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Mike D'Antoni to coach the Bulls?

Da Coach said:
It could happen. It is being reported that Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni has been granted permission to talk to the Bulls about their open head coaching job. He will also be allowed to talk to the Knicks, but several sources are reporting that the Bulls appear to be the frontrunner for his services.


http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/05/04/20080504suns.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3381686
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Doesn't JL have some association with D'Antoni?
 
I do not think they have any association, but they are acquainted with each other.
They do not appear to have ever been on the same team. D'Antoni is 12 years older then Les. D'Antoni's short NBA/ABA playing career was over in 1977, when Jim Les was just starting high school. D'Antoni went on to have a longer and more successful career in Italy. He started coaching with a partial season in 1998-99 for Denver, then he has coached Phoenix from 2003 to the present. He was the NBA Coach of the Year 2004-2005 when his team went 62-20.

Mike D'Antoni's playing career--
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dantomi01.html

D'Antoni's coaching career--
http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/dantomi01c.html

Bios-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_D'Antoni

http://www.nba.com/coachfile/mike_dantoni/

Jim Les' NBA career-
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lesji01.html
 
BU runs a lot of what the Suns run, except that they've had Steve Nash running it and we've had Dan Ruffin. Both have been run fairly successfully.
 
I think hiring D'Antoni would be a mistake by the Bulls. He does not place much emphasis on accountablity and isnt known to make defense a huge prioriety. If the Bulls wanted no defense and their young players running wild, they should have stuck with who they had.

They need a coach who requires accountability both on and off the court. Not so sure D'Antoni is that type of coach.
 
houstontxbrave said:
I think hiring D'Antoni would be a mistake by the Bulls. He does not place much emphasis on accountablity and isnt known to make defense a huge prioriety. If the Bulls wanted no defense and their young players running wild, they should have stuck with who they had.

They need a coach who requires accountability both on and off the court. Not so sure D'Antoni is that type of coach.
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I disagree. Skiles was the king of accountability, and preached defense first and always. That's a big reason why the players tuned him out this year (led by none other than 'Mr. Defense' himself, Ben Wallace). D'Antoni is clearly offense-first, but he's not Jim Boylan. Jim Boylan gave the players no reason to respect him. He was a regular face that they'd seen for years as 2nd fiddle, and though that they wanted the opposite of disciplinarian Skiles. Mike D'Antoni's record speaks for itself, and I don't really think he should be judged because a malcontent underachiever like Shaun Marion couldn't play for him, or because he doesn't believe in slowing down the game for an aging 7 footer. On top of all that, the Bulls roster will look vastly different come next season, so I wouldn't necessarily assume that the current roster will be what D'Antoni inherits.
 
BradleyBrave said:
I disagree. Skiles was the king of accountability, and preached defense first and always. That's a big reason why the players tuned him out this year (led by none other than 'Mr. Defense' himself, Ben Wallace). D'Antoni is clearly offense-first, but he's not Jim Boylan. Jim Boylan gave the players no reason to respect him. He was a regular face that they'd seen for years as 2nd fiddle, and though that they wanted the opposite of disciplinarian Skiles. Mike D'Antoni's record speaks for itself, and I don't really think he should be judged because a malcontent underachiever like Shaun Marion couldn't play for him, or because he doesn't believe in slowing down the game for an aging 7 footer. On top of all that, the Bulls roster will look vastly different come next season, so I wouldn't necessarily assume that the current roster will be what D'Antoni inherits.
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BB you make a lot of valid points. But I still think the Bulls need a strong disciplined coach who will command respect and insist on things done professionally. D'Antoni is a pure players coach.

My biggest issues with D'Antoni were his lack of defense, its fun to watch but will not win anything of substance and his absolute lack of the use of his bench. He plays 7 or 8 players a night and in my opinion that is a real reason why his teams never went further in Phoenix. A forearm shiver to Nash though did not help either.

He will be an upgrade but I dont care if Naismith himself coached the Bulls, until they address their lack of professionalism and attitude of its players, it wont matter.
 
The latest--

ESPN is reporting that the Knicks have offered their head coaching job to Mike D'Antoni for a reported 6-year, $30 million contract.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3387873

It sounds like that is much more than the Bulls are willing to offer. In fact, news of this massive contract offer evoked a response from John Paxson that the Bulls refuse to get into a bidding war for D'Antoni's services.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/basketball/bulls/940626,CST-SPT-bull09.article


However, New York media reached Knicks president donnie Walsh, who denied that they have offered the job to anyone yet, and said they are "torn between Mike D'Antoni and former player Mark Jackson.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05092008/sports/knicks/two_horse_race_110038.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...offer_to_mike_dantoni_refuted_mark_jacks.html

If anyone can stand it, there is Jay Mariotti's opinion that is wrapped around his usual vitriolic attcks on Bulls management, or anyone's management. In fact in this article he manages to fire off insults toward Reinsdorf, D'Antoni, John Paxson, Kirk Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas, and anyone else involved.--
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/940308,mariotti050908.article
 
He must like money and not winning. It didn't sound like the Bulls were going to pay him anyway. It sounds like the Bulls are going after an assisant so they can get someone cheap. Such a mess!
 
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