QUOTE
Jerry Reinsdorf was beaming—yes, again—Monday. It was a warm feeling of pride for his kids, yet again.
"I e-mailed Scott (Skiles) Sunday evening to congratulate him and tell him there aren't many coaches who could have gotten this team this far and playing the way it has down the stretch," Reinsdorf was saying Monday about the Bulls clinching a playoff spot. "He's done a terrific job and has proved to be the kind of coach we believed we were getting.
"Making the playoffs is hardly the goal for this Bulls organization. But making the playoffs for a second straight season—and doing so with a strong run at the end again—shows that (general manager) John (Paxson) and Scott are on the right path to building something special again."
Hey, no one expected much from the White Sox after they made the playoffs.
Reinsdorf isn't quite preparing an order for more diamonds and championship rings. But lest anyone forget, he hasn't forgotten. These Bulls aren't far from his thoughts, even through the delirium of a World Series championship for the White Sox and the prospect of another strong season. These are no forgotten red-haired kids of the family. It's the team that gave Reinsdorf his first taste of sporting success, and he's not about to forget.
"I know the White Sox have gotten so much attention, and we are thrilled for the fans," Reinsdorf said. "But we've never forgotten about the Bulls and we feel we have management teams in place for both teams that will continue to produce competitive teams that make the city proud. Certainly, you have to find the right players, but you also hope to create an atmosphere of hard work and unselfish play that will inspire players to want to be here.
"John and Scott have done that with this team, and you can't give enough credit to this group of players who fell behind but never gave up. It seemed to be almost a script for the games, and that's something you can build on."
Reinsdorf knows that all plans don't work. He had many for the White Sox, and despite what many would believe, there was one for the Bulls post-Michael Jordan. There was that execution problem.
Tim Floyd made sense as a college coach in an era when the NBA was about to be dominated by teenagers. Wrong guy. Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler made sense as a 7-foot duo of inside and outside players. Bad scouting.
So in came Paxson with Skiles. It didn't look like much for awhile, but lessons were being taught. It was not unlike the military—they were building men. First you break everyone down and condition each to compete relentlessly, to work hard and not be afraid.
It's no coincidence that the Bulls, for a second straight season, lead the league in field-goal percentage defense, and when the games were most important, they were at their best. They finished 15-4 last season and are 11-2 in their last 13 games through Monday.
The ultimate talent isn't there yet, and you have to be fortunate to obtain it the way the Bulls did with Jordan and Scottie Pippen. But there are some very good pieces and an excellent work ethic.
And it starts with the symbol of sporting success, the playoffs.
I remember Jordan 20 years ago refusing to apologize for being in the playoffs with a 30-52 record. He said it was a great chance to test yourself against the best and learn where you need to improve. He also said when the Bulls were going through playoff failures in his first few years that he had one goal for the team: improve every year.
Perhaps the Bulls didn't do that statistically this season because of the disruption at the beginning with the trade of Curry. But they would have taken a step back without a playoff appearance.
"We knew this would be a difficult season with the Eddy Curry trade right before the season started," Reinsdorf said. "We traded our starting center and power forward from last season. But we believed we were doing the right thing for the organization and I know John did everything he felt was possible in the best interests of Eddy and the Bulls. I'm proud of the way John handled a very difficult situation, and we hope Eddy has a long and successful career, except against us."
This was a season in which the Bulls easily could have quit. They fell 10 games below .500. They had a miserable eight-game losing streak. They were among the league leaders all season in games lost by three points or fewer. Perhaps the most familiar picture was players walking off dejectedly after a failed last-second shot and another loss, five by a point, five more by two or three points.
If they didn't go into every game undermanned, they certainly were undersized with Kirk Hinrich defending big shooting guards, Andres Nocioni taking on forwards four inches taller and Michael Sweetney and Othella Harrington battling centers. No one cried about injured players, and injured players came back sooner than many expected.
They don't have parades for .500 teams, but this one can make you smile, and its chairman is smiling. Because much better things may be ahead.
