Originally Posted by Rhyder

I think I have finally digested the entire Skiles contract situation and have finally formed my own opinion. From gathering the facts, this is how it seems to me that it played out.

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1. Bulls organization approaches Skiles with a contract extension offer (Skiles agent indicated that the Bulls came to him first)

2. Skiles did not accept and came back with a counteroffer (perfectly within his rights)

**Here is where the divergence comes into play**

3a. Skiles and Glass figured that they would meet in the middle as normal contract negotiations go.

3b. The Bulls organization has the rights to Skiles for this offseason and are treating this as a normal extension. Their offer is firm and are unwilling to budge. Skiles can take it for job security or not take it and prove his worth on the open market next year. They aren't moved by threats of Skiles walking.

4. Since this isn't going the way Skiles figured it would, he decided to make it public opinion to leverage the media towards his side.

5. Chicago leaked the contract offer in response.

6. Now Skiles is spinning it as he feels mistreated by the organization.

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All of that said, remember the Curry extension talks last summer where Chicago gave him an offer and Curry responded that he wanted a max extension? The Bulls offer was firm. They said take it or leave it and nothing got done. The situation worked itself out just fine and there wasn't any (reported) bad blood.

I think this is exactly the same thing they are doing with Skiles. Pax and Reinsdorf worked out an offer that Skiles could take or leave. Skiles countered with a higher offer figuring they would meet in the middle. What he did not count on is that the Bulls were making a firm (unnegotiable) offer as Paxson's short history at GM might indicate he handles such extensions.

My spin on the entire situation that Skiles does want the long-term security and is trying to get the most out of the Bulls organization (as it is his right to do).

Skiles could be using the media in one of two ways in my opinion:
1. He is taking this personally and is doing this to create a stink so that the Bulls will not pick up the option he has.
2. He is simply posturing for next year, so he can come back and say I told you so, thereby inflating his worth to the Bulls organization.

As to who is in the wright and who is in the wrong. I think both parties have acted well within their rights. If they offered a non-negotiable contract extension from the get go that Skiles could simply take or leave, there should be no bad blood and both parties certainly have acted within their rights about everything that has taken place. However, if the Bulls went in to negotiate and said after the fact that it was non-negotiable, then I understand Skiles mistreatment card.

That said, we will never know. I am not on Skiles side or Bulls management side on this one. I will simply wait until this all plays itself out. If Skiles option is not picked up (without a better replacement already on deck), Skiles was definately using the media to get out of Chicago. If it is, then I think both sides were simply posturing as goes on in any negotiation.