Wasn't the problem with Skiles supposedly was that the players tuned him out?
Wasn't that the same problem Doug Collins had with the Bulls a few years into his start as the Coach?
So, I'm a little puzzled about the hire.
First, Collins has a reputation of a teacher and an immediate fixer. In his 3 coaching stops, his teams improved by 10, 18, and 18 games in his first season. Young talent needs to be taught, and the Bulls need to produce a winner. Both seem to be up DC's alley.
Second, while the Bulls don't have much salary cap room, they do have some pieces that are of interest to other teams. With Collins on board, they're likely going to reshape their roster as much as they possibly can with some quality NBA veterans. Look for the Bulls to make a play for unrestricted free agent Grant Hill, who had his best years under Doug Collins back in Detroit, and would be the perfect veteran to bring in to mentor young players (such as a Derrick Rose). Hill will likely come fairly cheap considering his age and injury history.
Third, Paxson (and Reinsdorf) were insistent on hiring a guy who values defense. Collins' teams all made tremendous strides defensively in his first season at the helm. While the Bulls had been decent defensively, this no doubt was a big selling point with Paxson in hiring his former coach.
Finally, the Bulls need to win back their fans and put @sses in the seats. There was tremendous backlash when they failed to land Mike D'Antoni. The Bulls found some good fortune for once in landing the #1 pick (and opportunity to draft hometown hero Derrick Rose). Bringing back another favorite son from yesteryear to create a 'buzz' makes perfect sense. I know a local basketball team that did something similar a few years back...
