San Antonio this weekend.

Walsh said he would put Van Gundy on the list. But a source said when a reporter asked if Van Gundy would be interviewed, Walsh made a gesture with a fake pen and pretended to write a name as he said, "Well, you just brought his name up. I'll put him on the list. I'm compiling that list right now."

"Man, he must be desperate," Van Gundy said Saturday.

Walsh said he would meet today with the Knicks assistant coaching staff, including candidate Herb Williams. But it's unclear if today's talk will be considered a job interview. Mark Aguirre, George Glymph, Brendan Suhr and Dave Hanners could stick around through the draft. Walsh said the next coach will have a say in hiring his staff.

So if Skiles is in Milwaukee, and Jackson in NY, where does Prick end up? LB? (http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11236)

Are they both in the running for the Bulls job?

Interesting stuff about Porter.


Who's next?

There is no telling how the Bulls' coaching search will play out. It figures to be fluid, with names added to the wish list while others get crossed out.

General manager John Paxson will probably take advantage of the fact the Bulls' job will be among the most coveted this summer. They have a reasonable amount of talent to work with and certainly are not cash poor after finishing second in attendance.

Rick Carlisle and Paul Westphal were among the coaches who lobbied to take over when Scott Skiles was relieved of duties in December. Carlisle worked the Cavs-Wizards Game 1 for ESPN. Westphal is a Dallas assistant who hasn't been a head coach since being fired by Seattle in 2000 after a conflict with Gary Payton.

Some believe Detroit assistant Terry Porter could be a top candidate, while another league insider suggested the Pistons wouldn't mind seeing Porter depart.

There are other NBA assistants considered strong candidates for head coaching jobs, such as San Antonio's Mike Budenholzer, Dallas' Mario Elie and the Lakers' Brian Shaw.

One of the most common opinions voiced by league personnel is that Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau deserves a chance to be a head coach. If Thibodeau is among the Bulls' finalists, he won't be available until June, barring a colossal playoff upset.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=176620

Glenn, you need to fix your link in #2.

Glenn, you need to fix your link in #2.

Thanks.

I thought about rr-ing there, but no.

I think Skiles is a good choice for Hammond.

That team could do well with a hardnosed guy for a few years (before he wears out his welcome).

Skiles needs to learn from past mistakes

Posted by: gwoelfel on April 22, 2008 at 1:34AM EST
BY GERY WOELFEL

Before the Milwaukee Bucks packed their bags and headed out on their summer vacations last Thursday, they knew if they were still on the team next season they would have a new head coach.

The consensus opinion at the time was the Bucks would hire either Rick Carlisle or Scott Skiles. I queried some Bucks players about both individuals and their reactions were generally mixed.

There was one player, however, whose face began to cringe almost in a painful manner when I mentioned Skiles. His look spoke volumes.

It was amply apparent he wasn’t a Skiles’ guy, and it was equally apparent he wasn’t looking forward to playing for him.

The player went on to say that he had conversations with several members of the Chicago Bulls, whom Skiles coached until being fired last December — on Christmas Eve, of all times.

What this particular player heard from some of the Bulls about Skiles was anything but complimentary. To some Bulls, Skiles was condescending, egotistical and insensitive. And, no, they weren’t sad to see him fired.

That sentiment was shared by several Phoenix Suns players when Skiles was fired back in 2002. In Phoenix, Skiles also alienated some players, including Hall-of-Fame in-waiting point guard Jason Kidd.

You can go to the bank with the idea that Skiles will do the same in his new job in Milwaukee. That’s the way he’s wired. He’s incredibly intense and driven to succeed — just like he was as a rather non-athletic player who broke into the NBA as a first-round pick of the Bucks in 1986.

Skiles is also honest. At times, he’s brutally honest. He doesn’t pull any punches and, according to some of his former players, he doesn’t care whether he offended you or not.

Such candidness by a coach was once commonplace. Old school players accepted criticism whether it was meant to be constructive or not. They simply did what the coach told them.

That’s not the case anymore. Just ask Larry Krystkowiak, whom Skiles has succeeded as Bucks’ coach and who just happens to be one of his best friends.

On several occasions this season, Krystkowiak’s words fell on deaf ears. There were also times when, after he said something, a player said something back, using words that would make a sailor blush.

Say what you want about today’s players being better athletes and better players — and you’d probably be correct — but don’t say today’s players are more respectful of authority. They’re not.

Nor do most professional athletes care about anyone else but themselves. Many have a convoluted belief the universe revolves only around them.

When Terry Porter was fired as the Bucks coach a few years ago, one player called him to extend their condolences.

When Larry Harris was fired as the Bucks’ general manager a couple of weeks ago, not one player called him.

Yet, it was Harris who gave some of those players a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play in the NBA or went to bat for them during contract negotiations, giving them financial stability for the rest of their lives.

