Scott Skiles Fired...So?

Scott Skiles was recently fired from the Chicago Bulls. After three straight seasons with at least a .500 win percentage, a slow start was the exact reason why he lost his job.

But few coaches could have done something to help this team.

I don't see anybody who could have prevented this downfall, except maybe John Paxson. After signing a lot of youth players who have worked out to a point, he has failed to find somebody who can draw coverage in the low post. They haven't had anybody in that position for years. It has been almost as bad as, gulp, the Chicago Bears QB situation. He needs to either find a big man in the middle to dominate or gut this team right down to the rotten core.

Getting Ben Wallace was the first problem. He was aging and wasn't a scoring threat. He played very well during his first two seasons in Chicago, just as he did while in Detroit, but when defense fades and there is no offense to make up for it, he just becomes washed up. That's something that they should have sensed coming. 

Getting Joe Smith helped, but he doesn't do a lot for this team defensively. Tyrus Thomas is a big play threat, but he can't hold his own when going for rebounds. With no inside threat, a three-point shooting team can't thrive. Defenses can just play outside and leave one person inside to guard the post players who can't play.

Another problem came when the team couldn't shoot the three-pointer anymore. A supposed shooting team that can't shoot...not exactly a recipe for a playoff season. That could be Skiles' fault for not stressing shooting during the offseason, but I don't think it's possible for someone to expect an entire team to just forget how to shoot. These are NBA players. Shooting shouldn't have to be stressed day in and day out. They should know how to do it, especially when most of the players have at least three years experience.

This is a team that was destined to fail.

No defense, no offense...big problem.