Bulls can't seem to shake confused state

As usual, the Bulls reside at the intersection of complicated and confused.

General manager John Paxson is resigning. No he isn't, reports insist. Yes he is, others insist. No he isn't. Yes he is.

Which is it? Who knows for sure? They're the Bulls, aren't they, and nothing is for sure?

Complicated: They're trading for Pau Gasol. Uh-oh, luxury-tax consequences prevent that one. Confused: They're hiring Mike D'Antoni as head coach. Uh-oh, the Knicks beat them to him.

Club chairman Jerry Reinsdorf addressed Friday's initial Paxson rumor by blaming the messenger, as he usually does when the media are involved.

Yet a good question if Paxson isn't resigning is: why isn't he? You know, considering he hasn't been particularly successful and the job has been emotionally tough on him.

Two interesting public reactions greeted the latest rumor, both of which should cause Reinsdorf pause:

One was that so few were surprised that Paxson might resign; the other was that little public anguish greeted the possibility.

Complicated: The impression for years has been that Paxson doesn't want to be a GM for life. Confused: For some reason Reinsdorf wants him to be despite the Bulls' current 23-30 record.

Whispers long have circulated that Paxson didn't perceive himself as holding the job forever.

Good for him for having other interests and concerns that take precedent over generally managing long men running around in short pants.

Not the least of those interests and concerns is that Paxson's son Ryan is a Marine training to become a military policeman. Considering the state of the world, Ryan Paxson could as some time soon be sent into a combat zone.

Only a person serving in a war can understand how it feels. Only a parent of that person can understand how a father or mother feels.

So if John Paxson does have personal issues, Ryan would have to be one of them.

My suggestion last off-season was that Paxson resign then. The Bulls were at a turning point. They had to hire a head coach. That coach had to work in harmony with the GM.

My speculation was that if Paxson's future was uncertain, Knicks front-office stability under Donnie Walsh might be one reason D'Antoni chose New York.

Now the Vinny Del Negro head-coaching experiment is drawing evermore skepticism and might have to be re-evaluated sooner than later.

Meanwhile, the trading deadline is approaching and it wouldn't make sense for Paxson to be the one to make a monster trade for, say, Amare Stoudemire.

Not if a new general manager had to inherit the troublesome Stoudemire along with the problematic Del Negro.

That wouldn't be healthy even if the next GM is the in-house Gar Forman.

Listen, this all might become moot. Reinsdorf might persuade Paxson that the job is his destiny by giving him a couple aides to share the burden.

But isn't that just what an NBA team needs: An inexperienced head coach who requires veteran assistants and a balky general manager who requires a bulked-up staff?

Odds are that the Paxson situation will remain fluid for a while as he and Reinsdorf have heart-to-hearts over it.

In other words, the Paxson complication will cause more Bulls' confusion before their mutual future is settled.

mimrem@dailyherald.com