Scott Skiles...

[MurcieOne]

Eddy Curry is a lazy little boy

 

I picked this quote outta this article "As promised in a pregame interview Tuesday in Minneapolis, Skiles merely emphatically challenged all present to dig deeper, to work harder, to stop thinking that things like untaped ankles and losing are OK."

 

Im getting the impression that Skiles is going to make Curry either become a real champion, or have him outta the league in a few years.

 

I like the guy alot.

[WHarris1]

Skiles is the best thing that has happend to the Bulls in a few years. I think Curry will do what ever the hell he says and become a force to be f***in wreckened with.

 

Could you post the entire article, since I am not a member? Thank you.

[Chisoxfn]

I like Skiles a whole lot. He brings the right attitude to the table and it seems like if a player works their ass off, then the two will have a great relationship. He is honest with his players and they know where they stand with him. He wants the most out of his guys and in the case of Curry, who is a lazy ass, he is making the right call.

 

I agree completely with ya Mark. If Curry turns it up, it will be in large part to Skiles kicking him in the ass and of course Curry would deserve the credit for actually doing the work.

 

You can just see he's completely out of shape. The kid has a big ass gut on him and obviously did nothing to get into shape over the offseason.

[MurcieOne]

Skiles is the best thing that has happend to the Bulls in a few years.  I think Curry will do what ever the hell he says and become a force to be f***in wreckened with.

 

Could you post the entire article, since I am not a member?  Thank you.

Here ya go WH....

 

Another good quote from there is.... "act like professionals" something the entire NBA needs to do... especially the Blazers.

 

In a one-hour team meeting Thursday, Bulls coach Scott Skiles firmly challenged his team to reject the losing culture that has permeated the franchise.

 

Act like professionals, Skiles said.

 

Then practice started and Skiles broadened his challenge from his players' heads and hearts to a test of their legs.

 

Upset that Eddy Curry hadn't taped his ankles for practice, Skiles made the entire team run laps as Curry slinked off to the trainer's table.

 

"Imagine being a 14-year veteran and then some young kid doesn't have his tape on so we have to pay the penalty," veteran guard Kendall Gill said. "We didn't appreciate that. We have a lot of miles on our bodies and we've run our laps in this league. We don't need to run extra.

 

"For a young player to make a rookie mistake like that, you can't do that. It's about accountability and responsibility."

 

In Skiles' world, getting one's ankles taped isn't that far removed from taking a charge when a teammate gets beat on defense or hustling back after a missed shot. It's all part of the larger tableau of being accountable and being professional.

 

"My ankles are taped now," Curry said, sheepishly.

 

In Skiles' first team meeting as Bulls coach Nov. 28, he wrote adjectives associated stereotypically with himself and his players on a grease board and then erased them, symbolically wiping the slate clean.

 

But after one month on the job and a 5-9 record, Skiles has seen enough of his players' attitudes and work ethics to fill up that slate. He wants the culture changed.

 

Taking advantage of the symbolism New Year's Day affords, Skiles hammered the young players especially, using the hideous 105-304 record since Michael Jordan left town as motivation.

 

"We have no question but to raise our expectation," Skiles said.

 

According to those present, Skiles rarely raised his voice. He didn't embarrass anyone. Nothing got thrown.

 

As promised in a pregame interview Tuesday in Minneapolis, Skiles merely emphatically challenged all present to dig deeper, to work harder, to stop thinking that things like untaped ankles and losing are OK.

 

The result was a good and spirited practice, followed by some serious soul-searching, not to mention tape cutting.

 

"We definitely saw where these guys get these rumors about him from," Curry said. "We got a little taste of it today. It was nowhere near what Corie Blount was used to back in Phoenix, but it was definitely a lot more intense today.

 

"It was crazy. Everything got raised today. It's a new year. He really stressed that he wants us to come out with a different attitude. He has a different attitude. It's still competitive and fun, but we have to buckle down.

 

"It was more honest than anything. A lot of stuff was said that probably should've been said before, but guys didn't want to step on each other's toes. But it all came out in the meeting, and I think it will be beneficial to the team."

