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A Letter From John Paxson...
Dear Big Fan,
Let me start by wishing you Happy Holidays. This a challenging letter to write at this time of year, but I think it's necessary.
By now you're aware that our head coach, Scott Skiles, was relieved of his duties on Monday. As a valued season ticket holder with a personal stake in our team, I'd like to share my reasoning with you directly.
First, I'd like to acknowledge the terrific job Scott did for us for several years. We needed someone to get our team organized and accountable, and to teach our players about the right way to play on both ends of the court. Scott accomplished that for us. He's a very demanding coach, which is one of his many strengths. I appreciate all of his efforts and the fact that we are a significantly better team now than we were when he arrived.
I'd also like to acknowledge that when a move like this is made, it's never one person's fault. There's responsibility all around and it starts with me. I take responsibility for our team's disappointing start and share it with our entire coaching staff, and especially with our players. They have to be held accountable too. But this isn't about assigning blame--it's about winning and losing.
Expectations for this team were very high when the season started, and so far we've greatly underachieved. In short, I believe we're a much better team than we've shown to date. Our players, although very young, should be developing at a much more rapid rate, and I think they should be playing with greater energy, competitiveness and teamwork, along with a greater sense of urgency about winning. And that's why I felt a change was necessary now. After 25 games, I felt that the season was slipping away from us.
Although we're not the team we need to be right now, we need to remain focused on working hard and making the NBA Playoffs. As of this writing we're only three games out of the Eastern Conference Playoff picture, so there's still plenty of time to accomplish that goal.
In addition to making the Playoffs, we also need to continue to develop our young players. And now that we've made a coaching change, our players need to take a look at themselves and ask what they can do to improve. We're very fortunate to have the greatest fans in the NBA, which is proven by a packed house every night. So when fans boo us, that's a reflection on our collective efforts. Playing with passion has been a key reason why we have made the Playoffs the past three seasons and we need to get back to that level of intensity.
In the long-term, my search for a permanent head coach has already begun. I'll be looking for someone who exemplifies all of the attributes I've previously described. Someone who's experienced, skilled and prepared to quickly lead us to the next level. It may happen in the next few months, or in the off-season. It depends on the candidates available, as well as any impact this decision might have on our current season. But this decision will not be made in haste. It's much too important.
As always, thank you for standing behind our team and for holding us accountable for every game we play. We're working very hard to make you proud of us, and we share the same ultimate goal--bringing another NBA Championship home to Chicago.
Thank you again for being the NBA's best Sixth Man. And best wishes for a very Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
John Paxson
Executive Vice President,
Basketball Operations
_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”
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