Chicago ? The headline on the Bulls’ Web site read, “Skiles relieved as Bulls Head Coach.”‘

It should have read, “Skiles relieved to be former Bulls Head Coach.”

Now he won’t have to deal with fragile players who dissolve into puddles of tears at the first hint of trade rumors. Now he won’t have to roll his eyes at the same stupid mistakes night after night. Now he’s free of players who apparently tuned him out.

And why wouldn’t they tune him out? Such a talented, overachieving bunch of players -why would they need to listen to someone who must look like a crusty old man to them at times? They’re so good, they really should play without a coach. A veteran, playoff-tested team that starts 9-16 is just waiting to go on autopilot.

Now Skiles is free of them, free of players who don’t have his fire, who apparently are running low on pride, whose best day is payday. Good for them. Merry Christmas.

But know this: They’re not going to learn more about basketball from many other coaches. And the cynics say: As if that’s what an NBA coach’s job involves.

Maybe Skiles was too old school – old school defined as demanding and passionate about basketball. He doesn’t have any hair to slick back, but even if he did, it’s difficult to picture him using gel. Maybe that’s it. Maybe the players saw the whole package – the stern look, the accountant’s suits, the high expectations – and decided they wanted to see something else.

The last two games were terrible losses, first to the Celtics on the road, then to the Rockets before a frustrated, surly crowd at the United Center. There are other teams that go through the motions in the NBA, but usually not this early and usually not with this much dreariness.

If the rumors that the players quit on him are correct, then so be it. But understand that just because Skiles took the fall doesn’t mean culpability for this pathetic start escapes the players. They’re the ones who got the organization into this mess, and they’re the ones who got the coach fired.

If they’re proud of that, there really isn’t much more to say about them.

Skiles played a role in this, obviously. A coach’s job is to make his players better. He’s supposed to be a teacher, a cajoler, a cheerleader, a taskmaster, a strategist, a friend, a devil -anything that will get a player from Point A to Point B. Can anyone say Tyrus Thomas is within a 10-miles radius of Point B?

Although ultimately the responsibility always falls on the head coach – as it will here – a lot of what happened Monday falls on the shoulders of the players.

How much faith has Skiles invested in Kirk Hinrich the past few years? Enough to fuel a religious movement. How much patience has he shown with Ben Gordon’s inconsistent shooting? Too much, unless you think 6-for-18 from the floor is acceptable.

Those two players and Luol Deng killed Skiles earlier in the season, when the Kobe Bryant-to-the-Bulls talk grew louder. Coincidence or not, the three of them all crawled into shells as the trade rumors became more heated.

You know the cries will be heard from the people who want a big-time coach as a replacement. Such as? A more touchy-feely coach, you say. Someone who understands the needs of the modern athlete. A caregiver. But Dr. Phil Jackson already has a job.

These guys haven’t earned the privilege of getting a coach fired. Magic Johnson could get a coach fired. But Ben Gordon?

During difficult times this season, Skiles would light up anytime a reporter asked him about Andres Nocioni. He’d talk almost wistfully about Nocioni’s hustle, as if it were a shrinking natural resource in the NBA. And maybe it is. Nocioni always plays as hard as he can. Just like Skiles did.

The scrappy team that mirrored its coach’s personality disappeared this season. In the past, the offense would go missing for stretches, but the defense and the effort never did. Not so this year, when you needed a search party to find a few Bulls even when they were on the court.

You know you’re in trouble when a few decent games by Aaron Gray become December’s biggest news and the greatest hope for January.

Ben Wallace hasn’t been the missing piece many of us thought he was going to be when general manager John Paxson signed him before last season. He has just been missing. Whose job is it to anticipate a veteran’s eventual decline? That would be Paxson.

What a shame. A young team that had taken steps and a team that was fun to watch grow had stopped taking steps and stopped growing. The enjoyment was watching something develop from seed. It looks as if the players poisoned the soil.

The Bulls never got close to trading for Bryant, for all sorts of reasons.

One of them was that the current roster had earned a little faith from the organization. How’s that faith working out for you now, Scott?

Skiles took the high road Monday, saying he blamed himself for the team not meeting expectations. And there’s truth in that. But not the whole truth. Not even close to it.