 

That Curry was singled out is no surprise, given how much hope and responsibility the franchise has invested in the third-year center. Skiles seems to have made Curry his pet project, questioning his conditioning.

 

When asked if Curry's playing time would increase, Skiles said, "That's dependent on how he plays."

 

Curry, for his part, is accepting Skiles' words with professionalism that belies his untaped ankles.

 

"Any type of criticism he throws at me, I'm definitely trying to correct it and make it positive," he said.

 

Jamal Crawford, another specific target of Skiles' strong words Thursday, also is showing signs of maturation.

 

"It seems that every coach I've played for I've had a run-in with," Crawford said. "But I have so much respect for [skiles] that I'll just take it and keep moving forward."

 

At 9-22, the Bulls have a long road to travel to move forward. Thursday proved who will be cracking the whip on the journey, along with some help from his veteran players.

 

"Nobody is going to keep coming to the United Center to see a losing basketball team," Gill said. "At some point, this has to stop. Those young guys are top picks. It's time for them to start producing and showing that they're worth the picks the Bulls invested in them.

 

"It's time for the younger players to put in the extra work to raise their games, to really learn the NBA game so we can stop losing these close games because of stupid mistakes."

 

After the three-hour meeting and practice session ended, Crawford, Curry and Antonio Davis spent five minutes talking and laughing on the side of the court, a sign of team harmony on a tumultuous day.

[MurcieOne]

I just thought I should add that K.C. Johnson wrote this article for the trib...credit where credit is due.

[Chisoxrd5]

i have nothing but good things to say about Skiles, hes taking control of a team that had no idea what it meant to have an actual head coach. It will take time for the complatency to wear off, and for Pax to get more of his type of players on the team.

 

What hes doing with Curry is great! He needs someone to call him out and get him in actual baskeball shape. Hes been able to get by with natural ability and pure size but if hes ever gonna be a premier player hes gonna have to WORK!

 

And Marcus Fizer he shoots WAY too much and is a liability at the defensive end...basically unless Fizer is hittin is shots (which is rare) hes a complete waste of space out there...

 

Skiles is doing what he has to do to turn them into winners

[AssHatSoxFan]

well i hope it doesnt take another year to turn this thing around again

[DBAHO]

I gotta feelin Eddy Curry ain't gonna be with the Bulls by 2005. I think he's just pissin Skiles off too much, and mayb my Magic could offa a Reece Gaines, Gordan Giricek and their first round pick this year which would prob be in da top 5 for Baby Shaq.

[southsider2k5]

This will most likely be the watershed moment of Eddy's career. This will say if he is content to take his big paycheck and go home, or fulfill the potential that he has. I will say that I like his response a ton. Most NBA guys would have been crying about the way it all went down.

[WHarris1]

This is the first time I have seen Kendall Gill show signs of frustration with the team. I think that is good, the more people telling them they have potential and they need to fill it the merrier.

 

I can't wait until tonights game vs. NY. We'll see how energized they come out.

 

 

Thanks for posting that article by the way.

[MurcieOne]

I love how Skiles is riding Curry... I bet Chandler is hoping his back tightens up some more...

NEW YORK -- Eddy Curry's potential has raised intriguing questions about how dominant he can be as an NBA center.

 

But first he has to prove he can handle Scott Skiles.

 

Curry played 21 minutes in Friday night's 104-99 victory over the New York Knicks, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds, but his day started long before that. Continuing a recent trend, Skiles made Curry stay for additional work after the team's morning shootaround.

 

Curry worked on post moves with assistant Pete Myers. He ran sprints and did situps with assistant strength and conditioning coach Jeff Macy. Then he did both again in pregame warmups.

 

"I thought I was working hard enough before," Curry said. "I wasn't doing anything extra, like I am now. But I thought I was OK. I don't really understand it. But I have to do it."

 

One thing is certain: The coach isn't backing down.

 

"We can all agree that his upside is one of the best centers in the game," Skiles said. "But that's not what we're getting all the time right now. Until we do, talking about it is irrelevant."

