FanHouse Jim Boylan

I stumbled across this BetUS "Prop Talk" column (no need for you to inquire how I do my stumbling, thank you) a few days ago, and obviously it's not fresh or anything, but it seems pretty appropriate at this stage in Isiah Thomas' career. See, Zeke was a -2000 favorite to be the first coach fired this season.

Donnie Walsh has been hired to replace Isiah Thomas as the Knicks president of basketball operations. It is widely assumed that Walsh will also relieve Thomas of his coaching duties after the regular season ends on Apr. 16.

Wanna bet? Thomas is a –2000 sports betting favorite to be the next NBA coach who either gets fired or resigns. The field is priced at +800. However likely it may be that Thomas' four years and change in the Big Apple are about to end on a sour note, he's not the only one with his head on the block.

I actually tried to find the odds themselves, and was unable to for whatever reason. I wish I had, because had I bet on anything, it would have been "field". There were plenty of people -- Jim Boylan and Larry Krystkowiak come to mind -- that were eligible to be canned before Zeke, especially considering that Donnie Walsh probably wasn't interested in finding an interim coach to manage the circus for just a few games.

But more than anything, I think what's funny about this particular gambling line is that it is pretty metaphorical for Isiah's entire tenure in New York. -2000 is one of the highest money lines I've ever seen. Think about it. 1:20 odds is beyond anything Tiger Woods or the 2008 Patriots ever sniffed. Yet ... he still beat them!

And that's what Isiah has been doing in New York for years. Sexual harassment lawsuits, horrible free agent signings, 30% winning percentages, embarrassing trades -- none of them could get Isiah booted immediately. Finally, James Dolan caved and brought in Donnie Walsh, who canned Thomas, but when we all think back on Zeke's career in New York, yes, we'll be amazed at how awful a job he did. But I think in the end, we'll be more amazed at how long he actually kept the job.

We're barely a day removed from the end of the regular season, and we already have our second head coaching casualty. Earlier today the Bulls relieved Jim Boylan of his duties, and now the Bucks have decided to similarly part ways with Larry Krystkowiak.

The Bucks' Coach K had a dismal first season as head coach, as the team basically refused to play defense and finished with a dismal 26-56 record. Krystkowiak (try typing that three times fast) blamed the lack of defensive-minded players on the team, and a shoot-first mentality by some of the players for the team's issues.

"It's more about a team concept instead of a bunch of talent," Krystkowiak said. "I think we have a lot of guys looking to score, and we've had a heck of a time with chemistry. I think that probably needs to be looked at a little bit more, the aggressive, physical, defensive-minded blend to go with some of the guys that we have."

Defense was a problem for sure, but I think the reason Larry is unemployed today is because this team simply gave up on him. There's no excuse for getting blown out night after night the way this Bucks team did, and they had some horrendous losses. Losing by 31 at Toronto, 43 at Philadelphia, and recently giving up 151 points in regulation -- to Boylan's disappointing Bulls -- are likely indicators that the team desperately needed a change in leadership.

Bulls interim head coach Jim Boylan had the "interim" label removed from his title on Thursday. Sadly for him, he also had the "head coach" label removed, as well. GM John Paxson informed Boylan and his assistants of the decision this morning.

It wasn't hard to see this coming, and not just because the Bulls posted a 24-32 record while under his charge. He was terribly inconsistent with his handling of players, and given the number of incidents involving the likes of Chris Duhon, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and Andres Nocioni, it was obvious that he had lost whatever credibility he may have had in the locker room.

There's no shortage of candidates whom the Bulls may pursue, and the first guy likely to get called is Rick Carlisle, the Central Division nomad who's already had semi-successful stops in Detroit and Indianapolis. He may not be the guy to win you a title, but he has experience whipping a team into postseason shape.

But no matter who takes the job, expect a mandate from the top down to give playing time to the team's young players: for a team that was going nowhere, there are still too many questions surrounding the potential of Thomas and Noah that likely could have been answered with more playing time.

The Bulls are theoretically within reach of the playoffs, but instead of banding together for one last push, the team appears to be coming apart at the seams. Andres Nocioni became just the latest player to clash with the coaching staff, blowing up at interim head coach Jim Boylan in the middle of Saturday's game after being pulled.

On Monday, Nocioni met with the media for the first time since the incident and apologized, saying he was frustrated with his own play and lack of energy more than anything.

He was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount, but Boylan seemed to accept Nocioni's apology at face value, even going so far as to kiss the forward on the head. (No, seriously, that happened.)

Tyrus Thomas apologized to his Chicago teammates on Thursday for skipping practice on Wednesday but refused to tell the media what prompted his absence except to say it was for "personal reasons" and not about a lack of playing time. Whatever it was, it seems to have been premeditated -- the Chicago Tribune cites sources that say "Thomas laughingly told two teammates 'see you Thursday' when he left the locker room after Tuesday's victory over Memphis, during which Thomas played just nine foul-plagued minutes."

But while those teammates may have known what was up, the front office brass was so completely caught off guard that they actually dispatched police officers to Thomas' house to check up on him when they were unable to track him down. (Sadly, given the incidents involving Eddy Curry and Antoine Walker in Chicago suburbs this summer, that's actually a smart precautionary measure to take in a situation like this.)

If any good comes of this situation it's that Thomas and interim coach Jim Boylan are apparently now seeing eye to eye -- Thomas said their telephone conversation late Wednesday "broke some barriers." That right there certainly seems to suggest that this was in fact about playing time and basketball, but at this point it doesn't really matter. Thomas is 21 years old -- when I was his age I skipped more than my fair share of college classes without anything close to resembling a valid excuse. It happened, it's over and in a round-about way, team relations may be better for it.

