Who's Next For the Bulls Bench?

It's Christmas Eve and Tyrus Thomas has no one scold him. This won't do. As of this second, there's no indication as to Scott Skiles' replacement as civilian leader of the Bulls. It's alright, actually -- Chicago doesn't strap them on until Wednesday, when the team visits San Antonio, who has lost only a single game at home this season.

So really, the next real game John Paxson needs to concern himself with is Friday's home tilt against Milwaukee. Surely, a current assistant such as Ron Adams or Pete Myers can manage the team until then. (Jim Boylan, Chicago's lead assistant, is a Skiles guy, having coached under him in Phoenix as well as being the lead assistant for the duration of the Skiles era in Chicago.) Will Paxson be able to locate his replacement (assuming it is not a dreaded 'interim' fellow like Adams or Myer) by then, what with the celebration of the birth of Christ and all?

The name Mike Fratello is floating around -- John Hollinger just mentioned it on ESPNews. Rick Carlisle should be floating around, if he's not. I haven't a whisper on 59-year-old Rudy Tomjanovich, which might be a good thing for Rudy T.'s continued health. Jeff Van Gundy will be rumored in every opening until his forehead again glistens with the sweat of subjugated anger caused by referees. (The anger is caused by referees, not the subjugation.) Dwane Casey deserves as much consideration as anyone; to me, he comes across as Carlisle without a devastatingly boring offense, and Casey had a terribly unfair time in Minnesota.

These names will persist because a good portion of the typical offseason stocks -- rising assistants -- are practically off limits during the season. Tom Thibodeau may be the hottest prospect this summer; there is no chance Danny Ainge permits Paxson to screen him in December. The same applies to Chuck Person, Scott Brooks, Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw, Dean Demopoulus, and Terry Porter (all better candidates than The Czar, I'd argue).

There is, of course, the specter of Pax himself taking over, a la Isiah Thomas. You bought the fixins', so to speak. Make dinner.

(Note: Much of the mongering above comes with love and squalor from my morning reading at Blog-a-Bull.)