Chicago Botches Collins Deal, Continues Coaching Search

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Doug Collins will not be the next coach of the Chicago Bulls after all. Based on the Tribune's report, it sounds like Collins and Chicago Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson wanted the deal to go through, but Chicago Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf vetoed the deal:

"Sources said Paxson signed off on Collins' hiring. Reinsdorf consistently and publicly has said he never tells his general managers whom to hire but that he can exercise veto power.

Collins refused to comment when asked if Paxson had made it clear he wanted Collins as his coach. But Collins said he understood Reinsdorf's hesitations because the two have become extremely close since Reinsdorf fired Collins in July 1989. Collins had just led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference finals.

'I understand if Jerry had concerns about firing me again,' Collins said. 'My whole thing is you can't enter into an agreement with somebody if down the road, you think there's a chance for failure."

More:

The Chicago Sun Times' Jay Mariotti says: Oops, Reinsdorf did it again.

Izzo in Running For Chicago Job?

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski and Dan Wetzel are reporting that along with Rick Carlisle, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo may be in the running for the Chicago Bulls' coaching job:

"When reached on Tuesday night, Izzo told Yahoo! Sports that he hadn’t been contacted by the Bulls, but sounded willing to discuss the job with them.

'I’m not counting out any (job openings) because you can’t,' Izzo said. 'College or pro.'

'I go back and forth on (coaching in the NBA),' he continued. 'I still think it’s the ultimate level. There is something about it. I look at it and say, ‘It’s a real challenge.’ But I love what I do too. I go down and look at what the Pistons (coaches) do in preparation and I think, ‘That’s insane.’

'But I look at what I do in terms of recruiting and I think, ‘That’s insane.’”

Wojnarowski and Wetzel continue:

"The Bulls are under the impression, sources said, that Izzo is eager to speak with them. Some believe he has grown restless in East Lansing, and it’s believed he would’ve become the Kansas coach had Bill Self taken the Oklahoma State job."

More Trouble for Benny the Bull

Chicago mascot Benny the Bull is in trouble again. Fan IQ has the details:

"The badass mascot of the Chicago Bulls - Benny the Bull - is in trouble yet again. And this time, it's personal! Well, not really, but he's managed to get the Bulls sued.

How so?

Dr. Don Kalant Sr. alleged he was sitting near courtside on Feb. 12 when he raised his arm to get a high-five from Barry Anderson, who portrays the exuberant mascot in a bright red fuzzy costume.

Instead of merely slapping Kalant's palm, Anderson grabbed his arm as he fell forward, hyperextending Kalant's arm and rupturing his biceps muscle, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court."

And as alluded to, this isn't the first time that trouble has found Benny the Bull. As Fan IQ points out:

"1. In 2005, Benny, then known as Da Bull, was sentenced to probation for 1½ years for possession of cannabis with intent to deliver. I have no idea if he was in the uniform or not when he was busted, but I'd like to think so.

2. In 2006, Benny - in full uniform - was caught riding a mini-motorcycle at an outdoor festival. When an off-duty police officer tried to stop Benny, he ran. Because we all know a mascot is impossible to pick out in a crowd. Then to top it all off, Benny slugged the cop when he was finally tracked down. He was charged with misdemeanor battery and driving within a parkway without a permit.

3. He then got into a brawl on Jerry Springer.

4. And he also shot Kevin Garnett and James Posey in the back with a t-shirt gun. Garnett wasn't too pleased - "We exchanged words." While Posey was a total wuss - 'I feel a little sore in one spot. I might have to get treatment.'"

Chicago Disciplines Duhon

By Trashtalk Superstar

As John Jackson reports in today's Chicago Sun Times, Chicago General Manager John Paxson disciplined reserve guard (and social butterfly) Chris Duhon, who missed Sunday morning's pre-game shoot around in Detroit because he overslept after having attended the Duke/North Carolina game Saturday night in Durham, N.C. (and, most likely, after having put in some time on Franklin St. in Chapel Hill).

Paxson said:

‘‘I expect our guys to remain professional and understand the bigger picture. I've given some discipline there and that's where it ends and we'll move forward.''

