The Skiles Bulls: What Could Have Been  I was talking to some
buddies today and we got to thinking...what if the Kirk
Hinrich/Scott Skiles rebuilding plan worked? What if Kobe rumors
and a pissed off Ben Wallace didn't cause the dismanteling of
the leagues best "up and coming" team.  The Bulls were fresh off
two consecutive playoff appearances, both first round exits.
They had what many thought to be a collection of future fringe
all-stars and/or solid players in Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol
Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Andres Nocioni, Mike Sweetney, and Chris
Duhon. They also had a slew of Knicks draft picks headed their
way, and after giving the eventual champion Miami Heat a run for
their money in the first round of the playoffs, they found
themselves with a enough cap space to offer a max contract. Most
believed they were a center away from competing for the title.
It just so happend that the previous year's starting center for
the east in the all-star game, Ben Wallace, was a free agent.
The Bulls brought him i