Report: Skiles will return to coach Bucks

Published May. 1, 2012 5:24 p.m. ET

foxsports

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Bucks' season ended amid rumors that coach Scott Skiles was seeking a buyout from the final year of his contract. However, Skiles did Tuesday what he wasn't ready to do in his season-ending press conference: Quash speculation that he wouldn't return for 2012-13.

"We want to hit the ground running,” Skiles told Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, confirming his return in a telephone interview.

Skiles, 48, has coached Milwaukee to a 146-166 record and one playoff appearance in his four years with the Bucks. This year's team finished 31-35 and out of the postseason for a second straight year, but Milwaukee was 12-11 – including a 9-4 stretch -- after acquiring shooting guard Monta Ellis at the trade deadline.

The Bucks will enter next fall with the high-scoring backcourt of Ellis and point guard Brandon Jennings together for a full training camp and season, and the goal will again be to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

At his season-ending press conference last Friday, Skiles took responsibility for falling short of that goal this season despite the fact his team had to fight through replacing two key pieces of its opening night roster: Ill-fitting shooting guard Stephen Jackson and injured center Andrew Bogut, both of whom eventually were included in the trade for Ellis.

"It's a disappointing season, and I'm responsible," Skiles said then, stating that he needed to talk to team owner Sen. Herb Kohl before discussing his future with the team. "I'm as responsible as anyone, or more so. I think I deserve a few days to decompress, though, before I get into detail about it.

"This is a profession where you know you work at the pleasure of the owner, of the organization. There have been coaches that make the playoffs and are gone. Sometimes it's just the way it works out."

For at least one more season, though, it appears the pleasure of the organization is to give Skiles a chance to see if he can return the Bucks to the postseason.