Bulls Chairman says money wasn't issue with D'Antoni
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Calmly yet meticulously in a Monday night phone =
interview,=20
Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf detailed the sequence of events that led =
to Mike=20
D'Antoni spurning the Bulls for the Knicks.
Befitting his law =
background,=20
Reinsdorf pegged matters to the minute, saying he's still waiting for =
D'Antoni=20
to return his call placed at 10:05 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on=20
Saturday.
"I'm disappointed in him," Reinsdorf said. "I don't =
know what=20
else we could've done. He chose to go to New York knowing there was a =
good=20
chance we would make him an offer. If he had really wanted to be in =
Chicago, he=20
would've waited. Instead, he misled us. It's not the end of the world, =
but it is=20
somewhat rude."
-
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Who do you want as the Bulls' next coach?
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The "misled" accusation stems from their =
2-hour-15-minute=20
meeting Friday at D'Antoni's Phoenix-area home that is mere yards from=20
Reinsdorf's, a meeting Reinsdorf said he left at 4:45 p.m. local=20
time.
"The second subject, I said if we need to get something =
done this=20
weekend we shouldn't even bother talking because it will take longer =
than that,"=20
Reinsdorf said. "He said nothing had to be done over the =
weekend.
"I also=20
said if this proceeds to where we want to make an offer, we don't deal =
with=20
coach's agents. He said that's not a problem and that money wasn't the =
most=20
important thing anyway. He said he wanted a job where he was going to be =
happiest. He said he didn't want to coach the Knicks."
A call to =
Warren=20
LeGarie, D'Antoni's agent, went unreturned. In a Saturday phone =
interview with=20
the Tribune, LeGarie praised the Bulls' efforts.
"Chicago made a=20
terrific, last-second pitch, but at that point, Mike was emotionally =
committed=20
to New York," LeGarie said then. "[Bulls general manager] John Paxson =
did a=20
magnificent job to bring Mike on board, and Mike was quite taken with=20
John.
"This has nothing to do with money. Mike sees a great =
challenge in=20
New York."
The Bulls now face a challenge in the court of public =
opinion=20
overcoming the perception they dawdle and/or can't pull the trigger on =
major=20
decisions.
D'Antoni's defection comes on the heels of the Bulls =
failing=20
to acquire Kevin Garnett or Pau Gasol in trades and=E2=80=94in an =
incorrect perception=20
since the Lakers never seriously entertained trading =
him=E2=80=94whiffing on Kobe=20
Bryant.
"I can't worry about perception," Reinsdorf said. "I have =
to=20
worry about making the right decision. This is a very critical hire. If =
you make=20
a mistake, you set yourself back. Tim Floyd didn't work out, Bill =
Cartwright.=20
Scott Skiles, we thought we had a good one, but he's gone with two years =
left on=20
his deal. We've been set back.
"The answer is this is a very =
important=20
decision to make and we didn't want to make the wrong decision. I don't =
think we=20
moved too slowly. As soon as the Suns gave permission to talk, John was =
on a=20
plane to meet with him. We did not move slowly here."
Asked why, =
if=20
D'Antoni was the target, the Bulls didn't make a pre-emptive strike =
offer before=20
the Knicks, Reinsdorf deferred to the sequence of =
events.
Reinsdorf said=20
he met with Paxson last Tuesday to review the general manager's two =
interviews=20
in Phoenix with D'Antoni, as well as other candidates on the Bulls' =
list. Paxson=20
had flown to Phoenix on May 4, the day Suns general manager Steve Kerr =
granted=20
D'Antoni permission to interview.
Knowing he would be in Phoenix =
over=20
last weekend, Reinsdorf said he called D'Antoni last Tuesday and set up =
the=20
Friday meeting. Reinsdorf said as he left that meeting, he told D'Antoni =
he=20
would speak to Paxson and talk to D'Antoni again on =
Saturday.
When Paxson=20
called LeGarie on Saturday morning, the agent informed Paxson that =
D'Antoni had=20
accepted the Knicks' job. As Paxson attempted to sway LeGarie to listen =
to the=20
Bulls' offer, Reinsdorf left his Saturday morning message for=20
D'Antoni.
"I never tell the general manager who he has to hire, =
but I do=20
have veto power," Reinsdorf said. "After meeting with Mike, I told John =
I was=20
inclined to negotiate a contract and John made it clear he wanted=20
Mike."
Paxson subsequently talked to D'Antoni, which is perhaps =
why the=20
coach didn't return Reinsdorf's call.
Reinsdorf disputed =
LeGarie's=20
statement that the Bulls seemed hesitant to enter into another multiyear =
deal=20
after swallowing close to two years and $5 million of Skiles'=20
contract.
"I assumed we'd have to go four years," Reinsdorf said. =
"We=20
gave Scott Skiles four years. That's kind of the going rate for coaches =
now. And=20
money isn't an issue. Believe me, we can afford to pay coaches. Even if =
Skiles=20
hadn't spread his money out (over four years), we can afford to pay top =
coaches.=20
And we were prepared to do so."
Now, the Bulls are preparing for =
what=20
appears to be a lengthy search, starting from scratch. They'd like to =
interview=20
former Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, but nothing has been=20
scheduled.
Many league observers suspect Johnson, who is owed $12 =
million=20
from Dallas, will sit out a year.
Beyond Johnson, the Bulls will =
ask=20
permission to interview Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau and Pistons =
assistant=20
Michael Curry, although the latter might not be allowed to =
leave.
Another=20
intriguing candidate is Lakers assistant Brian Shaw. And Reinsdorf isn't =
hung up=20
on needing to hire a "name" coach.
" Phil Jackson wasn't a big =
name, and=20
he turned out to be a great coach," he said.
Reinsdorf also =
shrugged off=20
a question about how critical this hire is to Paxson's =
future.
"John's=20
one of the better decisions I've made," he said. "I have total =
confidence in=20
John. He's done a great job and he's an even better person."
Copyright =C2=A9 2008,
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