The ghost of Scott Skiles now haunts Milwaukee

April 21st, 2008 | Posted by PostmanE

Yay! Scott Skiles has a job! Coaching the opposition!

This actually isn’t such a bad hire for the Bucks. For all his faults, Skiles is good at getting the most out of negligible young talent. Once that talent matures and decides that they don’t feel like being coached like they’re in college anymore, well, we saw what happened this year, but it’s not like the post-Skiles Bulls were any better. Parsing who deserves more fault in the Bulls’ mess is folly. But seriously: the man will do a good job, Milwaukee. Whether he likes it there or not. And he won’t.

Milwaukee … damn.

Big Ben’s headband makes triumphant return

October 2nd, 2007 | Posted by PostmanR

Scott Skiles is a bit of a disciplinarian. He’s hard-nosed, man. Just when you thought the NBA was full of highly-payed lazy players who value the dunk over defense, along came Skiles to set your ass straight. The guy wouldn’t even let Ben Wallace wear his headband last year. It caused a bit of a ruckus. But no longer, friends.

“We still have a no-headband rule,” coach Scott Skiles said. “I just left it up to the guys who have been here if they wanted to make an exception for Ben. I was fine with it. They were fine with it.”

That a piece of fabric could elicit questions and expend brainpower felt odd on the eve of a season in which the Bulls are expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference title.

But the fact that, 11 months removed from Wallace’s insubordinate act of wearing a headband during a game, everybody encircled for a group hug underscored the harmony that defined the end of last season and should continue in the franchise’s 42nd season.

“I think it takes a coach who is willing to adapt a little bit and listen to his players, understanding the big picture is winning,” general manager John Paxson said. “Scott’s one of the best coaches in the league. There’s no doubt in my mind. And he’s able to adapt. It’s really a non-story. But the fact that Scott has looked outside maybe a personal belief, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

No word on whether or not Skiles is going to continue to let Joakim Noah wear socks with sandals, but I’d assume that has been outlawed as well. Remember kids: Scott Skiles is HARDCORE.

Case of the Mondays: Whew, this is fun

April 23rd, 2007 | Posted by PostmanE

Yes, it’s that time again. Basketball all day, every day, at the convenience of the dedicated viewer. It’s a beautiful thing, yeah?

I’m glad this whole Little 500 thing is over, not only because my body, descendant of Irish alcoholics, is becoming dangerously accustomed to early-morning alcohol intake, but because constantly focusing on keg tap pressure and whether or not my legs were abnormally numb kept from enjoying the really good stuff this weekend: the NBA Playoffs.

Sunday was too much recovery to truly enjoy the games, though lying in the dark of the afternoon with HD basketball on might be the best hangover cure ever. And Saturday, with the exception of the Bulls game, which I saw start to finish, the Playoffs have existed in a vacuum. I need my visuals.

So here we go again tonight, another set of games, more Inside the NBA (the best show on television not named Planet Earth or The Sopranos), more Bulls basketball. Will they be able to hold off the Heat for a second straight game? Will Kirk be able to stay out of foul trouble? Will Luol keep his “He could have sex with my girlfriend and I wouldn’t even be mad” privileges (currently only extended to Deng, Ben Gordon, Brian Urlacher, Michael Jordan, and Mark Grace)?

Will D-Wade ignore his host of nagging injuries as well as his propensity to exaggerate those injuries, and take over? Will Shaq be enough? Will Tyrus Thomas do something that will literally force Scott Skiles to keep Nocioni on the bench, where he belongs? Will Skiles’ head explode? Can Ben Wallace justify trading Tyson Chandler for another game? Will I, for the sake of superstition, have to be dangerously close to alcohol poisoning during the game?

This is all too much. But hey, it’s the NBA Playoffs; that’s kind of how it works this time of year.