Official "Who's our next head coach?" thread, D'Antoni to the Knicks, Aver Johnson taking year off Options

[Wanne]

Looks like he's pretty much done in Phoenix. I'd much rather have him than Avery or Carlisle...or any other retread. Although I haven't been a huge fan...he might really bring this team out of it's shell. But don't expect a lot on the D end.

D'Antoni to speak with Bulls, Knicks
by Paul Coro - May. 4, 2008 10:57 PM
The Arizona Republic

Suns coach Mike D'Antoni will interview with Chicago and New York about their head coaching vacancies in a sign that he and the Suns brass may have irreconcilable differences.

D'Antoni and Suns General Manager Steve Kerr were not available for comment but a franchise source confirmed a KTAR-AM report that Suns management had given D'Antoni permission to interview with other teams. Kerr said last week that he would not give any other NBA team permission to talk to D'Antoni until their situation was resolved.

D'Antoni met with Kerr and Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver for more than two hours Friday in what Kerr described as a "productive meeting." They planned to part for a few days and reconvene this week. But this weekend, the parties spoke again by phone, and now D'Antoni can talk to other teams about a job.

The situation seems to have two conclusions: D'Antoni will remain coach or he will land another job. He is owed $8.5 million the next two seasons so he would not be fired at that cost.

The deal is fully offset should he take another job upon being fired, but that is risky for the Suns, who may be seeking assurance that D'Antoni has another job in place.

Kerr and D'Antoni have been trying to repair a rift that began with a November argument between Kerr and D'Antoni and continued when Kerr was asked about D'Antoni's status during the playoffs, to which Kerr said evaluations would come in the off-season.