"Now we have some flexibility with [two No. 1] draft picks and room under the salary cap for free agents to make additions to this team that John believes will keep us heading in the right direction and improving," Reinsdorf said. "And, like the White Sox last year, making the playoffs is just the first step. Who knows what can happen when you've got a motivated group of players like we have? I know I'm excited about what John, Scott and these players have started."
sasmith@tribune.com
"I e-mailed Scott (Skiles) Sunday evening to congratulate him and tell him there aren't many coaches who could have gotten this team this far and playing the way it has down the stretch," Reinsdorf was saying Monday about the Bulls clinching a playoff spot. "He's done a terrific job and has proved to be the kind of coach we believed we were getting.
"Making the playoffs is hardly the goal for this Bulls organization. But making the playoffs for a second straight season—and doing so with a strong run at the end again—shows that (general manager) John (Paxson) and Scott are on the right path to building something special again."
Hey, no one expected much from the White Sox after they made the playoffs.
Reinsdorf isn't quite preparing an order for more diamonds and championship rings. But lest anyone forget, he hasn't forgotten. These Bulls aren't far from his thoughts, even through the delirium of a World Series championship for the White Sox and the prospect of another strong season. These are no forgotten red-haired kids of the family. It's the team that gave Reinsdorf his first taste of sporting success, and he's not about to forget.
"I know the White Sox have gotten so much attention, and we are thrilled for the fans," Reinsdorf said. "But we've never forgotten about the Bulls and we feel we have management teams in place for both teams that will continue to produce competitive teams that make the city proud. Certainly, you have to find the right players, but you also hope to create an atmosphere of hard work and unselfish play that will inspire players to want to be here.
"John and Scott have done that with this team, and you can't give enough credit to this group of players who fell behind but never gave up. It seemed to be almost a script for the games, and that's something you can build on."
Reinsdorf knows that all plans don't work. He had many for the White Sox, and despite what many would believe, there was one for the Bulls post-Michael Jordan. There was that execution problem.
Tim Floyd made sense as a college coach in an era when the NBA was about to be dominated by teenagers. Wrong guy. Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler made sense as a 7-foot duo of inside and outside players. Bad scouting.
So in came Paxson with Skiles. It didn't look like much for awhile, but lessons were being taught. It was not unlike the military—they were building men. First you break everyone down and condition each to compete relentlessly, to work hard and not be afraid.
It's no coincidence that the Bulls, for a second straight season, lead the league in field-goal percentage defense, and when the games were most important, they were at their best. They finished 15-4 last season and are 11-2 in their last 13 games through Monday.
The ultimate talent isn't there yet, and you have to be fortunate to obtain it the way the Bulls did with Jordan and Scottie Pippen. But there are some very good pieces and an excellent work ethic.
And it starts with the symbol of sporting success, the playoffs.
I remember Jordan 20 years ago refusing to apologize for being in the playoffs with a 30-52 record. He said it was a great chance to test yourself against the best and learn where you need to improve. He also said when the Bulls were going through playoff failures in his first few years that he had one goal for the team: improve every year.
Perhaps the Bulls didn't do that statistically this season because of the disruption at the beginning with the trade of Curry. But they would have taken a step back without a playoff appearance.
"We knew this would be a difficult season with the Eddy Curry trade right before the season started," Reinsdorf said. "We traded our starting center and power forward from last season. But we believed we were doing the right thing for the organization and I know John did everything he felt was possible in the best interests of Eddy and the Bulls. I'm proud of the way John handled a very difficult situation, and we hope Eddy has a long and successful career, except against us."
This was a season in which the Bulls easily could have quit. They fell 10 games below .500. They had a miserable eight-game losing streak. They were among the league leaders all season in games lost by three points or fewer. Perhaps the most familiar picture was players walking off dejectedly after a failed last-second shot and another loss, five by a point, five more by two or three points.
If they didn't go into every game undermanned, they certainly were undersized with Kirk Hinrich defending big shooting guards, Andres Nocioni taking on forwards four inches taller and Michael Sweetney and Othella Harrington battling centers. No one cried about injured players, and injured players came back sooner than many expected.
They don't have parades for .500 teams, but this one can make you smile, and its chairman is smiling. Because much better things may be ahead.
"Now we have some flexibility with [two No. 1] draft picks and room under the salary cap for free agents to make additions to this team that John believes will keep us heading in the right direction and improving," Reinsdorf said. "And, like the White Sox last year, making the playoffs is just the first step. Who knows what can happen when you've got a motivated group of players like we have? I know I'm excited about what John, Scott and these players have started."
sasmith@tribune.com