It's been a rocky holiday season for the Mopers of the Midway, as the Chicago Bulls have once again lost a coach on Christmas Eve. Now, the team that fired its coach seemingly as a last resort seems content on mailing in its season, one that GM John Paxson will be sweating out through the winter and in to spring.
 
I imagine fired coach Scott Skiles would not want to trade places with the still-employed Paxson; at least Skiles went out on his own terms. Those terms may have been what ended up getting him fired, but Skiles coached the team the only way he knew how, with intensity and a gruff nature that never once called for the coddling of players.
 
The players who could be accused of losing Skiles his job were never really in his corner to begin with, and once they got off to their third slow start in the past four seasons, it seemed the players responsible for the poor play on the court would be satisfied to play like chumps off the court as well.
 
Over the past several years, Paxson has failed at making any moves to improve his scoring or his interior offense. He brought on a very average Ben Wallace and overpaid him millions after letting Tyson Chandler skip off to New Orleans, where he is wreaking havoc on the inside. Combine those two mistakes with the passing of LaMarcus Aldridge, and fans and writers were starting to beg for more trades, specifically #24 out in Los Angeles.
 
The Bulls players couldn't handle the heat, so they started throwing pots and pans around the kitchen, acting lieks poiled children who deserved to be treated with kid gloves even though they are grown men being paid millions of dollars.
 
The bad environment of missing pieces that Paxson created was exacerbated by Skiles' treatment of his players. Always a hot head and fierce competitor, Skiles expected similar passionate play and desire to win from his team. What he got was a bunch of crybabies.
 
Now the Bulls are left searching for a coach who can relate to the "modern player," read: "selfish, oversensitive child." Rick Carlisle, anyone? Don't make me laugh.
 
The Bulls players obviously want someone to whom they can relate, and maybe the rough Skiles was not that guy. But where they turn next is anybody's guess. We know this much - they won't find the answer this season, and only one-third of the way through the season, that amounts to one wasted season. A pretty expensive waste, with regard to Skiles contract and ticket sales, if you ask me.
 
If the Bulls home loss to Houston on Saturday night, a game in which the fans lustily boo'd the home team is any indication, this team and franchise do not have the confidence of the fans. And I'm pretty sure they weren't booing the coach, so the Christmas gift of Skiles' head may not appease potential ticket buyers.

Word out of Chicago is that the players quit on Skiles, that everyone from Tyrus Thomas to Andres Nocioni wanted him gone. Well, not they have their wish. It will be interesting to see if they gel and start playing well with him gone. Whether they do or not is despicable enough, but if they do show more signs of life, it is just proof that the group is inherently spoiled and still in danger of underachieving at any time depending on their moods.
 
Good luck, John Paxson. You have your work cut out for you.