SI: D'Antoni accepts offer to coach Knicks

[Bulls1983]

I expect the Suns to go after Thibodeau now. Do you guys think the Suns will spend more money on him than us?

Myself, with my short pocket of Euros would offer more money than the Bulls, this answers your question SW?

[enigmatics]

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Exactly..

I should add this thread into my favorites.. 3 years from now when NYC media has ripped D'Antoni's coaching career to shreds. Claim that he failed with 4 All-Star calibre players in Amare,Marion,Nash and Joe Johnson, and has been nothing but a failure in NYC.. Then we will see how some of you still fill about him..

D'Antoni just sold his coaching career for 24mil.. He will fail in NYC.

Yup. D'Antoni is about to get a huge wake up call.

Although I will say this ............if the Knicks can swing a trade for Jose Calderon, there stands a chance D'Antoni's system could work decently in NY..........regardless, he thought the criticism from the fans and media here in Phoenix were bad, wait til he gets to experience NY.

[umfan83]

This is so bad. It shows how backward this organization is.

This move would have:

-Energized the fan base who had to sit through a dreadful season of watching the players basically give up on the team.
-Energize the players, who were said to be salivating at the opportunity to work with D'Antoni
-Given the Bulls a coach that could maximize the abilities (at least offensively) of the team, a team who has what is said to be "the perfect fit" for his system
-Given notice to the league that the Bulls want to win now. Not in 5-10 years. Now
-Given Paxson the leeway to not have to necessarily go for a roster overhaul.

Instead, the players are pissed, the fans are pissed, and the roster needs a lot of work, if this team even thinks about contending the next couple of seasons.

Great work JR.

[DuckIII]

I guess I want Mark Jackson now?

I'd be fine with that. I wanted him over Pringles anyway.

[kodo]

SI is the only org reporting this, everybody else is reporting it's still between the two teams, even with updates from today. Any more confirmation D'Antoni took the Knicks offer?

$6M a year wasn't that far from what Skiles was making, i'm surprised JR balks at matching for a proven playoff coach?

Oh wait, our owner hates basketball because it takes attention away from his White Sox. Nvm, i welcome Cartwright back as head coach.

[Wingy]

Might I add:

NO to the Wee Lil General.

I hope we get Jackson, Thibodeau...someone fresh to head coaching and not some retread.

[harry lockheart]

Bitter.

Looks like all that high and mighty talk about Mike changing his stripes was fruitless. I told you from the beginning ........guy doesn't want to change. At least Paxson is smart enough to not pull the trigger on a giving a guy that kind of money when he's obviously never going to tweak the flaws in his philosophy.

I'm not bitter. I didn't really want Dan Tony for anything but his mustache.

[bobsampson]

Thib or JVG

and someone should call the Bulls to bitch and moan.
Q: How can I contact the Chicago Bulls?
A: Contact the Bulls at:
United Center
1901 West Madison Street
Chicago, IL 60612-2459
(312)455-4000

I seriously want to call the UC and curse someone out... An innocent worker...

[dougthonus]

SI is the only org reporting this, everybody else is reporting it's still between the two teams, even with updates from today. Any more confirmation D'Antoni took the Knicks offer?

Jack McCallum spent a year traveling with the Suns and is extremely close with D'Antoni, there's almost no chance this is wrong.

[SportsWorld]

SI is the only org reporting this, everybody else is reporting it's still between the two teams, even with updates from today. Any more confirmation D'Antoni took the Knicks offer?

ESPNews has been talking about it for like an hour.

[Suns_fan_2007]

http://www.azcentral.com/ Local paper in PHX reporting it as well...

[Jo Jo English]

So, D'Antoni to the Knicks? Considering all that has happened -- or more correctly, not happened -- with this franchise over the last couple of seasons I shouldn't be surprised, but still am. While Mike D'Antoni wasn't my clear cut #1 choice, he was certainly near the top of the list. I still think guys like Tom Thibodeau or Mark Jackson could ultimately be the better fit and enjoy more success, but signing D'Antoni would have been exciting and given Bulls fans something to look forward to.

