Eddy Curry shares how his relationship with former head coach Scott Skiles got off to a rocky start

Former Chicago Bulls big man Eddy Curry was only in his third year in the NBA when Scott Skiles took over the head coaching duties of a team that began the 2003-2004 season with a 4-12 record. A few years removed from the glory years of the Michael Jordan era, the Bulls struggled to stay relevant and brought Skiles to shake things up.

Curry, then a 21-year-old who was projected to become one of the team’s pillars alongside fellow big man Tyson Chandler, was still finding his way. This was all happening during a time when prep-to-pros was still a thing, and Curry was essentially just a youngster thrown into the world of professional basketball. During an interview with renowned reporter Sam Smith, Curry recalled how his missteps rubbed Skiles the wrong way.

Lunch gone wrong

Curry detailed how he and then-teammate Jamal Crawford were having lunch at the team’s practice facility when they had some choice words to say about their new mentor.

“You know, our relationship started out funky because I remember when they hired him, me and Jamal (Crawford) are at the Berto Center eating lunch, and we were bashing him and saying, ‘I heard he’s this,’ ‘I heard he’s that.’ And he’s standing behind us the whole time. And he’s like, ‘What’s up, fellas?’ And I’m, ‘Oh, my god.’ I knew it was going to be bad,” Curry said.

Even with Skiles on board, the Bulls sputtered to a 23-59 record that season. However, the following season saw the team turn it around and finish with a 47-35 record and sneak into the NBA Playoffs, where they lost to the Washington Wizards in the first round.