Its a 2 for 1 Sam Smith on Noahgate Special! He wrote a second column focusing on Boylan, and whispering about a possible Wallace behind the scenes power play...
Sam the Butcher
Boylan happy to let players be 'bad guy'
By Sam Smith | Tribune pro basketball reporter
10:27 PM CST, January 14, 2008
Interim coach Jim Boylan said he had no problem with the vote by Bulls players to suspend rookie Joakim Noah an extra game for his verbal tirade against assistant Ron Adams.
"I liked the fact our team stepped up and our guys want to take control of some of the disciplinary things and the way we behave," Boylan said. "They're setting some rules of how we will treat people on our team and in our organization, and that's the way it should be.
"Your team should be able to govern themselves, and when there's a tough disciplinary action that needs to be taken, it's not management and the coach who always have to be the so-called bad guy. When it comes from the players it certainly carries a lot more meaning. I think it's a good message for the Chicago Bulls and the rest of the NBA."
Ben Wallace was apparently one of the ringleaders in the move to discipline Noah, which is surprising in that Wallace has backed away from all leadership responsibilities with the Bulls, even asking not to be a captain this season.
Is Wallace threatened by Noah, who plays a similar game and is younger? Or does Wallace feel empowered to take a more active role now that Scott Skiles is gone? Wallace, after all, is thought to have played a role in Skiles' demise.
Some who know Wallace say he'll try to play "the Man" role he never really grasped under Skiles. Perhaps that means he'll respond with better play.
Or does he simply hijack the team and have it splinter around him?
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