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Raptors, Bulls agree to dealCHICAGO -- Chicago and Toronto have agreed to a six-player trade that will send Jalen Rose to the Raptors for Antonio Davis, Bulls general manager John Paxson said Saturday night. The deal is pending league approval Monday. The Bulls will also ship Lonny Baxter and Donyell Marshall to the Raptors and get Toronto's Jerome Williams and Chris Jeffries. "We're giving up talented players," Paxson said, adding that the presence of Davis and Williams will help the Bulls on the inside where they have young and erratic prep-to-pros Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. "This is hard to do, but I think it's right for the organization right now," Paxson said. "It's been a long tough week in a lot of ways. I think we're in position now where we got a big basketball team. We've still got issues and I don't expect miracles right away, but I expect us to be a competitive team." Paxson fired coach Bill Cartwright last Monday after Chicago lost 10 of its 14 games. Then on Friday, he named Scott Skiles to replace him. The Bulls are 4-12 overall. Rose, a small forward in his 10th NBA season, is averaging 13.3 points -- third best on the team -- but has shot just 38 percent from the field this season. He would give Toronto, which has struggled to score points, an offensive punch. He came to the Bulls in February 2002 in a trade from the Pacers. The 6-foot-9 Davis, averaging nine rebounds and 8.6 points, presents a veteran inside presence "Antonio Davis can't help but be a good influence on the other guys and Jerome Williams hustles all the time. He gets up and down the floor," Skiles said. "Sometimes you have to give good things up for things that make more sense at the time. I think we've become a more physical and tougher team that can rebound and defend better," Paxson said. Marshall, averaging 8.7 points and six rebounds, said he got a phone call Saturday from Paxson telling him of the deal. "I feel a little in shock right now. I kept hearing about it for a week and a half now," Marshall said. "Usually when trade rumors go around that long, usually they're dead. I was laying at home getting ready to come into the second practice and my phone rang and it was Pax," he said. "I've been in this league 10 years. I know it's a business, I know you gotta do what you've got to do to make this team better. I guess it was a trade that both teams felt they got something good out of it." When asked about the trade, Raptors spokesman Jim LaBumbard said Davis and Williams wouldn't be in uniform for Saturday night's game at Miami and that they were "involved in trade talks." "We hope to have something done in the next 48 hours," LaBumbard said. He wouldn't comment further. The Bulls don't play until Monday night. Veteran Scottie Pippen, who returned to Chicago this season to provide leadership, said it's tough to see Rose and Marshall depart, but it's all part of the business. "Davis will give us some toughness inside and Williams has a lot of energy and enthusiasm," Pippen said. "We got veteran guys who know how to play the game. I think it should make us better." Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Scott Skiles takes over with Chicago BullsDEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) Scott Skiles' reputation was forged by his feisty playing style and later by his no-nonsense, in-your-face approach during his first NBA coaching stop in Phoenix. Can he rub off on the disappointing Chicago Bulls or will he just rub his players the wrong way? When he took over Friday as Chicago's head coach, Skiles said it was wins and not confrontations he was seeking after nearly two years away from the sidelines. ``No question I'm a different coach than then, but I don't deviate from the core principles that I believe in, in how the game should be played,'' Skiles said. That would be all-out effort and game-long defense, key ingredients sometimes missing during the Bulls' 4-12 start. Bill Cartwright was fired after the Bulls went 4-10 and then they lost two more games under interim coach Pete Myers. Skiles said coaching players with big contracts and strong wills requires a mixture of techniques. ``One day it's telling them how much you like them and how happy you are and you encourage them. And other times, it's more serious than that and it can be confrontational,'' Skiles said, dressed in his new Bulls warmups after running his first practice. ``I think that is what has been put on me, is that `He's confrontational.' I think there is subtle difference there. I don't search out the confrontation, but on other hand, I'm not afraid of it either if it does occur.'' Skiles had a 116-79 record as coach of the Suns from 1999-02, and was 5-8 in the playoffs. His coaching methods created friction with some of his players, most notably Jason Kidd, before Skiles quit in February 2002. He has not coached since. ``It's going to be a feeling-out process. Scott is going to have to be patient and the guys are going to work hard and allow him to do what he has to do to make this change a positive change,'' Bulls veteran Scottie Pippen said. ``We feel his bulldog personality will carry over hopefully to the way we play,'' Jalen Rose added. Skiles told the players he would judge them on performance, not the past. ``I told them to wipe the slate clean,'' he said. General manager John Paxson said his expectations were for the Bulls to make the playoffs this season. But after a slow start, they collapsed on a western road trip, losing all five games and have dropped seven straight overall. Skiles will make his Bulls coaching debut Monday at home against the Bucks. ``I know a new direction can help us,'' Paxson said. ``Scott can teach and coach and he has the fire that will serve us well. I think we got the right guy to lead us into the future.'' Prep-to-pro projects Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler were expected to build on the progress they made at the end of last season when Chicago managed 30 wins. But Curry has struggled at times and Chandler has been hampered by a sore back. There are also published reports of team friction over selfish play, and there has been speculation that Rose will be traded. And some of the players aren't thrilled by the selection of Skiles to replace Cartwright. But despite all of that, Skiles said the Bulls still have time and the talent to make the playoffs _ especially in the weaker Eastern Conference _ despite their dismal start. ``I have high expectations and so should they. I will not abandon John and Bill's goal at the beginning of the season to make the playoffs,'' Skiles said. ``That is very realistic to me.'' Skiles enjoyed his time away from the game and said it gave him a new perspective on how important coaching was to his life. ``I am what I am,'' Skiles said of his coaching style. ``I have plenty of players who loved playing for me. I think these guys will, too.'' Skiles played for Milwaukee, Indiana, Orlando, Washington and Philadelphia during a gritty 10-year NBA career. He still holds the NBA record for assists in a game with 30 for Orlando against Denver on Dec. 30, 1990. He averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 assists. He came to the NBA after a stellar college career at Michigan State. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Skiles takes charge as Bulls coach on FridayWhen the Chicago Bulls next take the practice floor on Friday, this five-game trip will be in the past - thankfully - and Scott Skiles will be their coach. Skiles, whom team sources said has reached agreement on a multi-year contract to succeed Bill Cartwright, is to be introduced at a Friday news conference. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Bulls Nov 2003 Archive
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