Goldmember Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 linky Bulls officially bottom-feeders Gill chides Curry for showing lack of professionalism By K.C. Johnson Tribune staff reporter March 10, 2004, 11:00 PM CST AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Eddy Curry rode a stationary bicycle, warming up for a game in which he didn't play, when his cell phone rang inside the Bulls' locker room Wednesday night. That's taboo, per team rules. Ten seconds later, it rang again. "Turn it off," Kendall Gill snapped. "Be a pro." Curry, clearly embarrassed, complied. But Curry couldn't help stifling a laugh when he discovered who claimed to be calling—Eddie Robinson, from the other side of the room. Want an explanation for the Bulls' 98-65 blowout loss to Detroit at the Palace of Auburn Hills besides, of course, a large disparity in talent and effort? It can be found in three simple words from Gill. Be a pro. Pregame hijinks are OK for the league's best team, which the Bulls once were. They look unprofessional for the league's worst team, which the Bulls became when Orlando beat Washington earlier in the night. "We've been harping on [professionalism] all season," Gill said. "If they're not going to change, there's only one thing to do. The future of the franchise is dependent on the young players. They have to be pros and want to get better. That's the bottom line. "I didn't want to be out there playing because it was so embarrassing. The only reason I finished is because I'm a pro." And Gill, who led the Bulls with 12 points, played with a swollen and discolored right eye that has a scratched cornea. The pregame silliness extended once the game began, even though Curry's bruised right thigh and unprepared wardrobe—he had only a T-shirt and jeans—kept him from joining his teammates on the bench. The Bulls missed their first eight shots—four of them air balls—gave up four fast-break dunks and fell behind 9-0 en route to their ninth straight loss in this series. Detroit also extended its NBA record by holding its fourth straight opponent to fewer than 70 points. The Bulls shot 30.9 percent in suffering their greatest margin of defeat this season. Book your reservations to Secaucus, N.J., for the draft lottery. This free fall could get even uglier. "I'm trying to find a group of guys who are going to follow what we're doing every night no matter what," coach Scott Skiles said. "Right now, I'm having difficulty doing that." Which is why Jamal Crawford played only 16 minutes. Curry said he suffered the injury late in Tuesday night's loss to Philadelphia, in which he grabbed one defensive rebound in 34 minutes. "On the plane, I tried to ice it and keep it bent," Curry said. "But it tightened up." Linton Johnson, one of the few Bulls with a pulse against Detroit, started in place of Curry and had 10 points and his second straight 14-rebound game. Bits: Robinson was the only dressed Bull not to play and has played 34.9 seconds in six games. … There's another connection to Paul Shirley signing a 10-day contract with the Bulls besides director of player personnel Gar Forman, whom Shirley knew from Iowa State. Shirley's agent is Keith Glass, Skiles' longtime adviser. … New hire Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scouted the game for the Knicks. Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Flat out they have quit. f*** this team. Ship them all out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldmember Posted March 11, 2004 Author Share Posted March 11, 2004 Flat out they have quit. f*** this team. Ship them all out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 As a matter of a fact, I would rather watch the Hawks vs watching the Bulls. At least the Hawks, as undertalented as they are, have never quit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxAce Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 :fyou Lazy Curry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Rector Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Flat out they have quit. f*** this team. Ship them all out. That's the mentality that lead to the loss of Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Elton Brand. What the team needs is patience in building up a core long-term and a patient coach. They had one in Bill Cartwright before they dumped him in favor of the grossly unfit Scott Skiles who has clearly lost his team. If the Hawks dump Brian Sutter after the season ends, perhaps the Bulls could hire him as an assistant coach whose job is to take problem players out to bars........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 That's the mentality that lead to the loss of Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Elton Brand. What the team needs is patience in building up a core long-term and a patient coach. They had one in Bill Cartwright before they dumped him in favor of the grossly unfit Scott Skiles who has clearly lost his team. If the Hawks dump Brian Sutter after the season ends, perhaps the Bulls could hire him as an assistant coach whose job is to take problem players out to bars........ The big difference is that Miller, Artest, and Brand had great work ethic. Tyson hustles most of the time, but Curry and Crawford are just lazy. Ship them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Kind of ironic that a "problem player" like Gill is the leader on this team. He used to be the troubled guy when he was in Charlotte & New Jersey. Depression, tantrums... etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillieHarris2 Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 As a matter of a fact, I would rather watch the Hawks vs watching the Bulls. At least the Hawks, as undertalented as they are, have never quit. at least the hawks have heart and they know that they are professionals and they are payed lots of money. when your being payed that much money i dont think it should be that hard to go out and give it your all night in and night out. Bulls need to get there f***en act together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Rector Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 The big difference is that Miller, Artest, and Brand had great work ethic. Tyson hustles most of the time, but Curry and Crawford are just lazy. Ship them out. The problem with the Bulls ever since the end of the Dynasty is the lack of patience on the part of both management and the fans on rebuilding. Its either get in the playoffs now or get shipped out. Had mgmt and fans been more patient, then Artest, Brand and Miller would still be in Chicago and the Bulls would be over .500. Shipping out the current group of players would only result in at least one of them becoming a star on another team while the Bulls continue to wallow in the basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldmember Posted March 12, 2004 Author Share Posted March 12, 2004 The problem with the Bulls ever since the end of the Dynasty is the lack of patience on the part of both management and the fans on rebuilding. Its either get in the playoffs now or get shipped out. Had mgmt and fans been more patient, then Artest, Brand and Miller would still be in Chicago and the Bulls would be over .500. Shipping out the current group of players would only result in at least one of them becoming a star on another team while the Bulls continue to wallow in the basement. no we weren't patient enough with miller and artest. but i sure in the hell didn't want to see brand go and was very pissed when he got traded and i don't remember anyone else who was happy with it either. so 1) how much of this is just a result of poor management, and 2) how much can artest's and miller's current successes be attributed to the bulls or how much are they a result of their current systems they're in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Rector Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 no we weren't patient enough with miller and artest. but i sure in the hell didn't want to see brand go and was very pissed when he got traded and i don't remember anyone else who was happy with it either. so 1) how much of this is just a result of poor management, and 2) how much can artest's and miller's current successes be attributed to the bulls or how much are they a result of their current systems they're in? The mgmt that mishandled the Artest/Brand/Miller cases is the same mgmt that put together the Bulls Dynasty teams. Those teams were assembled with a great deal of patience. It is a lack of that same patience that has resulted in the situation that the Bulls are in now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 at least the hawks have heart and they know that they are professionals and they are payed lots of money. when your being payed that much money i dont think it should be that hard to go out and give it your all night in and night out. Bulls need to get there f***en act together. My my how far the mighty have fallen. They are so sorry and looks like even the most modest hopes for these guys are too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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