SI: D'Antoni accepts offer to coach Knicks

[Bulls69]

The Bulls does not care about it fan base we are the Marlin's of the NBA thanks Jerry this team is full of crap.

[McBulls]

Bulls owners are cheapskates. This is an unfortunate fact that fans will have to learn to live with.

I'm tired of hearing about how paying the GOAT a proportionate salary proves the opposite. The truth is that both Jordan and Pippen were tricked into taking inferior salaries for years before they were properly reimbursed -- and then only when it was clear that the owners would have to break up a young championship team in order to continue to cheat them. After the 6th championship, the owners chose to prematurely break up the team rather than reimburse 6 times champions and their coach proportionately.

As far as modern history is concerned, the entire tenure of of JK as GM after the Jordan era was dominated by having financial considerations trump talent considerations. The Paxson era seems to be a more competent continuation of the same... best illustrated by the Chandler give away.

[Ralphb07]

The Bulls were not going to be backed into a timetable as people tried to put the squeeze on them.

One can't really blame them.

Unless of course, someone can tell me that Pringles was/is an almost "sure thing".

You can't be forced but you gotta look at what can be in the future and see if it's better. The only legit guy is Thibo and the Suns and us will be battling for him, so it's the point of is Corbin, Jackson or Curry worth D'Antoni?

All the experience Asst have gone as well, so we know we can't keep our current Asst, and if we brought in a guy like Mike, it would ease the pain a bit if we did.

If we can land Silas as a Asst or if Jackson can get Ewing to come aboard, but thats a lot of if's now.

[DuckIII]

#2, I hate when things are taken as facts when there is no basis to take things as fact without more critical thinking, which I see piss poor amounts of

Your "critical thinking" amounts to refusing to accept D'Antoni's significant defensive shortcomings because its inconsistent with your current feelings of rage.

No basis in fact to note that D'Antoni's teams aren't quality defensive teams and its been widely reported that even his players were wanting to dedicate more practice time to defending?

Fleet, if anyone is showing a lack of critical thinking in this thread its you. You've even gone so far as to blame D'Antoni's defensive shortcomings on the fact that Johnson and Marion were traded despite the fact that for them to be traded they had to be there in the first place - on squads that weren't good defensively. Its actually an indictment of Pringles, not a defense.

[Bulls69]

I am really ticked about this, but I was only lukewarm on D'Antoni.

My issue is that there is a very good chance at this point that the Bulls end up with a really, really bad coaching staff next year. Assistants are being gobbled up with experienced coaches.

Maybe its just me, but I see the idea of hiring people with no coaching experience whatsoever, or very little, to be a complete joke. Even if its not in the NBA, there is a certain rhythm to coaching a game. A way of dealing with players that you don't learn as a player.

This Bulls team will see through a joke coach quickly. They did with Boylan and they will with the next guy. This team has no strong positive leaders. A guy like Hughes is going to run roughshod over a newbie coach.

In summary: I didn't see D'Antoni as a great fit. I just saw him as the last chance before the abyss. If the Bulls do hire a newbie (not Thibo, but a guy with truly little experience), blow the team up. Shoot for 10 wins and start trying to assemble something for the future. I thought that D'Antoni could get through to the current players. I really don't see much else that is going to work.

I could careless about D'Antoni getting hired but dammit let the fanbase feel like you are doing all you can to win like the Lakers this whole off- season is going to be a joke.

[bobsampson]

Yea, after a few shots, a few beers and a bong hit im a lot calmer... It's just a weired time for me as a Bulls fan cause i cant help but to love the Bulls and always cheer for them but i think this is the most pissed i ever been at them...(ownership)

And it aint all cause of MD, but that was like the cherry on top

[fleet]

No basis in fact to note that D'Antoni's teams aren't quality defensive teams and its been widely reported that even his players were wanting to dedicate more practice time to defending?

by "his players" in fact, you are only refering to 1. Namely, Amare Stoudamier, who could be one of the worst help defenders I can think of for a "man child". A guy who barely puts any effort into Defense. Yo Amare, pick and roll defense....get some. Horrible. People around here were laughing hysterically at Amare making that comment.
Amare is a joke half the time with his ideas. His opinions are jokes. He's pointing fingers which is a laugh. He's the one that got Marion traded because of his jeolous prima donna attitude about pecking orders, and was nearly a lockerroom cancer on that team. All he has to do is lift a finger in effort and the Suns defense would improve imeasurably. Him saying these things is high comedy.

Fleet, if anyone is showing a lack of critical thinking in this thread its you. You've even gone so far as to blame D'Antoni's defensive shortcomings on the fact that Johnson and Marion were traded despite the fact that for them to be traded they had to be there in the first place - on squads that weren't good defensively. Its actually an indictment of Pringles, not a defense.

those Marion Johnson teams were not "good" defensive teams. But they played enough defense to win, they just didn't for various reasons. Suspensions, injuries played a role. Inexperience. People like to blame the defense. Maybe that has some of the blame sure, but they were good enough imo. And Johnson and Marion were defenders that were able to play perfectly in that system.

