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.

Mike D'Antoni appears destined to become the Bulls next head coach. Bulls GM John Paxson reacted very favorably to two interviews with D'Antoni in Phoenix, and financial issues could be all that stand in the way of a deal.

Beware!!!!

I've watched the Suns over the D'Antoni years,......and,.....

Mike D'Antoni = Mike Martz

No defense, and is very stubborn about playing HIS style. He also only plays about 7-8 players, so the starters wear down while the other 6 guys just sit there and cheer.

Not the best hire in my opinion.

The question is...how much of what went on in Phoenix was his doing and how much was demands enforced on him from above? He only played like 7-8 players, but how solid were his backups? Who should have gotten more minutes, Sean Marks over Amare, DJ Strawberry over Nash? That team sort of sabotaged its depth with its cap maneuverings the last few years, they've traded away something like 4 first round picks along with Marion, Joe Johnson, Kurt Thomas, and through other moves lost out a chance at Deng/Iguodala, almost all because they were trying to move around cap space.

At this point, the usual "financial issues" are getting in the way of the deal.

This is going to be a rough deal anyway, given that he's under contract and could simply stay put until fired and make another $8 million, so he has leverage. But I don't think the Bulls would let the media go this far and then wind up having him walk away because they're too cheap.

The New York Knicks are well aware of Mike D'Antoni's strong desire to coach the Chicago Bulls, as well as Chicago's strong interest in hiring D'Antoni.

They're simply ignoring all that.

NBA coaching sources told ESPN.com on Wednesday that the Knicks continue to regard D'Antoni as their new No. 1 target to replace Isiah Thomas and are preparing a "staggering" financial offer they hope will prove too steep for Chicago to compete with, thus convincing D'Antoni to spurn the Bulls.

It was widely assumed in coaching circles -- and even by the Knicks to some degree -- that New York's involvement was pursued by the D'Antoni camp mostly to get Chicago to increase its offer. But sources close to the situation were stressing Wednesday night that the rough monetary estimates in circulation from the Knicks, believed to be $6 million or more annually, are too substantial not to make them a real threat to the Bulls.

Yet sources maintain that Chicago remains D'Antoni's preferred destination and the favorite to land him, now nearly one week since the story emerged that the Phoenix Suns coach and the Bulls were a likely match. It's believed that neither the Bulls nor the Knicks have formally extended a contract proposal, but The Chicago Tribune reported on its Web site Wednesday night that the Bulls are determined to "pay D'Antoni only on their terms" and won't engage in a "protracted price war" with the Knicks.

...
ESPN.com reported Tuesday that Bulls general manager John Paxson came away from two interviews with D'Antoni in Phoenix impressed and seriously interested in the coach, who wants to leave the Suns in part because of a tense working relationship with Paxson's good friend, Suns president Steve Kerr. Sources said that Paxson huddled Tuesday with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf to discuss the viability of hiring D'Antoni.

Concerns that D'Antoni's offensive bent would clash with Paxson's philosophy -- which is much more conservative and defensively focused, like that of his pal and Phoenix counterpart Kerr -- appear to have been allayed. Sources say that Reinsdorf himself has voiced an interest in the Bulls' returning to a more defined offensive system like they had in their Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen/Phil Jackson heyday. D'Antoni obviously doesn't run Jackson's famed triangle offense, but Chicago management is said to be intrigued and excited by the possibility of coupling D'Antoni's creativity with several skilled young players who've been linked to Phoenix in trades in recent years (Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha) as well a budding star (Luol Deng) who was drafted with a pick traded by the Suns to Chicago.

The New York Knicks on Thursday outlined the lucrative parameters of a five-year deal they're prepared to give new No. 1 coaching target Mike D'Antoni, according to NBA coaching sources.

A rival proposal from the Chicago Bulls -- the team many still favor to land D'Antoni -- is expected by Sunday at the latest, sources said.

Although Knicks president Donnie Walsh, through a team spokesman, insisted Thursday night that the Knicks have not offered "anyone" a coaching contract, that might just be a technicality. Sources close to the process say D'Antoni, who celebrated his 57th birthday Thursday, has had advanced discussions with the Knicks about leaving the desert for Manhattan.