I was ecstatic over the possibilities of D'Antoni working with Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, and especially Thabo Sefolosha. Now I guess I'll just have to try to convince myself that guys like Jackson or Thibo could have the same sort of impact on our youngsters. Again, that could very well be true, time will tell.

Ultimately this is just another disappointment in a year of nothing but disappointments. Instead of becoming numb to them, each one just stings a little bit more. First there was the hope of acquiring Kobe - dashed. Pau Gasol sure would have been an outstanding talent to add to our roster, instead he ends up in Los Angeles, snatched from the Grizzlies for pennies on the dollar. Then our season turns into an absolute nightmare as we transform ourselves from a team some were picking to potentially win the East (not me, but still) to a club that was one of -- if not the -- joke of the league, losing games left and right, with infighting making headlines time and time again.

I don't bring up those examples (Kobe, Gasol) to try to place blame on the team, more specifically Paxson, for all I know they never were realistic options at all. I only mention them because they were clear examples of stories that got the fan base whipped into a frenzy of hope, only to be devastated when things didn't work out. This D'Antoni signing (by the Knicks) is just another example, though admittedly not as dramatic or painful as the others.

Seriously guys (and gals), when is something finally going to go our way? I'm already a Cubs fan -- dealing with all of the heartbreak that comes with that -- I don't need this sh_t from my Bulls as well.

[nitetrain8603]

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Oh please!

Do we honestly have to go through that again? KG wasn't being let go, Memphis didn't want what we offered and Kobe vetoed the deals we offered.

I don't know about KG. Memphis' owner I think it was said it came down to the Bulls not wanting to go into the luxury tax and that he wanted to trade Pau to the Bulls. That for sure was just pure refusal based on money.

[Bulls1983]

well.. we signed Donovan then he left and SVG came and hes our savior.. maybe things will work out better for you, there are still very solid coaches out there

Thanks for the heads up.

[Suns_fan_2007]

Don't be so bitter guys. MD is a stubborn guy and he's not the end-all be-all of coaches.

He turned on his loyal players, wouldn't tweak his coach to emphasize more defense and more bench use, refuse to develop young players, and walks away for more money (over Chicago).

He walks away from PHX despite the FO repeatedly stating they wanted him to stay as head coach, with such talent as 2time MVP Nash, STAT, Hill, etc. He's more concerned about taking care of MD than really coaching a winning team.

That shows you the real character MD is. You should not cry over him. You deserve better, just like PHX deserves better.

[SOUL]

well.. we signed Donovan then he left and SVG came and hes our savior.. maybe things will work out better for you, there are still very solid coaches out there

[StutterStep]

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Really shut up dude. Marbury already played for D'Antoni and it didn't work. He had Amare and now he's got fatass Zach. It's going to fail.

10 games with Amare injured? You consider that a long enough time to evaluate. Plus, Steph is expiring. This move is not done with him in mind.

Zach is not fat.

[jax98]

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I don't know about KG. Memphis' owner I think it was said it came down to the Bulls not wanting to go into the luxury tax and that he wanted to trade Pau to the Bulls. That for sure was just pure refusal based on money.

Garnett: Luol Deng, Tyson Chandler and #2

When Gasol wanted out in 06/07, we had $13M in expiring plus picks. Memphis wanted Deng & Gordon. Not one of them, both! This season they actually wanted expiring contracts, which we didn't have at the time. So they basically gave him to the Lakers. I can't see how that is our fault, unless the PJ Brown S&T option was valid. If it was, then I blame JR for that as well.

[SkillzDatKillz]

Avery Johnson?

[AAU Teammate]

hopefully this plays out the way the Bears coaching search did. no one now remembers that Saban was choice #1.

if the Bulls are bad at evaluating, then we should be happy right now that their first choice has been taken off the table.