Big Ben Tolls no more...

Ben's a problem child
But if this is the start of a battle coach against Ben, this time Ben's probably going to win, because the record doesn't speak for Skiles and Ben's contract is too big to let his play depend on a damn headband.
Besides, Ben needs his bands everywhere on his body just like Samson needs his hair.

Yeah!

Now correct me if I am wrong but didn't Ben put up a 48 minute 15 rebound game in the last week? I think it's a little early to be calling him a bust for the rest of his career. I'll have to make a point of avoiding ESPN for the next week or so as I'm sure the Ben Headband Scandal will open all SportsCenter segments.

Wow. It took what, 13-14 games for Ben and Skiles to butt heads. I wouldn`t say this is a major issue, however, the media, and/or Skiles and Ben could very well make it one.

I don`t see Skiles winning this battle if it escalates. If Ben pursues wearing his headband (which I don`t think he will) things could get ugly in Chi-Town.

Next thing you know the Bulls will have a rule against braids.......

HeadbandGate is the last things the Bulls need going into their long home stand in the next few weeks. Yes, it's a lame rule, but Ben is acting like a little kid here, by forcing the issue into the public spotlight and hoping that the coach backs down. Even Johnny Damon shed his caveman look without complaining when he joined the Yankees. If you're going to join a team of your own free will and accept $60 million from them, then how hard is it to follow a rule about headbands? It's not like Ben didn't know about the rule until last night or anything.

I wouldn't be so sure about Skiles coming under any pressure to back down. Ben's record in Detroit is obviously great, but what's he done in Chicago? So far, nothing. Skiles, not Ben, is the one who's gotten them back to the playoffs for the first time in the post-Jordan era. I'm not that familiar with the media and fan sentiment in Chicago right now, but it's an awfully big stretch for me to think that people there are going to be siding with Ben over Skiles. Hasn't Ben already been getting more blame for their bad start than Skiles? Skiles has proven that he can win in Chicago, but Ben hasn't.

Good point D4E. Skiles and Ben need each other to win in Chi-Town. If this thing isn`t squashed quickly one of them would have to back down. Obviously, Skiles had this rule in effect before Ben. Now, Skiles knew with Ben`s hairstyle that sometimes he sports the headband.

Did Skiles say, "hey Ben, you know you can`t wear a headband right?" I don`t think so.

Ben has a lot of pressure on him in Chicago, unlike anything he experienced in Detroit. He went to Chicago because he liked Skiles, so he says.

It will be interesting to see when their relationship hits the skids. This may be the issue that makes it happen. I knew it would happen, just not so soon.............

I don't think this is an issue that's going to drive a wedge between Ben and Skiles--it seems more like the wedge already exists, and this is an attempt by Ben to push back in public. Of course Ben had to know about the headband thing when he signed with the Bulls; how could he not? And this is their 13th game of the season--why is HeadbandGate only starting up now? Is it merely a coincidence that Ben played only 20 minutes the night before and got publicly called out by Skiles for not hitting the boards well enough? Sure doesn't seem likely to me.

The headband thing is how Ben has chosen to up the ante in public. It's not the thing that's going to cause friction between him and Skiles--it's a sign that some pretty bad friction is already there.

But as I've said elsewhere as well, I think we should wait and check back in a few weeks to see if the Bulls are righting the ship. They've just ended a 7-game road trip, and now they have 8 of the next 9 at home. If they win most of those games, they'll be in better shape. Though they will have to go at least 7-2 in those 9 games just to get back to .500.

The Bulls are always off to bad starts so I'm not making too much of it. Everyone expected that Ben would change that, but it doesn't look that way. It's better for the Bulls to experience this struggle early, our Pistons were doing great but the problems started happening at the worst time..late in the season.

This is gonna be a long ugly relationship in Chicago... the fans will always be resentful of what they could have done with that contract.
Ben will be by himself collecting paychecks and loathing his stay... just wait til the fans start getting on him... he could go into a deep funk.
I wonder what the Spurs offered in a S&T (one of the teams interested)?
The Bulls do have a lot of talent and could be a good playoff team despite Ben slowing down (he looks like the slowest guy on their squad)
In this case money may have bought unhappiness.

Surprisingly, this is what McCoskey had to say in his blog post that's time-stamped yesterday afternoon--i.e., BEFORE HeadbandGate erupted last night:

looks like the malcontent is up to his old tricks. the locker room cancer is once again fighting with a coach. now i see why it's hard to win a championship with this type of guy on your roster. he's like a big spoiled brat that has to have his way or he will turn on the coach and on the team. i can't wait until he get booed in chicago he will probably take a buyout. he can't handle it if the crowd turned on him. detroit fans always loved him but chicago fans have no history with him. he's just thier 60 million dollar malcontent paper weight.

Your kidding about this headband thing, right?

I would protest to the players association if I was Ben. If headbands are not against league rules then it is just a preference of Skiles that they not be worn. Besides for the money the league charges for those headbands to sell to little kids I bet they would put an end to Skiles stupid rule.

D4E friction from what? I don`t think there was any friction before this incident, unless it came from Ben being told after he signed the contract that he couldn`t wear his headband. Like a headband would stand in the way of 60 mil!

But it`s the principle of the thing if it happened like was stated in the blog. If that`s true, the friction could have started there.

Let`s face it, if you are paying someone that kind of money, his opinions and needs are usually listened to and met. It`s really a stupid rule, and I will go as far as to say, don`t be surpised if it`s changed to give in to Ben.

I can't beleive people are defending Ben on this. A lot of teams have quirky rules, the Knicks were forcing their players to wear suits way before Stern. The Yankees don't allow beards, Matt Damon and Randy Johnson had no problems shaving when they signed for millions.

How childish is a thirty something old man sneaking a headband into a game? Just lost all respect for Ben.

Yo Aurorakmw,

"Cease and desist with the campaign to character assassinate Big Ben and his legacy."

That really isn't the original point of the post.
The point is whether a mixture of rash emotion and new agent (Arn Tellem) pushed the Big guy into grey water. His legacy with the Pistons, the team built around his skills, was unique. But his overall NBA legacy is yet to be fully defined.

Finding your way into the HOF is tough enough for very good fundamentally sound players. Finding your way in today with a career scoring average under 10 points per game is unheard of (6.6).

His defensive prowess was his potential ticket and the Pistons roster was the glue in that they knew and played to his tendencies. Had they won multiple titles with him playing dominantly in the center it might've helped push him and his games impact closer to the edge.

Leaving Detroit for a team will not win a championship, (and this Chicago team will not win a championship) was a move made in anger rather than ration and it could come with a very large price tag in reference to his NBA legacy.

That's not being dismissive of Wallaces achievements in Detroit, but it is being realistic about his perceived impact on the game long-term.

When you search through the HOF for players enshrined specifically due to their defensive games, you won't find many. There are guys in the HOF that came from the "low scoring era" (LSE) but todays players will be judged by their playing and impact against contemporaries not against dusty old flat-footed ghosts.

HeadbandGate?????

Stop. Stop. No...really...stop!