Duhon, who was suspended for Sunday's game, didn't exactly exhibit contrition in the wake of his punishment. As Jackson reports, Duhon told Chicago radio station WMVP AM 1000 that he doesn't expect to return to Chicago next year:

"'I probably won't be back. I don't know what the summer has for me,' Duhon said on the station."

And after Sunday's game, Duhon said of his suspension:

"I don't play anyway, so it doesn't have that much of an effect on me."

The Chicago Bulls are a mess. Drive and Dish detailed Chicago's trainwreck 2007/'08 season two days ago, in the wake of their loss to Detroit. But the hits keep on coming. As Jackson notes, Chicago's players didn't seem to be phased by the fact that (despite needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive) they were losing to Detroit:

"Unfortunately, Duhon isn't the only player on the team who has exhibited questionable professionalism of late. All you had to do was look at the bench in the final seconds of Sunday's game to see the players laughing it up. Obviously loss No. 38 didn't matter much to them."

Chicago Bulls: Biggest Trainwreck in NBA?

By Trashtalk Superstar

Much has been made of the Miami Heat's nightmare 2007/'08 season. Not yet two years removed from winning the 2006 NBA World Championship, Miami has been so bad this year that they've dumped Antoine Walker and Shaquille O'Neal (who were catalysts on the 2006 Championship team) and have entered into a rebuilding phase.

But aside from Miami, the title of "Biggest Trainwreck in the NBA" probably belongs to Chicago.

After suffering through seven years of post Michael Jordan futility, the Chicago Bulls replaced longtime General Manager Jerry Krause with John Paxson (who had been a key player on Chicago's first three Championship teams and had been doing color commentary on the team's radio broadcasts).

Paxson immediately made drastic changes to Chicago's roster. In order to improve the the team's attitude, he got rid of nearly all of its core players. He replaced talented, but lazy players with gritty, hard nosed lunch pail types. And he hired Scott Skiles -- a notoriously tough coach who had a history of clashing with star players -- as head coach.

And it worked.

A year and a half after taking over what had become the worst franchise in the NBA, John Paxson's hustling and scrapping Chicago Bulls shocked the sports world by making it to the playoffs in 2005.

What's more, Chicago went on to become one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

They made it back to the playoffs in 2006. And in 2007, Chicago swept the defending World Champion Miami Heat out of the first round of the playoffs.

But everything unraveled for Chicago this year. Veteran Ben Wallace was signed as a free agent in 2006 to give the team a defensive and rebounding presence in the paint. The former NBA All Star and member of the 2004 World Champion Detroit Pistons was also expected to provide leadership and to set a positive example for Chicago's young players with his much celebrated worth ethic.

However, instead of setting a positive tone for his young teammates, Wallace proved to be a malcontent who consistently undermined Skiles and, ultimately, spearheaded a player mutiny.

Chicago fired Skiles one day before Christmas, 2007. But Wallace also undermined Skiles' replacement, Interim Coach Jim Boylan.

So, in order to rid his team of a cancerous influence, John Paxson shipped Ben Wallace and his $60 million dollar contract to Cleveland just before the 2008 trading deadline.

But it was too little, too late for Chicago.

In his year and a half stay in Chicago, Ben Wallace managed to all but destroy the chemistry and positive attitude of a team that had been built around hard working, "character" guys.

As K.C. Johnson reports in today's Chicago Tribune, the 2007/'08 Chicago NBA basketball club is an entity on which "personal agendas often reign supreme and the me-first behavior of entitlement both on and off the court has played a major factor in the team's underachieving ways."

In fact, in just the last five days:

1.) Underachieving second year forward Tyrus Thomas decided to skip Wednesday's practice without informing the team of his decision.

Thomas wasn't late to practice -- he missed practice. And he wasn't sick. Nor did he miss practice because he accidentally overslept, or had an auto accident, a flat tire, got a speeding ticket, got stuck in traffic, or had any other questionable, but legitimate reason for missing practice.

He didn't even miss practice because he was hung over.

He just decided not to show up.

