D'Antoni might be heading to Knicks
Conflicting stories continued to swirl Friday regarding the future of Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni.
ESPN.com and the New York Post reported that the New York Knicks are prepared to impress D'Antoni with a knockout offer worth as much as $30 million over five years.
D'Antoni would then supposedly wait for the Bulls' counter offer, but if money means anything to him, he probably shouldn't bother. The Bulls would almost certainly refuse to match an offer of that size.
On the other hand, three New York papers suggested the Knicks do not plan to break the bank and will wait for the Bulls to make the first move. D'Antoni may visit Chicago soon for further discussions with general manager John Paxson.
It has been nearly a week since the Suns granted permission for D'Antoni to speak with other teams. Bulls general manager John Paxson hit it off with D'Antoni when the two met in Phoenix last Sunday.
Paxson's stance since his coaching search began on April 17 is he'll have no timetable and won't worry if coaches are snapped up by other teams. Paxson's first interview was with Rick Carlisle, who is expected to land in Dallas.
Some in the Bulls' organization had already expressed skepticism that the Knicks would actually pay D'Antoni $6 million per season. Chicago is believed to be D'Antoni's preferred destination because the personnel is better suited for his up-tempo style.
When the Bulls gave Scott Skiles $16 million over four years in 2005, it made Skiles one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. The Bulls' maximum offer to D'Antoni, or any coach right now, figures to be in the range of $18 million over four years, which is what Skiles received from the Milwaukee Bucks last month.
The Bulls gave Skiles a generous $5 million severance when he was terminated on Dec. 24, though that in itself isn't the reason the team is being financially conservative.
Most NBA coaches just don't last very long these days. D'Antoni is set to leave Phoenix with $8.5 million left on his contract. Avery Johnson is still owed $12 million by Dallas, though that money can be offset by the salary from a new job.
Also remember that Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has won championships with first-time head coaches _ Phil Jackson with the Bulls and Ozzie Guillen on the White Sox. So there is no proof that the Bulls need an established head coach to return to the playoffs.
Whether D'Antoni is out of the picture or not, some insiders believe the Bulls still plan to interview Johnson. If nothing works out with those two candidates, the Bulls figure to wait for Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau and Detroit assistant Michael Curry to finish up in the playoffs.
Thibodeau, known as a defensive specialist, may have boosted his chances of landing a head job after the Celtics held Cleveland star LeBron James to 19-percent shooting (8 for 42) in Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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