Sources: Knicks ante up, D'Antoni waits for Bulls' counter
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: May 9, 2008, 3:04 PM ET

The New York Knicks on Thursday outlined the lucrative parameters of a five-year deal they're prepared to give new No. 1 coaching target Mike D'Antoni, according to NBA coaching sources.

Nash Expects No Change

Steve Nash really likes Mike D'Antoni as his coach, but the Bulls and Knicks would love to have him, too. Still, Nash expects D'Antoni to be back on the Suns' bench next season. Story

A rival proposal from the Chicago Bulls -- the team many still favor to land D'Antoni -- is expected by Sunday at the latest, sources said.

Although Knicks president Donnie Walsh, through a team spokesman, insisted Thursday night that the Knicks have not offered "anyone" a coaching contract, that might just be a technicality. Sources close to the process say D'Antoni, who celebrated his 57th birthday Thursday, has had advanced discussions with the Knicks about leaving the desert for Manhattan.

The Phoenix Suns' coach will naturally wait to hear what the Bulls present before continuing or breaking off his dialogue with New York, given his well-established interest in the Bulls' opening and his standing as Chicago's top choice.

But the latest estimates on the five-year package New York is prepared to formally put on the table fall in the $30 million range. Although that figure had been projected Wednesday by coaching sources to be even more "staggering," it's a level of annual compensation exceeded by only a few coaches in the game, such as Phil Jackson and recent coaching retiree Pat Riley.

ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, quoting a source close to D'Antoni, reported on SportsCenter early Friday that D'Antoni is leaning toward taking the New York job.

It remains to be seen how high the Bulls are willing to go financially in comparison and how much security their pitch will afford. The Chicago Tribune reported in Thursday's editions the Bulls are determined to "pay D'Antoni only on their terms" and won't engage in a "protracted price war" with the Knicks.

Questions surrounding the Bulls' willingness to spend for a coach of D'Antoni's caliber have been circulating for days, thanks largely to the $4 million Chicago still owes Scott Skiles for next season.

Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf authorized a $5 million farewell payment for Skiles after firing him on Christmas Eve that -- unlike in most NBA coaching arrangements -- was not wiped out by the new four-year, $18 million contract that Skiles received last month from the Milwaukee Bucks.

But sources close to the process contend D'Antoni remains determined to go to Chicago as long as the Bulls assemble a quality offer. D'Antoni is scheduled to earn $4 million and $4.5 million in the final two seasons of his Suns contract.

It was widely assumed -- even by the Knicks to some degree -- that New York's emergence as a rival to Chicago was pursued by the D'Antoni camp strictly to get the Bulls to make a more substantial bid. That perception is changing. The word Thursday night in NBA coaching circles suggested that D'Antoni is ready to team up with Walsh if his talks with the Bulls dissolve.

It's believed the chase will extend through the weekend, with Monday serving as an unofficial target date for D'Antoni -- and the Suns -- to know where he'll be coaching next season.

The Suns want to accelerate their own search but have resisted contacting prospective candidates until they know D'Antoni has a new job. It's unclear what would happen if D'Antoni can't reach an accord with the Bulls or the Knicks, since Phoenix refuses to fire him and pay off the rest of his contract and since D'Antoni won't walk away from the money. But sources indicate Suns management -- as D'Antoni has been saying privately for days -- has no interest in trying to bring him back as coach given the public deterioration of his relationship with his bosses and an even more public crusade to find a new job.

It's still unclear who Phoenix will pursue to replace D'Antoni. Team president Steve Kerr insists he's years away from considering a coaching job, TNT analyst Doug Collins said Wednesday night he has "no interest" in being a head coach again in this league and NBA coaching sources told ESPN.com the Suns do not plan to consider recently fired Dallas coach Avery Johnson, who also appears to be a back-burner candidate at best in both New York and Chicago.

The Bulls are expected to pursue a less experienced (and thus less expensive) alternative to D'Antoni, namely Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, if a deal can't be struck.

New York, meanwhile, will almost certainly turn to Walsh's original favorite in New York -- Knicks alumnus and ESPN analyst Mark Jackson -- if D'Antoni resists the Knicks' lucrative pitch, perhaps as early as next week.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here.

Walsh is already making mistakes. Overpaying for D'Antoni who has not won anything in the NBA albeit he won in Europe. D'antoni's team have demonstrated year-in and year-out they do not have the mettle to win important games and series. His players consistently make dumb plays in big spots.

I told ya'll he wouldn't stay in Phoenix with Shaq.

