by Nick Hryhorczuk, mukola@gmail.com
“That rule was borne out of some thing I saw when I first got the job that didn’t look good.” Paxson said. “It was more out of uniformity than anything else. It’s not meant in any way to stifle anybody’s individuality or creativity.”
You sign Ben Wallace to a 60 million dollar deal. The guy has been more than consistent in the past- he has been an All-Star center in a league that lacks All-Star centers. Ben Wallace does not have the size of a Shaq, but he 
makes up for it with his bravado.
2006. Enter the Chicago Bulls- led by two former bench players- John Paxson and Scott Skiles. I caution using the word warmers because I believe Skiles still holds the records for most assists in a game, and Paxson made some very big shots in his career. To counter the former, nearly all of Skiles assists were to a young and unstoppable Shaquille O’Neal. I can also confidently say, though my memory escapes me at the moment, that none of Paxson’s “big shots” were self-made. They were the scraps of the greatest player to ever play the game.
These two former players (I use that word loosely) are running an AYSO-style basketball team. The only problem is that this is the NBA. Skiles, like a father coaching his bum kid, treats the starting line-up as some sort of reward for hustle in practice. Enough with having Chris Duhon leading the way with minutes left in the game. Skiles must certainly see a little of himself in Chris. May I remind the world that Chris Duhon was a second round pick, and although there have been great players who have emerged from such depths, I can’t believe that Duhon was 
“their man” all along when they went ahead and drafted BEN GORDON 3rd overall.
I could write a book on this stuff. So before I loose the next few weeks of my life- let me come back to Big Ben. He is not a draft pick who needs to prove himself to anybody. Ben Wallace is better than you, Skiles. He is better than you, Paxson. He is twice as good as either of you ever were in your careers. Yet he is benched for wearing a head-band. He is forced to tape his ankles. He is not allowed to listen to his music before the game. Well there you go. Spend 60 million on a player- and try to reinvent him. This ship is sinking fast, and if I were Ben Wallace I’d embroider "6th Man" onto my headband and wear it to every game out of spite.
<< Home