May 05 2008
Plug & Play
It looks like Mike D’Antoni could be the next Bulls’ figurehead.
Last week, Rick Carlisle took the coaching position with the Mavericks. Mark Jackson is likely headed to the Knicks.
That leaves the Bulls with three major candidates:
- Jeff Van Gundy
- Avery johnson
- Mike D’Antoni
Since his run with New York in the ’90s, Jeff Van Gundy has bumbled along with the Rockets, and is now commentating games for TNT. I saw him opening night in Boston for the Celtics this past year. He’s pretty short. But that’s beside the point. Van Gundy isn’t a likely candidate, but it’s fun to think of him coaching again.
Avery Johnson is a young, unproven coach who has shown he can direct his team to stellar regular season records, but cannot deliver come playoff time. His rapport with his players is strong, and his desire to win is strong. For some strange reason, the Spurs retired his number last year.
Mike D’Antoni is much like Avery Johnson. He can be handed a great group of guys and win during the regular season. But his ability to control and direct his team has been criticized. He is known as an offensive mastermind, but has not been able to deliver on the other side of the ball. Nonetheless, he could be a breath of fresh air from Scott Skiles. Steve Kerr handed him what he thought was a NBA Championship team after bringing Shaquille O’Neal in this past year, but the Suns were swept in the first round.
Whoever has the displeasure of stepping into this role will of course have big shoes to fill. Since Phil Jackson left in 1998, there have been seven people barking at the refs from the sideline, and only three playoff births. Best of luck to you… Mike D’Antoni?
