With no Nash, no guarantee D'Antoni's system will work
Here are three reasons why the Bulls shouldn't be too broken-hearted about missing out on former Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni:
1. Steve Nash 2. Amare Stoudemire 3. Shawn Marion.
The Bulls have none of the above, and the talents of those three players are what made D'Antoni's fast-paced offensive system so successful in Phoenix. The Suns didn't make it to the NBA Finals, but did average 58 wins the past four seasons.
Had D'Antoni joined the Bulls, things would have been interesting. The team may have been very entertaining, but there is no reason to believe D'Antoni was a ticket to the top of the Eastern Conference. Of course, we'll never know for sure, since he chose the moribund New York Knicks over the Bulls.
The NBA is moving to higher-scoring games, but the truth is, D'Antoni's system could still be considered unproven. Everything with the Suns revolved around Nash, who for three years played as well as any point guard in league history.
Stoudemire is a first-team All-NBA center with remarkable physical tools. He's essentially a carbon copy of Orlando's Dwight Howard, except with an offensive focus.
Perhaps Tyrus Thomas or Luol Deng could turn into a reasonable facsimile of Marion, who went from good player to all-star once Nash arrived. But the Bulls can't match what Nash and Stoudemire brought to Phoenix.
D'Antoni does deserve credit for utilizing his players well. Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa may have been less successful with other teams.
The focus on 3-point shooting helped open the middle for Stoudemire and Boris Diaw, who excelled when Stoudemire missed most of the 2005-06 season with a knee injury.
But without a significant roster revision, the Bulls figure to have a better chance of success by playing good defense and trying to model the Detroit Pistons' team-oriented blueprint. There is no superstar to carry the load or a dynamic point guard to run an up-tempo attack.
You have to appreciate the honesty, but maybe Bulls general manager John Paxson shouldn't have bothered complaining that D'Antoni never gave them a chance to make a contract offer. He didn't on Saturday, but the Bulls had a full week to negotiate. It's time to move on.
Former Dallas coach Avery Johnson possesses most of the qualities Paxson is seeking and might be a better fit for the Bulls. Johnson is regarded as a strong leader who will stress defense and relate well to the players, having spent 16 years in the NBA as a well-traveled point guard.
Johnson met with the Knicks last week but hasn't yet huddled with the Bulls. Paxson can only hope that the week he spent preoccupied with D'Antoni didn't diminish Johnson's enthusiasm for the Bulls' opening.
The other leading candidate is Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau, who won't be available until late June if the Celtics reach the NBA Finals. Thibodeau has been mentioned as a candidate for the Suns job, though he might see the Bulls as a better fit for his defensive strategies.
Broadcaster Mark Jackson, who already interviewed with Paxson, remains a long shot. The Bulls are concerned that he has never coached before, and Jackson has so far refused the suggestion that he start as an assistant.
The other name at the top of the Bulls' wish list is Detroit assistant Michael Curry, also still busy in the playoffs. It's possible the Pistons see Curry as the eventual replacement for Flip Saunders and wouldn't let him leave.