At Monday’s press conference at the Bradley Center, Skiles said he was a better coach in Chicago than he was in Phoenix and that he expected to be a better coach in Milwaukee than he was in Chicago.

If that is to happen, Skiles will have to tone down his act. He’s going to have to show more restraint. He’s going to have to embrace his players rather than distance himself from them.

And, if he doesn’t, the inevitable will likely take place for him — just like it did in Phoenix and Chicago.


Some other tidbits on the Skiles’ hiring:

--Contrary to a published report that Skiles got an offer he couldn’t refuse, the reality is he got a relatively-modest contract, by NBA standards, from the Bucks: a four-year deal worth approximately $18 million.

--Bucks officials at the press conference, including owner Herb Kohl, insisted Skiles was their top candidate since the coaching search began.

Yet, there are some individuals close to Carlisle who contend he was the Bucks’ primary target. Furthermore, they claim Carlisle could have had the Bucks’ job if he so desired.

But the Carlisle camp claims Hammond wanted a quick decision from Carlisle. Instead, Carlisle balked, apparently so he could look into other head coaching openings.

Hammond then focused all of his efforts on hiring Skiles.

--While Skiles and Krystkowiak are friends, Skiles virtually ruled out any possibility of Krystkowiak joining his staff as an assistant coach.

It wouldn’t be surprising, however, if Skiles hires some of his assistants from his days with the Bulls, including Jimmy Boylan and Ron Adams, who was once a Bucks assistant coach.

--While Krystkowiak is one of Skiles’ best friends, Krystkowiak’s agent, Warren LeGarie, is also Carlisle’s agent.

Meanwhile, Skiles’ "advisor’’ is Keith Glass. Keith Glass’ dad, Joe, represents Larry Brown, whom the Bucks apparently had some interest in hiring and is also the agent for Bucks backup guard Royal Ivey.

--Look for Hammond to add a couple of more people to his staff, including a director of scouting and someone with salary-cap experience.

--Nobody can accuse Kohl or any of his lieutenants i.e. Ron Walter, Mike Burr or John Steinmiller of "meddling’’ on the Skiles’ hiring. This was Hammond’s call all the way.

http://my.journaltimes.com/post/woelfel-world-of-sports/skiles_needs_to_learn_from_past_mistakes.html

Let the fun begin: http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?p=244601

Jason (Brooklyn): Any word on who the next Bulls coach is going to be?

SportsNation David Thorpe: (12:21 PM ET ) Stay tuned to the Dallas series.

Skiles is a Doug Collins clone. Good for getting a struggling franchise back on its feet, but unable to take it to a high level.

err... he's saying avery johnson? coaching the bulls?

:mccosky:


Curry in demand
By now you have seen the reports out of Chicago that the Bulls have some interest in at least talking to Pistons assistant coach Michael Curry regarding their coaching vacancy. As I have said on my spots on WDFN, they are indeed intrigued by Curry, but he is a longshot to get that job.

For one, Rick Carlisle is the front-runner. From the sound of it, something would have to really go wrong (or some other candidate become unexpectedly available, like say, Dallas coach Avery Johnson) for Carlisle not to get the job. From what I hear, Carlisle wants Dwane Casey to be his lead assistant.

But back to Curry. Joe Dumars isn't going to let the Bulls distract Curry or Terry Porter (another potential candidate) during the playoffs. If the Bulls want to interview those guys, they can wait until after the playoffs. Which is the way Curry and Porter want it.

But make no mistake about it, Curry is going to be a head coach in this league some day, some day soon. It's no secret that Curry is being groomed for that role right now. Some in the Pistons organization believe Curry is in line to replace Flip Saunders. When that will be? Who knows? Saunders has one more year left on his contract. If the Pistons flame out of the playoffs early, certainly there could be a change. If the Pistons win a championship, or perhaps even get to the NBA Finals, there is a chance Saunders could get an extension.

Would Curry be ready to be a head coach as early as next season, after just a one-year apprenticeship? Kind of doubt it. But, who knows. In a perfect world, Saunders would get another two years after this one and Curry could get a full apprenticeship before taking over. But when has the NBA ever been a perfect world?

I would hope it would be more like this for Flip:

Championship: Potential for extension
Finals: Job is completely safe, no worries about anything
Conference Finals: Job is fairly safe (depending on how they play)
2nd round: Thin ice
1st round: Gone if we can find a suitable replacement

If they lose to the Sixers, Flip is gone no matter what.

They won't, so the point is moot, I suppose.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-080427-chicago-bulls-coach-vacancy,1,803689.story


Another Paxson target, Pistons assistant Michael Curry, is seen by some as being groomed to be Flip Saunders' successor.

Pistons general manager Joe Dumars, with whom Paxson shares a respectful working relationship, is expected to deny teams the opportunity to interview Curry, who just finished his first season as an assistant.