He's Just Not That Into You

By Benjy Lipsman in News on May 12, 2008 2:20PM

Last week, it looked like the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni were close to hooking up. Then rumors that the New York Knicks also liked D'Antoni began to sweep through the halls. Most thought, however, that D'Antoni was just playing hard to get, hoping to squeeze more money from the Bulls.

By the end of the weekend, though, D'Antoni had chosen the Knicks over the Bulls.

So who wasn't into whom? On Friday, Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with D'Antoni in Phoenix. By Saturday, D'Antoni had a new job and the Bulls hadn't even made an offer. The official story is that the Bulls did want to hire the Suns' coach and were in the process of drafting an offer when they got word he's chosen New York. So did D'Antoni simply play the Bulls all along in order to land the Knicks job?

With D'Antoni headed to Gotham and Rick Carlisle ready to land in Dallas, we can expect Bulls GM John Paxson to take his time hiring the team's next coach. While he'll likely meet with Avery Johnson and talk to Mark Jackson, he's also interested in assistant coaches Tom Thibodeau or Michael Curry -- both of whom coach for teams still in the playoffs. That means Pax may need to wait until the NBA finals are over to get his guy.

AP Photo/LM Otero