This season, sans Marion hell no they weren't playing the kind of D that could get them over the hump. But they used to, and he kept them afloat on the perimeter switching. And they Had the Spurs last year. Had em

[blumeany]

I'd probably feel better about this if one of two things happened:

1. The Knicks threw a rediculous contract at him that no sensible owner would even think of doing.

or

2. The Bulls made it plain that they really weren't interested in the guy because of his coaching style.

Instead, the guy had met with Pax twice and possibly Reinsdorf twice, which says that we were more than interested - AND the Knicks didn't really pay all that much for him.

So, while part of me thinks that this is probably for the best because D'Antoni is so one dimensional, I also do feel disappointed that our team couldn't come away with the top free agent - yet again.

[HOTCARL_o]

I really wanted D'Antoni, our players would've played great in his system and they can play defense. And of all the teams he went to the Knicks and they need more help than coaching. The Knicks needed someone like Avery, someone to discipline that team. D'Antoni will probably last 2 years there.

[derf]

-= original quote snipped =-



The article doesn't say anything close to that.

If you can't figure it out at this point then I damn sure can't explain it to you.

[bagsboy]

Pax does nothing......who is shocked?
The GM that hired Boylan can't decide....who is shocked?

If you want the right coach, you need to start with the right GM.

[Scott May]

"Mike, we are intrigued by your offensive philosophies and think they blend well with our roster, but you'll need to commit more focus on defense if you want this job."

They better damn well have said the latter. If they didn't, they weren't doing their jobs.

That is all fine and dandy as long as there is an available coach out there who can coach the offensive side of the ball as effectively as D'Antoni.

I'm not sure that's the case at this particular moment in time. That's the lost opportunity here.

[newskoolbulls]

Now Mike is an enemy of mine and I want him to pay for this lol. I am ok with him going to NY because we did offer 18 mil and he took 24 to go coach losers in NY than he is a damn fool. I want to hire Mark Jackson now just to take a gamble and show up Donnie, Mike, and the NY fan base.

[Neusch23]

Pax might as well hire another interim head coach for next year too...because there seriously isn't anything out there right now worth hiring unless you can covince Rudy T, or pry a diff top tier coach away....

I said it a couple of pages back...Pax can stay as the GM, but he needs to have a Vice Prez of basketball ops to be able to make a decision for him.

[newskoolbulls]

I really think Donnie Walsh has lied to Knicks fan about wanting to get under the cap by 2010, just look: Walsh told D'Antoni he was committed to giving him the players he needs to succeed. He even went through each player on the roster with his coach-to-be, discussing who would be a good fit and who wouldn't.

[Rerisen]

I'm sort of conflicted on this.

On one hand, I feel that Pax once again has been very indecisive on this whole coach thing and really hasn't had the slightest clue what style of coach he wants. I have some sympathy for some fans feelings of betrayal that the team just refuses to go out and get what they want, if it is true they ever liked D'Antoni enough to negotiate at least. Also, all the stuff about Paxson's patience being wise forethought in yielding a vast field of qualified coaches is quickly looking like a drying pond of mud with dead fish flopping around gasping for air. Where Pax once again just lets events run out ahead of him and essentially make his decision for him. Last man standing.

On the other hand, I remain skeptical D'Antoni would have brought more than smoke and mirrors here. The team would have been exciting perhaps but maybe in a way that caused quite a bit of cringing and mishaps when it wasn't working right. I'm sure within the first couple of games we would suffer a loss and the calls of no defense and not using bench guys would immediately start up and be a refrain the whole season.

I also think Paxson all along had his own doubts about D'Antoni fitting this team. It might have been going against his base instincts and that little voice in his head saying this just isn't right. But he probably got caught up somewhat in the big name of Mike D like everyone else and allowed his imagination to wander with a little bit of "what if" everything were to go as perfect as possible with MD and the the Bulls were able to ride the crest of success and praise from around the league that a D'Antoni style resurgence would have surely caused. It was fun to imagine but the chances of it really happening were probably not that high.

Ultimately, MD seems like a coaching option the team would be remiss not to have explored, but not so great a fit or can't miss that the GM should throw every concession or self regard away about the direction he thinks the team should be heading.

Even so, if MD is not the right guy and definitely not perfect, who is left that would be perfect either? You can't measure against perfection but against who the best coach realistically available beyond this point is going to be. If its not D'Antoni a offensive mastermind, then it stands to reason its probably going to be a defensive minded guy. Well coaches in that vein in the name of Carlise and Brown have already gone by the board. We have shown little urgency in being interested in Avery Johnson, so to suddenly go full bore at him would seem a bit like desperation.

It's hard to imagine we would be holding all our cards in reserve for a unknown like Tom Thibodeau. But if that is to be the case, then we have to consider the chances we lose him to a team like Phoenix. Then what? I would think you would then have to contend with the very real possibility of next season being every bit as rocky and messy as the one just concluded with Jim Boylan.

[sporadiclee]

Even so, if MD is not the right guy and definitely not perfect, who is left that would be perfect either? You can't measure against perfection but against who the best coach realistically available beyond this point is going to be.

Well said.