The Phoenix Suns' coach will naturally wait to hear what the Bulls present before continuing or breaking off his dialogue with New York, given his well-established interest in the Bulls' opening and his standing as Chicago's top choice.

But the latest estimates on the five-year package New York is prepared to formally put on the table fall in the $30 million range. Although that figure had been projected Wednesday by coaching sources to be even more "staggering," it's a level of annual compensation exceeded by only a few coaches in the game, such as Phil Jackson and recent coaching retiree Pat Riley.

ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, quoting a source close to D'Antoni, reported on SportsCenter early Friday that D'Antoni is leaning toward taking the New York job.

It remains to be seen how high the Bulls are willing to go financially in comparison and how much security their pitch will afford. The Chicago Tribune reported in Thursday's editions the Bulls are determined to "pay D'Antoni only on their terms" and won't engage in a "protracted price war" with the Knicks.

Questions surrounding the Bulls' willingness to spend for a coach of D'Antoni's caliber have been circulating for days, thanks largely to the $4 million Chicago still owes Scott Skiles for next season.

Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf authorized a $5 million farewell payment for Skiles after firing him on Christmas Eve that -- unlike in most NBA coaching arrangements -- was not wiped out by the new four-year, $18 million contract that Skiles received last month from the Milwaukee Bucks.

But sources close to the process contend D'Antoni remains determined to go to Chicago as long as the Bulls assemble a quality offer. D'Antoni is scheduled to earn $4 million and $4.5 million in the final two seasons of his Suns contract.

A league insider believes the Bulls are comfortable choosing between D'Antoni and Johnson, two former NBA coach of the year winners.

If neither works out, they'll likely wait to talk to Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau and Detroit assistant Michael Curry, who are both busy with the playoffs. Thibodeau has been mentioned as a possible replacement for D'Antoni in Phoenix.

Another story that has come to light in recent days is the amount of money the Bulls still owe former coach Scott Skiles. It's standard procedure in the NBA to have a right of offset, which means if a coach takes a new job, the amount of money he'll make with the new team is subtracted from the amount he's owed by his former team.

When Skiles was dismissed on Dec. 24, he had roughly $6 million remaining on his Bulls contract. He offered to accept a $5 million buyout if the Bulls waived the offset and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf apparently agreed.

Once Skiles was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks, the Bulls should have been off the hook for his remaining salary. As it turned out, the Bulls will pay Skiles $3 million more than they needed to, but that in itself won't effect the current coaching search.

The Bulls don't want to sign anyone for five years because most NBA coaches don't last that long. Neither D'Antoni nor Johnson made it five full years with their previous teams, though D'Antoni could technically still return to the Suns.

why is johnson the worst case? i think he is the best fit for the bulls in my opinion, he is a strict defensive minded coach that the bulls need. i like d'antoni but i think johnson is a better fit.

why is johnson the worst case? i think he is the best fit for the bulls in my opinion, he is a strict defensive minded coach that the bulls need. i like d'antoni but i think johnson is a better fit.

yeah he would be the # 2 guy not the worst case then.

Well thats what I mean, its not a bad thing at all; in fact its a good thing because it means we get one of two great coaches but because D'Antoni is the front runner that means Avery is our worst case which would actually still be good.

The dumbshit Bulls were too slow to get an offer ready. That is so like them.

One thing I will say is that this isn't John Paxson's fault its all on Mr. (Cheapass) Reinsdorf because he didn't want to pay big money for a good coach. I can't take much more of this cheap spiff that is going on with our idiot owner who needs to resign. We lose out on a coach that would excell here. Our players match his system WAAAAAAAY more than the Knicks.

I hope he enjoys winning 30 games a year because I promise you he won't do much better than Isaih because Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph are too fat and lazy to go up and down the floor. In fact, there aren't many Knicks who can run in his system. It came down to money and D'Antoni, like I thought he might, accepted the cash to coach a pathetic team like the Knicks.

It looks like its down to Avery Johnson or Tom Thibideau, actually it may not be either. I have heard reports that Avery may just sit out next year and collect his $ from the Mavericks and Thibideau is probably going to wind up in Phoenix. Mark Jackson anyone?