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Silver:
Walsh is already making mistakes. Overpaying for D'Antoni who has not won anything in the NBA albeit he won in Europe. D'antoni's team have demonstrated year-in and year-out they do not have the mettle to win important games and series. His players consistently make dumb plays in big spots.

Yeah, but I believe his style of play would work in the Eastern Conference.

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Silver:
Walsh is already making mistakes. Overpaying for D'Antoni who has not won anything in the NBA albeit he won in Europe. D'antoni's team have demonstrated year-in and year-out they do not have the mettle to win important games and series. His players consistently make dumb plays in big spots.

What have the Knicks done under Isiah Thomas?

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Silver:
Walsh is already making mistakes. Overpaying for D'Antoni who has not won anything in the NBA albeit he won in Europe. D'antoni's team have demonstrated year-in and year-out they do not have the mettle to win important games and series. His players consistently make dumb plays in big spots.

His style of play doesn't work vs the spurs that it thats. If the suns were in the east they'd be in finals every one of these past few years maybe Detroit woulda get by once but other than that the suns woulda dominated.

The Knicks can and have done worse. In D'Antoni's first year in Pheonix, they went from 29 wins to 62. Now, I would not predict an improvement like that in New York. But the Knicks can do a lot worse.

quote:

Originally posted by GasouEagle:

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Silver:
Walsh is already making mistakes. Overpaying for D'Antoni who has not won anything in the NBA albeit he won in Europe. D'antoni's team have demonstrated year-in and year-out they do not have the mettle to win important games and series. His players consistently make dumb plays in big spots.

His style of play doesn't work vs the spurs that it thats. If the suns were in the east they'd be in finals every one of these past few years maybe Detroit woulda get by once but other than that the suns woulda dominated.

there is no guarantee the SUNS would be in the FINALS (if in the EAST). they lost twice to Detroit and split with Boston.

quote:

His style of play doesn't work vs the spurs that it thats. If the suns were in the east they'd be in finals every one of these past few years maybe Detroit woulda get by once but other than that the suns woulda dominated.

But they're NOT ...

They're a bunch of injury-rehabbed, aging MF's ... who would have likely been swept had their tired and sorry butts been slotted in the first round against any other of the top seeds in the playoffs ... and shoulda been swept by the Spurs - if they themselves weren't getting tired and aging theemselves.

They've got one more year to try to make this lineup work ... and then they can look to at best be looking up to the Warriors as a 9th seed.

The Bricks know they need to get someone like MJ in there ... and now that they're offering up this kinda loot, I hope he eventually gets the call ... and he sticks it to them full the FULL amount.

Knicks' Walsh wooed D'Antoni with love and money, as Bulls lost out

By Chad Ford
ESPN.com

Updated: May 10, 2008

When Donnie Walsh took over as the president of the New York Knicks in March, he promised to bring hope and change to the most dysfunctional franchise in sports.

Walsh's first big moves as Knick president show he's going to walk the walk. First he fired Isiah Thomas as coach. And now Walsh has lured Mike D'Antoni from the Phoenix Suns to the Knicks -- an improbable home run that could immediately turn the fortunes of a franchise in desperate need of optimism. D'Antoni will bring a pedigree of exciting, winning basketball that should inject new life into a tired Knicks franchise.

Scoring D'Antoni wasn't easy for New York. Chicago, with a group of young, talented athletes, appeared to be a great fit for D'Antoni, and he wanted to work it out with the Bulls. The team appeared to be a great coach away from returning to their status as a contender in the East.

The struggling, rebuilding Knicks, in contrast, appeared to be years away from winning in the NBA's most demanding market. Walsh was widely expected to hire rookie head coach Mark Jackson, work on cleaning up the roster and patiently wait until the free agent class of 2010 hit the market.

......

Here are some comments from the article.

http://myespn.go.com/s/conversations/show/story/3390192

----------

quote:

Donnie Walsh had to hire a big name coach. It's an exciting time to be a Knick fan. D'Antoni will work hard in the offseason to get the team ready. He'll evaluate who can and who can't play in his system. The players who fit will need to respond by committing themselves to becoming a running team. Given the state of the Eastern Conference the Knicks making the playoffs is not far fetched. This is only the start from Walsh. A key trade here or the right lottery pick there and the city of New York will be buzzing again.

quote:

I love my Chicago teams but our managment sucks!! I want Paxson and Angelo's(bears gm) head on a platter. We need GM's thats not so blind and conservative, willing to gamble and most important SPEND MONEY!!! Our teams have good talent but no direction. Us Chicago deserve so much more. Especially with our ticket prices!!!!

