Bucks Score, Hire Skiles

Since firing George Karl, the Milwaukee Bucks have been a disaster. They have accrued a 165-245 record. They have scored two playoff appearances. The have won two playoff contests. They have employed three coaches.

On Monday, the Bucks hired Coach Scott Skiles. During his press conference, Skiles requested patience. “It's not going to be easy,” Skiles said. “I don't have any magic dust to sprinkle on people. We're going to have to do it by working harder and playing better [defense], and the first step will be getting competitive every single night. The team has not been competitive every night and if we do that, good things will happen.”

During his career, Skiles has amassed a 281-251 record. In Phoenix (195 games), Skiles racked a 116-79 record. In Chicago (237 games), he registered a 165-172 record. Despite five playoff appearances, Skiles has never won a division title. He has been fired twice.

“I've never made any secret of my philosophy, I believe in playing hard, playing defense, playing with passion, bring enthusiasm every single day and that's what I'll be after,” Skiles said. “I'm not real concerned with what happened before.”

Milwaukee’s decision is correct. Skiles stabilized the Suns. He transformed the Bulls. For Senator Herb Kohl, Skiles will perform similar surgery.