http://sports.excite.com/news/06072005/v4613.html

Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles ended negotiations for a contract extension, a month after leading the team to its first playoff appearance in seven years.

"There will be no (extension)," said Skiles' agent, Keith Glass. "It's done. It's enough. There was never a deadline. Scott never game them one. (Monday morning) I brought it to an end. We've had more than enough time to do a deal."

The Bulls have an option to pay Skiles $2.75 million if he coaches next season, which would be the final season of his three-year deal. The team has until June 30 to exercise that option.

But Skiles said Monday he was unsure if he would be willing to coach next season if the Bulls exercise the option.

"Anything's possible at this point," Skiles said. "I'm just in the process of going through a lot of thoughts in my head about what's best for me right now."

General manager John Paxson declined to comment Monday. A message left for the Bulls on Tuesday was not immediately returned.

In their second season under Skiles, the Bulls improved from 19-47 to 47-35 before losing to Washington in the first round of the playoffs. Exercising the option would make Skiles a potential lame duck.

Skiles came to Chicago with a checkered reputation after spending portions of three seasons as the Phoenix Suns coach. He has said he thinks the Bulls' success this past season repaired his image.

"I've been fairly shocked by the whole process," Skiles said. "I guess at 41 I haven't coached that long that I had a certain naivete about where this team has been and where we'd gotten it to that this wouldn't be a prolonged, difficult process. Keith and I are reasonable people who thought this would be pretty simple to do. We thought wrong."

anyone think he'd be a good option at this point for the Knicks? he had Jamal playing the best basketball of his career in CHI when he coached him before last year, & he's a hard-nosed coach who stresses defense as well as an ex-NBA PG...he had that Bulls team playing over their heads last year imo...i don't recollect but did Skiles also coach Marbury in Phoenix?

at this point, since Jax & LB are not realistic options, either Nate or Skiles would be the best options imho...forget Laimbeer (unless he's coming in as an assistant coach), forget PJ, forget Silas...Skiles might be the right guy for this job.

thoughts?

I would welcome Skiles. I think his rotations would drive people crazy as he does like to play vets and there were a lot of games were he sat guys like Curry, Chandler and Gordon for extended periods of time.

Forget about Nate. I read the Knicks didnt even make the list of teams he was willing to interview with. Imagine not wanting to coach this great team, but alas its true.

I would like to bring Skiles in. He has a tough, defensive identity. Why he would want to coach Marbury and Craw, two of the worst perimeter defenders in the league, is beyond me.

The fact is: Herb is in Chicago scouting draft picks - he's the coach. He's a fine choice, he can guide the young'uns and he does preach defense. He wants an interior pressence and wants to play inside-out and is learning the triangle, so I'll give Herb a chance.

Posted by TMS:

Posted by crzymdups:

I would like to bring Skiles in. He has a tough, defensive identity. Why he would want to coach Marbury and Craw, two of the worst perimeter defenders in the league, is beyond me.

why would the fact that Marbury & Crawford are poor defenders deter a guy like Skiles from wanting to coach them? a coach's main role is as a teacher...you want a defensive minded guy like Skiles who played the position these guys are playing now to teach them how to be better defenders.

That's fine, except Skiles was the guy who led the charge to get rid of Crawford from Chicago. And he likes to bench guys who dog it on D. You REALLY think Zeke will let someone bench Marbury? You think Dolan wants to bench Marbury?

The Knicks brass wants a coach they can control. That's why we'll never get a someone who is anti-authoritarian like Skiles. The whole reason Skiles is out in Chicago is that he doesn't want to be manipulated. You think he wants to turn around and come HERE?

No coach in their right mind would come here. You think coaches around the league didn't SEE what happened to Lenny Wilkens? It's an embarassment and it says to coaches: you will not be given any time here. Why would anyone come? And that's why Herb is the coach by default.

Posted by fishmike:

I would welcome Skiles. I think his rotations would drive people crazy as he does like to play vets and there were a lot of games were he sat guys like Curry, Chandler and Gordon for extended periods of time.

Forget about Nate. I read the Knicks didnt even make the list of teams he was willing to interview with. Imagine not wanting to coach this great team, but alas its true.

maybe he had good reason to limit the minutes those young guys played. We need a coach like Scott. We just have to draft right

Skiles was there with Steph and said good things about him and their time together in Phoenix.