Knicks have made an offer. The Bulls offer is to follow and come by Sunday at the latest ...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3387873
"In their latest round of discussions with Mike D'Antoni's camp, the
New York Knicks on Thursday outlined the lucrative parameters of the five-year deal they're prepared to give their new No. 1 coaching target, according to
NBA coaching sources.
The corresponding proposal from the
Chicago Bulls -- the team many still favor to land D'Antoni -- is expected by Sunday at the latest, sources said." [h1]Sources: Knicks ante up, D'Antoni waits for Bulls' counter[/h1]
Updated: May 9, 2008, 2:49 AM ET
In their latest round of discussions with Mike D'Antoni's camp, the
New York Knickson Thursday outlined the lucrative parameters of the five-year deal they're prepared to give their new No. 1 coaching target, according to NBA coachingsources.
The corresponding proposal from the
Chicago Bulls -- the team many still favor to landD'Antoni -- is expected by Sunday at the latest, sources said.
Knicks president Donnie Walsh, through a team spokesman, said Thursday night that the Knicks have not offered "anyone" a coaching contract. Butsources close to the process insisted the
Phoenix Suns coach, who celebrated his 57th birthdayThursday, has had advanced discussions with the Knicks about leaving the desert for Manhattan.
D'Antoni will naturally wait to hear what the Bulls present before continuing or breaking off his dialogue with New York, given his well-establishedinterest in the Bulls' opening and D'Antoni's 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 hadbeen projected Wednesday by coaching sources to be even more "staggering," it's a level of annual compensation exceeded by only a few coaches inthe game, such as Phil Jackson and recent 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 takingthe 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 Tribunereported in Thursday's editions the Bulls are determined to "pay D'Antoni only on their terms" and won't engage in a "protractedprice 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 $4million Chicago still owes Scott Skiles for next season. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf authorized a $5 million farewell payment for Skiles after firing him onChristmas Eve that -- unlike in most NBA coaching arrangements -- was not wiped out by the new four-year, $18 million contract that Skiles received last monthfrom 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 isscheduled 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 campstrictly to get the Bulls to make a more substantial bid. That perception is changing. The word Thursday night in NBA coaching circles suggested thatD'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 knowwhere 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'sunclear 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 hiscontract 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 tofind 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 DougCollins 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 notplan to consider recently fired Dallas coach
Avery Johnson, who also appears to aback-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 asnext week.
