It's long been sport to blame Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Jerry Krause for everything that has gone wrong with their franchise of late -- which is more proof that genius is never recognized in the moment.

Coach Tim Floyd, meanwhile, is being heralded as some sort of saint for allowing the Jerrys to make him an NBA coach and pay him $2 million a year, even though he's done nothing, before or since, to warrant it. Which goes to show that an unpopular boss is the best cover anyone can have.

This is not personal. I've never spoken to Coach Floyd. He very well could be a great guy, wonderful family man, fisherman extraordinaire. All I know is he was hired coming off a 12-18 record at Iowa State and has lost more games faster than anyone in league history.

Along the way, he's alienated his best young talent, his top vet and even Chicago's most influential NBA writer, Sam Smith, president of the pro basketball writer's association. He then wanted out of his job until he found out he'd have to give up getting paid, too.

Paying more than one head coach at a time isn't part of the Bulls' formula, which amounts to either winning more games or making more money than anybody else. The Jerrys happen to be spectacularly good at both (if not always at the same time). They had the second-lowest player payroll last season yet finished with the league's second-highest attendance. That's almost as impressive, in its own way, as the six titles they won in nine seasons.

If there's a knock on them, it's that they're paying Floyd as much as they are, considering no one else was vying for his services. Chalk that up to Krause doing a favor for a friend.

Besides, at least they had the foresight to move Elton Brand, who is a double-double machine but doesn't have the game or skills to get numbers for anyone but himself. I like Elton, but name a Clipper whose game has improved since his acquisition. Brand, of course, is going to demand the max next year and has public sentiment on his side because of his stats, even though he doesn't have the goods to live up to such a contract. (See Juwan Howard for how well that plays.) The Clippers, not the Bulls, now have to deal with that.

Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, on the other hand, have scary raw, cornerstone-type talent. They don't know how to utilize it yet, but neither did Kobe or KG or Rashard Lewis or Tracy McGrady or any other high schoolers in their first year or so. Those that are knocking these two kids should remember how bad TMac and Kobe and Rashard looked their first year in the league.

Maybe Chandler and Curry will never be that good, but they have a chance -- and as long as the ticket gate remains in the league's top 10, the Bulls have the time to find out.

That, of course, is probably going to require another coach, since Floyd has jerked those two around as much as he did Jamal Crawford last year. One opposing point guard was alarmed at how lost Chandler looked on the court recently. Blame that as much on Floyd (who a team source says has never defined Tyson's role) as on Tyson's youth.

Keeping Jordan out of the franchise took guts, too, but the Jerrys had no choice. As long as Jordan would've been around, Bulls fans would've had a living reminder of how it once was -- and how it never can be again. Jordan also would've wielded unassailable power, no matter what his title would've been. Can you imagine the Jerrys winning any public disagreement with Jordan on how the franchise should be run? And do you think Jordan would've been a team player with the Jerrys and kept quiet?

Jordan was making headway as the Wizards' GM, but as he has demonstrated with his return to the floor, his primary interest is making himself look good. Perhaps it's natural on a really bad team, but I thought he was there to teach as much as to win. Playing so many minutes he can't practice, belittling his teammates and taking the majority of the team's shots doesn't exactly fit that job description.

Maybe the Jerrys never will produce another dynasty, or even another championship. Six to their credit is pretty good. It tells me at least they know what it takes.

Nothing personal, but that's more than I can say for Floyd.

AND ONES: It's just a matter of time now before Warriors coach Dave Cowens gets the boot, a team source says. His players, who have made veiled cracks about his play-calling and substitution patterns all season long, were openly grousing about him to the Jazz in Utah the other night. Mavs assistant coach Del Harris is among those who would be interested in the job, but word is assistant and former Grizzlies coach Brian Winters will take over ... Speaking of the Jazz, Karl Malone's teammates are aware he'd like to go elsewhere, know that he could force the deal with Dallas to go through, and there are no hard feelings. They just wish he'd get on with it ... The win over the Magic that put the Clippers over .500 for the first time since 1993 was huge for coach Al Gentry. A coaching-circle source says despite the team's marked improvement, Clips management hasn't been satisfied, believing they should be doing even better.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ric.bucher@espnmag.com.