Not that we weren't impressed with everything D'Antoni had to say on his first official day as coach of the Knicks. But both of us shared a trait with D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh: We were distracted by visions of LeBron dancing in our heads.

Sheridan painted a slightly more dire cap situation facing Walsh in his column than I did, pointing out that if you include money to be paid first-round picks in the next two drafts and extensions for players D'Antoni might want to keep (Nate Robinson and David Lee), the Knicks could have as much as $67 million committed to the 2010-11 cap. That means Walsh would have to shave about $24 million to have enough to offer LeBron a max deal.

Simply put, that means Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry, or both will have to go. The only way to make it work would be to trade one or both of them for contracts that expire after the 2009-10 season. Difficult, but not impossible. Given the predicament, though, the Knicks could do worse in their search for a general manager than Denver's Mark Warkentien, who has displayed a knack for unloading supposedly untradeable players.

As an assistant coach with Team USA, D'Antoni will have daily access to LeBron this summer during the run-up to the Olympics and in Beijing during the Games. Asked yesterday about LeBron, D'Antoni said, "LeBron is amazing. He's an amazing athlete." Asked what he's learned about him by coaching him, D'Antoni said, "I learned that he wants to learn to speak Mandarin and conquer the world of Chinese business. Like with Kobe, I learned how focused he can get, and I learned that he wants to be the best player, just like Kobe."

But it doesn't sound as though D'Antoni is willing or able to pay the price of enduring two hideous seasons just for an outside shot at signing LeBron in 2010.

"Are you saying I'm going to be here for two years without winning?" D'Antoni said. "I'd have arrows all over me. I don't know if I can survive that. So my focus is to win this coming year, knowing Donnie is going to work behind the scenes and do what he can do to make this team as good as he can."

It's true that under the CBA, LeBron could re-sign with Cleveland for more money than the Knicks could offer. But that logic misses the point that LeBron could earn literally hundreds of millions in endorsement money by playing the rest of his career in New York.

Also, if anyone doubts that LeBron doesn't embrace the notion of playing for the Knicks, I refer you to his comments the last time he played here back in December.

"It's the mecca of basketball," James said. "When you come to MSG, it should be special every time you come here. No matter how old it gets, no matter how many years you've got playing in the league, you dream of playing in Madison Square Garden.

"It's fun for me," he said. "You see all the celebrities, you see all the lights, you see all the jerseys. You grew up watching playoff series, the Bulls and the Knicks. It's something that you dream about."

According to a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer last month, some New Yorkers have taken the LeBron-to-the-Knicks situation a little too seriously. Two Web sites have been launched -- www.nycforlebron.com and www.nycforlebron.net -- promising to lavish LeBron with gifts if he signs with the Knicks. According to the story, the NBA is monitoring the situation closely, as such outside compensation would not only be a moot point to someone who is on his way to being a billionaire, but it would probably violate the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.

Neil Best, our beloved Media WatchDog, has been and will continue to be delving into issues such as this now that Dolan's Cablevision has agreed to buy Newsday from Tribune Co. Richard Sandomir of The New York Times -- a former Newsday scribe -- delves into the Dolan School of Journalism in today's editions. Johnette Howard, yours truly, and the WatchDog himself are quoted in the article, as are current Newsday editor John Mancini and former Newsday editor Howard Schneider.

I shared news of the Cablevision purchase yesterday with D'Antoni's agent, Warren LeGarie. "I know," LeGarie said. "That's one of the reasons we wanted to come here. We wanted to be able to control the coverage."

That was a joke, of course. Dolan has been trying to control the coverage of his teams for years, so I wouldn't expect that to change.

A mother's instinct is very strong, no doubt. But LeBron agrees with my assessment that, at 6-9, 250, he is perfectly capable of handling his business. So check out this video clip, which clearly shows LeBron using some choice language to tell his mom to sit down.

I disagree with this blogger's take on it. Who among us hasn't dealt with unwanted interference from a relative?

Another issue related to this: The NBA has to do something about these wrapup fouls. This one from Pierce clearly didn't rise to the level off a flagrant since he obviously didn't intend to hurt LeBron and, in fact, appeared to make an effort to hang onto him to prevent him from falling into the crowd and injuring himself. But there was no attempt to go for the ball, and when you wrap up a player of James' size and speed on his way to the basket, the chances of unintentionally injuring him are quite high -- as TNT analyst Doug Collins correctly pointed out on the telecast.

