Two winning coaches, two different styles

Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr confirmed Monday that he has given other teams permission to speak with coach Mike D'Antoni.

That means a virtual dream scenario for the Bulls may come true -- the chance to choose between two former NBA coaches of the year, D'Antoni and former Dallas coach Avery Johnson.

Bulls general manager John Paxson has strong interest in interviewing both candidates and probably won't have a personal favorite until he does.

A league source confirmed that Johnson is scheduled to interview with both the Bulls and the New York Knicks this week. It's unclear whether Phoenix would seek compensation from the Bulls if they want to hire D'Antoni.

Of course, other than having great success in the rugged Western Conference, those two coaches have almost nothing in common.

Johnson is just four years removed from his career as an intense but well-traveled point guard. Nicknamed "The Little General," Johnson is all about discipline and defense.

He owns the highest regular-season winning percentage (.735) of any coach in NBA history that has worked at least 250 games and took the Mavericks to the 2006 NBA Finals.

"Avery, to me, his strength is he's a great leader," said a Western Conference assistant coach. "Once he gets the respect of his players, which is pretty easy for him, his voice is heard. I think he gets the guys to play hard."

D'Antoni spent 20 years as a player and coach in the Italian League, then brought a free-flowing European style to the Suns and helped revolutionize the NBA.

During four full seasons in Phoenix, D'Antoni won 70 percent of his games (232-96), while the Suns led the league in scoring three times and averaged more than 110 points per contest.

"I think Mike's strength is having played and knowing how to give people space, not micromanaging," Suns guard Raja Bell said last week, "and the freedom to kind of explore your game and grow as a player. I've seen a lot of players do it under Mike, me included."

Johnson would more closely resemble ex-Bulls coach Scott Skiles, who landed a new job with the Milwaukee Bucks. He's demanding and not afraid to raise his voice, but he treats players with respect.

On the one hand, defense was what made the Bulls a three-time playoff qualifier under Skiles. They could conceivably win the same way under Johnson.

Others might argue that Johnson is too much like Skiles and the Bulls could use a change of pace, assuming there will not be heavy turnover of the roster this summer.

"(Johnson) is like Skiles in that he calls a lot of plays," said the Western Conference coach. "D'Antoni will give you a little more freedom. It's hard to say who would be the better fit (for the Bulls). Personally, I always go for defense."

A frequent criticism of the Bulls is they have no reliable low-post scorer and don't figure to have one by opening night, either. So perhaps D'Antoni's perimeter-oriented offense would work in Chicago.

The Bulls do have a couple of quality spot-up shooters in Ben Gordon and Luol Deng. There is no Steve Nash-style point guard on their roster, however, and some have argued that D'Antoni's success is all because of Nash.

D'Antoni spent one season coaching in Denver and finished 14-36 in the lockout season of 1998-99.

One reason D'Antoni may have been granted the freedom to leave Phoenix is Kerr wants more attention paid to defense.

"D'Antoni's style is all about getting an edge on the offensive end with ball movement and shooting open 3s," said an Eastern Conference assistant coach. "You have to have a good point guard and obviously spot-up shooters.

"He's as innovative offensively as you can get without a player who's a true low-post center, which the Bulls don't have either, except for Aaron Gray. Some of the plays Skiles used were plays D'Antoni ran in Phoenix, just with a different name."

Two vastly different styles, two varied personalities. When it comes to Johnson and D'Antoni, the two coaches who spoke to the Daily Herald agreed on one point.

"Both coaches would be great choices," said one.

"I don't think you can go wrong," said the other.