Bulls Watch: Rivers a longshot

Here's a glance at some of the latest developments as the Bulls search for a new coach and prepare to court top free agents:

Rivers a longshot: Terence Moore from NBA Fanhouse is absolutely certain LeBron James is going to sign with the Bulls and thinks his coach in Chicago will be Boston's Doc Rivers. The Bulls would jump at the chance to hire Rivers, the Maywood native who took Boston to the 2008 NBA title. The problem is, he's under contract with the Celtics for one more season.

To have any chance at landing Rivers, the Bulls would have to give up some compensation to Boston, which at minimum figures to be a first-round draft pick. The Celtics might not even entertain the thought of letting Rivers coach an Eastern Conference rival next year.

Late in the regular season, the Boston Herald suggested Rivers might ask for a year off to spend more time watching his kids play sports. But that was before the Celtics broke out of the retirement home to become a Finals contender.

Phil might quit: Before Monday's Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Lakers coach Phil Jackson was asked if he's leaning toward retirement.

"I'm leaning on the podium, but that's about it," Jackson answered.

A few days earlier, Jackson said during a radio interview the chances are pretty good that he'll quit coaching when the season ends.

"As you guys know, it's not about this last month of April, May, and part of June to coach," he said. "That's exciting, fun, challenging. - But it's those other 82 games, the exhibition season, and being in five different cities in eight different nights or seven different nights. It kind of wears and tears and kind of creates a life that gets a little bit ragged."

Unless Jackson or Rivers gets involved, the Bulls' coaching search looks like a two-man race between Maurice Cheeks and Lawrence Frank.