Something for the commissioner to contemplate and for the owners to address at the next board of governors meeting. They should do something about it before somebody gets hurt.

His averages of 24.3 PPG and 12.1 APG surpass all the greats after their first seven playoff games -- better than Earl Monroe, Bob Cousy, Isiah Thomas, and Magic Johnson. Better than all of them. The only one who comes close is Kevin Johnson (24.0, 12.1).

CP3 has a few trophies to raise before he can join the discussion with Cousy, Magic, Isiah, et al. But this is just a little more proof that the dude is good.

It's not clear whether Bickerstaff would come on board in a front-office capacity or on the bench. My thought is, Bickerstaff would be extremely valuable as the lead assistant -- particularly to an inexperienced head coach such as Mark Jackson. When Walsh and Larry Bird hired Jim O'Brien to coach the Pacers, they did so after already confirming that O'Brien would bring legendary defensive guru Dick Harter with him. Walsh could be using a similar M.O. here.

Here is a story from ESPN.com's Marc Stein that sets up a possible bidding war between the Knicks and Bulls for D'Antoni.

We will know as soon as today, and no later than tomorrow, whether D'Antoni is the front-runner to replace Isiah Thomas or simply a leverage pawn in D'Antoni's talks with the Bulls.

Meanwhile, Chicago GM John Paxson has let it be known that he is not going to be dragged into a bidding war with the Knicks for D'Antoni. The only thing the Knicks do better than anyone in the NBA is overpay, so you can rest assured that money is not going to keep them from getting the coach they want. At the same time, don't underestimate the power of money where D'Antoni is concerned.

I refer you to a recent interview with David Falk conducted by CNBC's Darren Rovell. Here is Falk's response to a question about the current state of the agent industry:

"There's a famous story about a bank robber," Falk said. "When they finally arrested him they said, 'You're a smart guy, why do you rob banks?' And he said, 'Well, that's where the money is.'"

Here’s the problem: As a talented coach free to choose his next job, D’Antoni is under no obligation to bid against himself. At some point between now and Friday, the other shoe will drop. D’Antoni will either agree to begin negotiating with Chicago or New York, or force the teams’ hands by inviting both parties to make him an offer. Interesting game of chess.

The odd man out could be Avery Johnson, who is reported to be out of the picture in Chicago and Phoenix. Johnson is working with agent Joe Glass, who also represents Larry Brown. Johnson might be wise to allow the other chess pieces to move around the board and then evaluate his options. More jobs could open up between now and the draft lottery, and if none of them appeals to AJ, his stock would only rise if he sat out a year.

The coaching carousel in the NBA never really stops spinning.

As compelling as that will be, I can't escape the Knicks' coaching search. Two of the top candidates -- ABC/ESPN analyst Mark Jackson and Celtics associate head coach Tom Thibodeau -- are in the building. Neat pre-game moment with Jackson I want to share with you.

"What's he drawing up?" one of his broadcast partners asked.

"Wow," Jackson said, shaking his head. "I don't have a clue."

That's OK. Thibodeau probably wouldn't be able to decipher it, either.

TNT didn’t show Garnett getting tangled up with Rush during the telecast last night, but the incident is all over YouTube. There’s a still photo showing Garnett’s elbow in Rush’s chest that is fueling speculation – particularly among Hawks fans in Atlanta, not surprisingly – that Garnett should be suspended for Game 5 in Boston tomorrow night. The feisty Hawks tied the series 2-2 with a 97-92 victory.

First of all, I used to live in Atlanta, and I wasn’t aware there were any Hawks fans there. Secondly, let me give you some sober reasoning as to why Garnett’s actions do not warrant a suspension – and my theory as to why Stern will not suspend him.

Garnett got tangled up under the basket with Pachulia while going for an offensive rebound. Frustrated that Pachulia had grabbed his arm, he threw an elbow at him and then motioned to the officials that he was being held.

Instead of accepting the technical on Garnett and walking away, Pachulia chose to saunter over to Garnett and stick his nose in KG’s face. That’s called “escalating the conflict” in the parlance of Stern.

Garnett was wrong, too. After being separated from Pachulia, he tried to go after him again – running his mouth the whole time. At this point – and this is important – Rush grabbed Garnett to keep him out of the fray. The way I see the video, Garnett didn’t shove or elbow Rush. Instead, he pulled away demonstratively in an effort to break free of Rush’s grasp. This should cost Garnett a fine, but not a suspension. Knowing how Stern views such things, I believe he will agree.