This might actually pave the way for Mark Jackson. And it might be yet another way we screw over the Knicks. The Knicks will probably be looking to trade some pieces away and this may be the time for the Bulls to jump in and make some deals. I know Eddy Curry hasn't been the greatest player since leaving the Bulls but he's still leap years ahead of any post option we have. Maybe the Knicks would be willing to trade him. How about for Tyrus Thomas? Or our pick? I'd personally be willing to bring him back. He's still a very effective post player and he still shoots a very high percentage from the field and he's very young. Adding him would round out the lineup pretty nicely and would give us another young talented big man. It could blow up in our face or it could end up being the move that takes us back to the playoffs.

Anyway, with Paxson running the team this is as likely to happen as the Bulls getting the # 1 pick.

Dear god, please say you aren't serious. Eddy Curry is an awful player that will do nothing but make whatever team he is on worse. He's basically Michael Sweetney with playing time, the ONLY thing he can do is score in the post and he does nothing else well. He's probably the worst defender in the league, a subpar rebounder, an absolute black hole that never passes, and on top of that he turns it over at a high rate. You can't even have him on the floor in the clutch because of his porous defense and below average free throw shooting. The Knicks performed a staggering 10 points better in terms of scoring margin when he wasn't on the floor, and over 100 posessions the Knicks were 11.6 points worse with him on the floor, the second worst total in the NBA. None of that is exactly new either, I just really don't feel like searching for those stats from previous years.

For christ's sake, he's the third best post player on an awful Knicks team and a major reason that they've sucked the last several years. Adding him to the Bulls is a major step back. Maybe if he lost 30 pounds and actually played like he gave a spiff he'd be an asset, that's not terribly likely though. I'd MUCH rather see us stick with Gooden/Noah/Tyrus up front that bring than slug in, at least they can actually move. Hell, I'd rather see Tyrus play 35 minutes a game, and you know how high that is on my list.

I knew I'd get a reaction out of some people. Anyway, we obviously need a post player. I'm not to sold on Curry but I do think he's a good post option. But you are right when you say he's lazy. That's not likely to change. I know Di'Antoni has always liked players like Tyrus and Noah and that's why I brought it up. There aren't many players on that team that fit his system. I'm sure the Knicks will be trying to do anything to get rid of Randolph/Curry. I'm not sure I want either. But how about trading Tyrus for the Knicks pick? I don't want to get rid of Tyrus but if we plan on keeping Gooden it might not be a bad idea to trade for the Knicks pick and have 2 first round selections. Maybe even get Malik Rose's expiring contract if he's still on the books. I doubt the Knicks would want to trade the pick but they've been dumb enough in the past.

I just want to say one thing for now...

I hate Tyrus Thomas as a person and basketball player, and I'd still rather have him than Curry. Trading Tyrus or our 1st rounder for Curry would be mind-numbingly idiotic and I'd want Paxson fired immediately.

According to 670, Avery Johnson is taking the year off.

Mark Jackson looks like the only legitimate candidate left.

Way to go Pax.

Somewhere, eddog is ecstatic.

While Walsh's counterpart in Chicago, John Paxson, hedged and asked D'Antoni to consider hiring a veteran defensive coach, Walsh was decisive. He let D'Antoni know that he was a big fan and wanted the coach to bring the same excitement to New York that he brought to Phoenix.

Walsh told D'Antoni he was committed to giving him the players he needs to succeed. He even went through each player on the roster with his coach-to-be, discussing who would be a good fit and who wouldn't.

Walsh was a true believer. The Bulls, at times, acted like they needed to be convinced.

Obviously money played a big part in the wooing of D'Antoni as well. The Bulls were hesitant to offer D'Antoni a big deal, while the Knicks came right away with a big offer, reported to be $24 million for four years -- another sign that they were committed, long term, to what D'Antoni was going to bring.

"The money and years were important," said one veteran NBA agent with knowledge of the situation. "But it's also what the money and years represent. For a coach looking to be embraced, it says, 'We want you and we want you badly.' Sometimes that's all they need hear. Coaches need a relationship with management to succeed. Mike felt like he could work with Donnie."