 

From publicly questioning his conditioning to singling him out for not having his ankles taped at Thursday's practice, it's clear Skiles is riding Curry in an attempt to maximize his potential. Several players said Skiles has threatened double practice sessions to improve Curry's conditioning.

 

But such messages can get lost on young players who are accustomed to being pampered.

 

"This is just my own personal opinion, but Eddy really hasn't been coached in a way where somebody is on him hard," veteran Corie Blount said. "I understand what Scott is trying to do. But it's going to be interesting to see if it works.

 

"It's 50-50 right now. I know [Curry] wants it. But I don't know if he understands that it's going to take a lot of hard work to get it."

 

Curry insists he does, and his frustration over not starting shows he has fire. Whether he has the fire to meet Skiles' demand to get to 285 pounds—Curry said he's at 293—remains to be seen.

 

Privately, Curry has expressed frustration to teammates over Skiles' approach. "I'm not trying to rebel against him," Curry said. "I do whatever he asks me to do. That way, he can't say I was uncoachable. Hopefully, it turns out good."

 

Skiles' words make sense from a coach who, earlier this season, claimed that he had never lost a battle of wills.

 

"There has to be a standard of excellence that is trying to be achieved," Skiles said. "And it's achieved by being in top physical condition and being dedicated to your craft … and not missing the whole summer.

 

"We have some good veterans now who lead by example with regard to those things. Some habits need to be changed. And we're going to go about changing them."

 

This story will be an ongoing one, with various twists and turns throughout the season. In the meantime, Curry is leaning on Blount, who played for Skiles in Phoenix and is close with Curry.

 

"I mostly joke around with him about it," Blount said. "He'll tell me, 'They're not making you do this.' And I'm like, 'They don't have a $150 million insurance bond on me either.' He's the future of this franchise."

[The Critic]

A VERY telling quote from Cryford:

 

"It seems that every coach I've played for I've had a run-in with," Crawford said. "But I have so much respect for [skiles] that I'll just take it and keep moving forward."

 

Translation: "If I didn't have respect for him, OR when I LOSE respect for him, I will dwell on it and pout and piss and moan and become a distraction, because AFTER ALL, I have had a run-in with EVERY COACH I've played for."

That kid will never grow up...

[MurcieOne]

From the Trib....

 

Another awesome quote from Skiles.... he makes me wanna grow to 7 feet and play basketball.

 

Skiles shared an anecdote from the Dec. 30 loss in Minnesota that shows how far Hinrich has come.

 

"I felt like Kirk was being too quiet," Skiles said. "And I simply said to the guys, 'Do you trust this rookie point guard to run your team?' Every guy said yes. I said, 'There you go, rook. Run the team.'

 

Slowly but surely this bulls team is getting better./

[Chisoxfn]

From the Trib....

 

Another awesome quote from Skiles.... he makes me wanna grow to 7 feet and play basketball.

 

 

 

Slowly but surely this bulls team is getting better./

And Tyson and Pipp will both be back in a few weeks, maybe sooner

[YASNY]

Ya, I think things are looking up for the Bulls and the Bears. Now the Blackhawks, well, the less said, the better.

[WHarris1]

Yep, when Tyson and Pip get back we will be rolling. I think we have a good shot at the playoffs. With the East being so week.

[southsider2k5]

Yep, when Tyson and Pip get back we will be rolling.  I think we have a good shot at the playoffs.  With the East being so week.

If they can stay healthy for the stretch run. There is no guarentee Pip's knee will not build fluid again, and Tyson's back is going to be a chronic problem his whole career it sounds like.

[southsider2k5]

From the Trib....

 

Another awesome quote from Skiles.... he makes me wanna grow to 7 feet and play basketball.

 

 

 

Slowly but surely this bulls team is getting better./

That is a great quote. I keep hearing from the other players (ie not Crawford and Curry) how great Skiles is. Blount who played for Scott in Pho, keeps saying how much better he is now.

[MurcieOne]

Kirk Jamal with Charlie Ward coming off the bench... I think this is a doable 8th seed in the East... we gotta just start a nice 5-6 game win streakto get us back in this mother f***er.