Bulls Coach Does it His Way

Chicagoans remember Frank Sinatra for "My Kind of Town," his tribute to the Windy City, but one gets the feeling that Bulls coach Scott Skiles goes to bed each night telling himself, "I did it my way."

Bobcats guard Jason Hart had just drove for a layup and tied the game at 79 in a game earlier this season in Charlotte. Exit Eddy Curry; enter veteran Antonio Davis. But wasn't Curry playing with the all-important "energy," the element most critical to his game? And hadn't he scored 16 points and brought down 7 rebounds so far in the game? And wasn't there almost 10 minutes still left in the fourth quarter? So why replace a 22-year-old with a 36-year-old?

Curry was not defending. In other words, Skiles coaches his way, which means if you don't defend, you don't play.

Since Skiles' coaching style is predicated on toughness and effort, Curry's performance later in the season in which he pulled down no rebounds in a game against the Spurs — that's zero rebounds for a man who is listed at 6-11, 285 lbs. — did not win him any points with the coach, or minutes.

Curry, who is currently sidelined with an irregular heartbeat, has provided consistency and improved steadily in the past month, especially on the defensive end. A coach who can develop and improve a player — at the pro level — is a good coach.

Rookie sensation Ben Gordon, a candidate for both Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year, is already a proven clutch player, so what's up with him only logging 23 minutes per game?

He does not defend, at least not that well. Skiles, shortly after a recent thrilling home victory over the Heat, in which Gordon tallied double digits in the fourth quarter for a league-leading 15th time (he now has a league-leading 21), criticized the team for its play, saying they were fortunate to pull out the victory. Skiles has said Gordon "has a ways to go" with his defense.

To steal a phrase from Pistons coach Larry Brown, whose team knows a thing or two about defense, Skiles asks that his team play "the right way."

Tyson Chandler's length and shot-blocking ability make him an effective defender, which is why you'll often see Chandler, who is erratic on offense, on the court at the end of close games.

Skiles knows full well where his bread is buttered. Though the Bulls lead the league in defensive field-goal percentage, the fiery coach knows there is little margin for error. "We have plenty to work on," said Skiles after the Bulls slipped one percentage point in that category. "We're not that type of [offensive] team. We have to stay on top of playing defense."

While we might not see Skiles demand four passes before shooting like Hickory coach Norman Dale in "Hoosiers," it is clear that he values — even demands — fundamentals. Case in point: Jamal Crawford out; Kirk Hinrich in. Other factors definitely contributed to the departure of Crawford and the emergence of Hinrich, but you decide which player is more suited for this team? And for this coach? One is style and substance, and the other is substance and substance.

The Bulls certainly have less style than substance, but they also have more wins than losses, not to mention their first playoff birth since a guy with lots of style, lots of substance, and who played lots of defense controlled the United Center.

Just how the coach wants it.