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Skiles Will Shake Up Starting Five, Hinrich A Candidate For Bench
Skiles did not reveal the changes but said they could be drastic. Considering the Bulls have a young starting corps--the average age of the current starters is 23.2--there aren't many changes that could be viewed as radical. The most major would be pulling guard Kirk Hinrich. Hinrich has been a steadying force for the Bulls since his rookie season out of Kansas in 2003-04. He started all but 10 games he played his first year, all 77 games in which he appeared last season and 27 this season. Like many of his teammates, though, Hinrich is slumping. In their current five-game losing streak, Hinrich is last among Bulls starters in field-goal percentage (.350) and points per game (8.4). He was not available for comment after practice Friday. After the Bulls lost to Charlotte on Wednesday night, Skiles told his players their ensuing practices would determine the starting lineup. "Coach said, `We've been too married to the guys we have out there,'" Ben Gordon said. "`Nobody's spot is solidified. Everybody's spot is in jeopardy.'" Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Skiles Puts Onus On Gordon
"Anybody that's involved in the league in depth and watches us play knows that we have more things in our offense for Ben probably than any other team in the league has for any other player," Skiles said. "It's normally the guys who aren't playing well that are making those kinds of comments. So I don't put much stock in that." Gordon's comments were summarized for Skiles after the Bulls' three-hour marathon practice. Talking about his struggles in an article Wednesday, Gordon questioned whether the Bulls ran enough plays for him and said he is frustrated because he doesn't start games and often doesn't finish them. Ultimately, Gordon accepted responsibility for what he perceives as a reduced role. "It's like you're in limbo … but I can't put the blame on anyone else," Gordon said. "I have to find a way to be valuable enough to the team that I'm out there those times of games." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Paxson Has No Intention To Trade Gordon
Gordon hasn't said anything publicly to indicate he's disgruntled, and Bulls GM John Paxson told SI.com on Wednesday that his second-year star has not approached him with any concerns. Paxson also said he has no intention of trading Gordon. Gordon's agent, meanwhile, says that while his client might get frustrated at times, he wants to stay in Chicago. "My typical response is, 'every player wants to play more.' If you ask any player, they'd say the same thing," Billy Ceisler told SI.com. "As far as this trade talk, I told John Paxson, '[Ben] is a selfless kid. He'll do everything in his power to help his team win. He did it in college.'" Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Bulls Dec 2005 Archive
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In an attempt to breathe life back into the Bulls for Saturday night's game against Phoenix, coach Scott Skiles will shake up his starting lineup, he said Friday.
Bulls coach Scott Skiles responded Thursday to Ben Gordon's displeasure over his role this season, putting the responsibility on Gordon.