And he decided not to inform the team that he would be missing practice.

Even more surprisingly, Thomas offered no apology for his decision. Instead, he stood defiantly behind it.

2.) According to the Tribune's Johnson, as seldom used, saggy bodied, slooooooooow footed, eighth string rookie center (my characterizations, not Johnson's) Aaron Gray approached the bench after being replaced by Drew Gooden following a short second-quarter appearance on Tuesday:

"the rookie center, according to several witnesses, snapped at interim coach Jim Boylan.

"That's what I get for working hard?" Gray said.


A shocked Boylan snapped back and Gray, a second-round pick, played only the final 1:21 of a blowout victory over Memphis the rest of the night."

Talk about having a sense of entitlement. Hey Aaron, here's what "working hard" gets you: an opportunity to earn playing time.

And in the event that you do actually earn playing time, it's just assumed that you will work hard when you're out there. After all, that's your job.

If you play well, and give the team positive production, it's likely that you'll earn more playing time.

But nobody gets a gold star for working hard (especially not when you're a second round draft pick who barely survived getting cut in training camp). Working hard is what's expected of you.

You'll get to play when the coaching staff thinks that you can help the team win.

3.) Backup point guard and Duke alumnus Chris Duhon missed Sunday's shoot-around in Detroit because he overslept after having attended Saturday night's Duke home loss to North Carolina. With his team still in the running for a playoff berth, Duhon spent the night before an important road game against conference rival Detroit on the campus of his alma matter, half way across the country, in Durham, N.C.

Duhon did charter a plane back to Detroit, but he must have arrived very late, as he overslept and missed the team's bus to Sunday morning's shoot-around.

4.) TNT Broadcaster, and former NBA and Chicago coach, Doug Collins criticized Chicago's "shoot first" mentality during Thursday night's broadcast of Chicago's home win over LeBron James and Cleveland.

Chicago is a mess. John Paxson's plan was to build his team around overachieving, defensive minded "high character" players. And although his plan initially worked (Chicago was a moribund franchise when Paxson took over in 2003, but made three straight playoff appearances from 2005 - 2007), Chicago's current roster is full of malcontents and head cases.

And they're losing malcontents and head cases.

After having built Chicago into a scrappy, young, up and coming contender in the Eastern Conference, John Paxson is now faced with making decisions that will define his tenure as Chicago's General Manager. Paxson must decide whether to try salvage the core of this team and attempt to improve its fortunes by making off season moves, or whether to "blow the whole thing up" and rebuild the team from top to bottom.

But, no matter what he decides, John Paxson is definitely on the clock.

Ben Wallace Traded to Cleveland

With just hours left before the NBA trade deadline, Chicago has sent veteran big men Ben Wallace and Joe Smith packing. In part of a three team trade between Chicago, Cleveland and Seattle, Chicago sends Wallace and Smith to Cleveland. In exchange, Chicago receives Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown.

Cleveland now adds Wallace, Smith, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak -- while only losing Gooden and Hughes -- to a core team that reached the NBA Finals in 2007.

Outside of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James is probably the most talented and most reliable "go to guy" in the league. Wallace, who has a wealth of playoff and NBA Finals' experience, should give Cleveland some much needed interior toughness, defense and rebounding. And while Gooden was a good post scorer for Cleveland, Smith's offensive production at the power forward position should, essentially, neutralize Gooden's loss. Plus, Szczerbiak gives Cleveland a reliable perimeter shooter at the 3.

The Celtics are clearly the favorite team to win the East. But Cleveland's position whould seem to be be strengthened by today's trade.

Chicago Sweeps Defending Champion Miami

The Chicago Bulls swept the defending champion Miami Heat from the first round of the NBA playoffs Sunday. Drive and Dish is surprised that Chicago eliminated Miami. We didn't think their scrappy, hustling style of play would be enough to overcome Miami's superior talent in the playoffs - when veteran teams step up their effort and overall level of play.

What surprises us the most, however, is that Chicago swept Miami (by winning four straight games). The Heat were totally outclassed. The defending NBA champions just didn't show up to play.