quote:

I'm excited for David Stern to rig the NBA Draft Lottery so that the Knicks can be handed Derrick Rose on a platter. That will be fun to see.

quote:

The Bulls blew this one. The Bulls management has been an embarrassment over the past two years. Paxson mindset is that winning just happens by doing absolutely nothing and watching other teams make stellar moves and improve their team. D'Antoni would have been a perfect fit for the bulls especially with their long and athletic big men and shoot first guards. However, Paxson decided that he doesnt care about winning or possibly bringing some needed excitement and motivation to Chicago. Instead he only cares about not screwing up and looking like an idiot, but its funny that his very mindset and attitude has actually made him into that idiot. He has become one of the worst GMs in basketball over the past two years along with Ferry of the Cavs. The Bulls organization has become a mockery, a laughing stock for the NBA and the Bulls' fans. Everybody in Chicago was excited about a team that was actually fun to watch, and could win, now we have to wait for a second tier coach that is going to run the same offense, bring a couple more wins in the terrible east and eventually bring the same troubles. Thanks a lot Paxson for helping continue mediocrity in Chicago. I am sickened by this news.

quote:

That's ridiculous to call the Knick's head coaching a job a great opportunity. They are not in any position to do what the Hornets, Celtics and Lakers did because they don't have an all world player like Paul and Kobe, a young player with loads of potential (Al Jefferson). All they have is a bunch of huge contracts that are almost all impossible to trade.

quote:

The Knicks job is a great job for a man with any sense of time and history. The Knicks are 'rebuilding' now, so there are no expectations. Just last year the Celtics were as far from the playoffs as you can get, the LAKERS didn't have the tools to succeed, and the Hornets had one of their worst seasons ever. Now look. All three are the favorites to win it all.

The Knicks are on the same level with the upper echelon teams just because of it's location. Diantoni has made himself a very wonderful opportunity. He is not the first to bail on the Suns, Shawn Marion wanted out, now watch the mass exodus. They will now be 'rebuilding'.

quote:

once again the bull falling asleep at the wheel i know paxson is stressing defense but did anyone see how lost are offense looked this year theyre firing all these coaches when will it be paxsons turn for failing pulling the trigger

The Knicks will not win the first year because they have way too many selfish players on the team in Crawford, Curry, Randolph and Marbury. And Mike D'Antoni does not have the PG to run that offensive. Nate Robinson is a good little energy guy, but he really has not done well making plays for others.

The Knicks will be a little better, but not much because they have too many of the same type players on the sqaud for rapid improvement.

As for disgruntled Bulls fans, Paxson wanted a coach who stressed defense. Mike D'Antoni teams don't play defense at all. Yes, his style of play has won a bunch of games, but not in the postseason. The Bulls had won the last three years by playing solid defense and sharing the ball on offense.

I think Avery Johnson, a coach who stresses defense, would be a good fit for Chicago. And I'm tried of folks wanting Paxson to be gone. The Kobe deal was never going to happen. Just by using common sense, the Lakers were not going to trade Kobe. The Bulls have had to give up nearly their whole roster for him. It would have been 5 guys for Kobe. That's it.

I think Bulls fans should not want Paxson gone after one bad season. The Bulls are the youngest team in the NBA and have a lot of room to grow.

quote:

Originally posted by GasouEagle:

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Silver:
Walsh is already making mistakes. Overpaying for D'Antoni who has not won anything in the NBA albeit he won in Europe. D'antoni's team have demonstrated year-in and year-out they do not have the mettle to win important games and series. His players consistently make dumb plays in big spots.

His style of play doesn't work vs the spurs that it thats. If the suns were in the east they'd be in finals every one of these past few years maybe Detroit woulda get by once but other than that the suns woulda dominated.

Agreed. The man averaged 54-55 wins a year and made the conference finals twice in the far superior Western Conference. And he left a team that still has some nice pieces remaining. If he could only have beaten the Spurs but many team can say that.....

quote:

Originally posted by EB:
The Knicks can and have done worse. In D'Antoni's first year in Pheonix PPheonixPhoenix, they went from 29 wins to 62. Now, I would not predict an improvement like that in New York. But the Knicks can do a lot worse.

D'Antonio teams play NO DEFENSE. They Knicks know how NOT to play defense, so this should be fun...or funny. They may be better because they can score with the team as it's currently assembled.