Bulls GM John Paxson denied yesterday's rumor that he was interested in hiring Larry Brown as the permanent replacement for Scott Skiles. In fact, Paxson denied being interested in making anyone the permanent replacement just yet. From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Paxson reiterated that interim coach Jim Boylan, whom Paxson promoted after firing Scott Skiles on Christmas Eve, has the job at least until the end of the season.

''I have not begun the process'' of evaluating coaching options for next season, Paxson said.

If I had to guess (and I do, since offering my opinion is kind of the whole point of being a blogger), I wouldn't be surprised if it were Brown himself behind these rumors. He clearly enjoys being the center of attention and is probably bored with being ignored in his "nobody really knows what he does" role as a special advisor something or another with the Sixers. After burning expensive bridges in Detroit and New York, I'm not sure why anyone would want to take on his ego, but the teams "rumored" to have interest in him, the more likely another team might panic and take the plunge.

Despite Miami being boosted by the return of Shaquille O'Neal, the Bulls stomped all over the Heat on Wednesday (as expected). So was the recent confrontation between Joakim Noah and Ben Wallace a rallying point for this team? Impossible, say the Bulls ... because that confrontation simply never happened. From the Chicago Sun-Times:

''Maybe y'all messed it up,'' Wallace said to reporters before the game. ''Go ask Joakim. I know I'm not gonna talk about it because I don't have anything to say about it.''

Bulls coach Jim Boylan had plenty to say.

''I know all about it, and there was no argument,'' he said. ''I don't know why it was reported that way. A couple of things were said, but there was no confrontation. There was no one going after each other. There were no angry words.

''I spoke to both guys together this morning. They laughed about it. They can't believe that it was reported like that. I find it disappointing that it's put in the paper without really being substantiated in any way and to have it said by someone. I don't think that's fair.''

I don't know about you, but Wallace's quote doesn't sound very convincing. Reading between the lines (which, admittedly, is never really safe) I'm guessing there was some kind of heated exchange but not one that escalated into a near-physical altercation, as previously reported. Noah also spoke about the alleged incident during a radio interview yesterday (mp3 via TYI) and more or less denied it, as well, although he seems less upset at the inaccuracy of the story than the fact that word about Whatever It Was That Happened was leaked from the locker room at all.

Joakim Noah was suspended two games for his verbal altercation with an assistant coach during a shootaround last week. The first game was interim head coach Jim Boylan's decision, the second game was at the behest of Noah's teammates. Clearly all parties involved feel the rookie was in the wrong ... but that hasn't stopped his former coach Billy Donovan from coming to his defense. From the Chicago Sun-Times:

"I know what Jo's biggest problem is," Donovan said, referring to Noah. "Jo's biggest problem is that he just wants to win, and when he sees things that are getting in the way with winning he has a tendency to be somewhat demonstrative or loud.

See, I would think knowing the plays and remember defensive assignments would be helpful to winning -- it was Noah's repeated failure to do those little things that raised the ire of assistant Ron Adams, who was on Noah's case when Noah had his hissy fit.

Zach Randolph got benched last night after arguing with Isiah Thomas during a game; Joakim Noah didn't even make it past the morning shootaround. Noah apparently blew up at assistant coach Ron Adams during yesterday morning's workout after Adams got on his case for forgetting plays, and as a result he was left inactive for Friday's win over the Sixers. After the game, Noah expressed regret and (more or less) accepted responsibility. From the K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:

"Yeah, I regret it because it was stupid," Noah said. "I mean, honestly, I like the coach a lot, but I felt like he disrespected me and I went back at him and maybe I shouldn't have done that.
[...]
"Maybe next time if I have a problem I can say it in a bad manner instead of just blowing up. I let my emotions get the best of me."
[...]
"It really, really [stinks]; that's all I can say," Noah said. "I'll learn from this and get better."

That middle quote reads kind of awkward -- "say it in a bad manner"? -- but I wouldn't be surprised if Johnson made a transcribing mistake and Noah actually said "better manner." (Say both aloud quickly and you'll see they sound similar.) Either way, his point is clear: he made a mistake, he learned, etc etc. Noah was obviously in the wrong (coaches can pretty much say whatever they want, especially to rookies), but he owned up to it, which you like to see. Now all that's left is remembering the damn playbook ...

Rick Carlisle, Larry Brown and Paul Westphal will have to wait until the offseason to fight for the vacant job in Chicago, as it seems Bulls GM John Paxson is willing to give Jim Boylan an audition in an interim role for the rest of the season. Boylan was Scott Skiles' lead assistant both in Chicago and several years ago in Phoenix, so Paxson must be confident that the team needs a new voice more so than a new philosophy.

How will Boylan make his mark? By apparently keeping the same whipping boy that Skiles always used. From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Among Boylan's first moves as coach will be a lineup change: Chris Duhon will replace Ben Gordon as a starting guard alongside Kirk Hinrich.

Why is Gordon always the first player sent to the bench when Hinrich is the one who's been struggling the most? If Duhon is starting, he may as well take over the point since distributing and protecting the ball is really the one thing he does well. Gordon has certainly regressed this year, but not to the extent that Hinrich has. The real measuring stick Boylan will be held up against will be the development of young players like Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, but it'd be refreshing to see the "new" regime give the veterans a clean slate and erase preconceived notions about their roles, as well.