Still photos can be deceiving. This one, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, clearly shows Garnett’s elbow in Rush’s chest.

But if you didn’t look at the video, you wouldn’t know that Garnett was pulling away from Rush, not elbowing him.

If there are any suspensions, they will involve Boston's Kendrick Perkins and Atlanta's Marvin Williams, who both appeared to barely venture onto the court from the bench during the altercation.

If Garnett isn’t suspended, the conspiracy theorists will be in full froth, jumping to conclusions that the league wants the Celtics in the Finals and that Garnett is only the latest superstar to get the superstar treatment from Stern.

Relax. Garnett’s actions don’t rise to the level of a suspension. And the Hawks should want to knock off the best team in the league AND its best player, anyway.

The announcement marks Brown's return to the NBA sideline for the first time since he was fired by the Knicks in June 2006 after a 23-59 season and well-publicized clashes with former team president Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan.

The frugal Bobcats, who fired coach Sam Vincent on Saturday, typically wouldn't be in the running for a high-priced coach like Brown. But Brown's $18.5 million settlement with the Knicks made him available on the cheap. A third person familiar with the negotiations said the parties had been discussing a contract that would pay Brown less than $3 million per season.

More details as they unfold.

According to reports out of Miami, Riley will announce later today that he’s stepping down as the Heat’s coach but will remain as team president. That’s a little better deal than the make-believe job Isiah managed to latch onto after being removed from his coach and president positions by Donnie Walsh, but you get the idea. It’s a pretty soft landing for Riley after winning 15 games this season with a team that won the NBA title only two years ago.

Riley is widely expected to name his assistant, Eric Spoelstra, to replace him on the bench. This is the same approach Riley used in 2003 when he stepped aside and promoted Stan Van Gundy to head coach. In that case, Riley got tired of sitting around watching film, so he pushed Van Gundy out and went back to the bench just in time to get all the credit for the Heat’s championship run with Shaq and Dwyane Wade. This time, there’s no such juggernaut to lure Riley back. The rebuilding process he’ll be overseeing as team president is a formidable and long-term job.

If Riley is finished coaching, he goes out with seven championships and 1,210 victories – third-most in league history. But Miami is 59-105 since winning Riley’s seventh title.

Pargo didn’t even think Kidd crossed the line, saying after the game, “The only thing he did was make a hard foul and not give up a layup. That’s what he's supposed to do.”

Kidd or no Kidd, the Mavs are in trouble as they trail, 3-1, and face elimination tomorrow night in New Orleans. Cuban doesn’t favor a massive roster overhaul, which suggests that coach Avery Johnson is on shaky ground.

"There's a lot of opportunities," Glass said on the phone. "But nothing I can share with you or anybody else."

Speaking with Glass is always a treat. He's been with the Hall of Fame coach since the beginning of his brilliant career that spans decades. The next town appears to be on the horizon for the coach some refer to derisively as "Next Town Brown," who parted ways with the Philadelphia 76ers much more amicably than he did two years ago with the Knicks.

Brown resigned his post as the Sixers' executive vice president yesterday, a mutual parting of ways that was inevitable when team president Billy King was fired in December. Former Nets GM Ed Stefanski is calling the shots for the Sixers, who are tied 1-1 in their best-of-7 series with the Detroit Pistons heading into Game 3 tonight down the road in Philly.

Glass' son, Keith -- also an agent, not to mention an author, and out of Hewlett High School, by the way -- was telling me yesterday I needed to speak with his dad for any information about Brown's future. I reminded Keith how, um, challenging it had been to deal with the elder Glass during Brown's contract dispute with the Knicks.

"He's just a big teddy bear, really," Keith said.

The elder Glass is always good for a laugh, as long as you don't take yourself too seriously, which I never do. So I did find him a bit more cuddly than he'd been when the Knicks were trying to make off with Brown's money after they fired him in 2006.

Asked if he could help me make an educated guess as to where Brown will wind up next, Glass said with a mix of sarcasm and good cheer, "I don't want to educate you, anyway. We'll just let time take its time."

When Brown left the Knicks, it was only a matter of time before he'd coach again -- and in a much better situation. That time will be here sooner than later; it's just a matter of which town will be next for Brown.