1) Get a D’Antoni and find a great team of assistants for the defensive part (although D’Antoni may very well be adept at adapting to a more defensive minded roster like they have in Chicago, he may just have played to the strength of his players in Phoenix)

2) Get another “general” (even a little one), and find some great experienced offense-minded assistants with awesome player management skills.

experience developing young players?

Also, how has he handled his bench historically?

If D’Antoni is available, the Bulls have to do everything in their power to get him. There isn’t a coach in the world who would be better for what the Bulls need right now. Guys were beaten down by Skiles and need to get their confidence back and start having fun playing basketball again.

And stop it with the defensive concerns. Defense is mostly effort, and guys will play harder for D’Antoni, because they’ll get more into the flow offensively, and the energy will carry over to the defense. We obviously have the personnel to play defense. Guys just weren’t putting in the effort and focus, because they hated the coach and weren’t having fun playing anymore.

As bad as last season was, we shouldn’t be in that bad of shape. Hiring D’Antoni would be the first step to getting things back on track followed by evaluating the roster and seeing who will fit into his system and seeing what value guys have on the trade market. Hopefully a change or 2 as well as using the #9 pick wisely (either in a trade package or for a player who can help) can get us back in the mix in the East.

Hurry up and sign Mr. D before your posturing winds up forcing the Bulls to settle for some leftover. Toronto would love to have him and he is in the driver’s seat. The PR value alone of this move is invaluable. Basketball would be rejuvinated in Chicago, so open up the Reinsdorf’s vault so the Bulls can open up the vault of the crypt they spent this season in.

The fans are not impressed that you are going to interview everyone who is available and has a pulse to show what a wise man you are rather than act mpulsively. This isn’t Tibet and you are not the Dali Llama, Pax. Get out that checkbook, and make the call now. You can revitalize your reputaton and the franchise if you do. If you want to permenantly remove the stain of Boylan forever, do it now before you blow it again.

As a small forward who’s not really a 3 point shooter or a ball handler/playmaker, he isn’t necessarily a great fit, but it depends who is in the game with him. If he and Nocioni are at the forwards together it works, because Noce can space the floor. If it’s a more conventional lineup with Tyrus or Gooden at the 4 though, they lack some of the spacing and outside shooting that’s more ideal to play the way D’Antoni wants to play.

I’m not advocating starting Noce and Deng at the forwards though, because I think Tyrus has the potential to be great in this system. I guess what I’m saying is that I would be more open to dealing Deng if D’Antoni gets the job… or Maybe Deng works hard on improving his 3 point range and his ball handling/playmaking. He is only 23 and is already a pretty good shooter. Plus, I think Mike D would probably give him the green light and instill some confidence in him like he did with guys like Bell and Marion who were never known as 3 point shooters before.

he recovered somewhat on his last dive by dumping our biggest albatross, Ben Nopointsnofreethrowsnodesire Wallace. If he pulls this one off I think most judges would give him a perfect 10. Every player on the roster has to be salivating with the possibility of playing for a players coach who not only can teach. motivate and knows how to win, but also has a sense of humor where everyone around him can share in the laugh. Boylan tried to be clever and funny but never realized people were laughing at him, not with him.

Chances are he can’t get traded and won’t be banished to the inactive list. His shooting as has been terrible and if D’Antoni comes in we assume he’ll only get more looks right? Is there a positive in this? He lead the league in steals a few years ago. Perhaps a more up tempo game can let him flourish in transition and points off turnovers?

From looking at every roster in the league, and their salary situations, the only realistic way I can potentially see getting rid of Hughes so far is by trading him to the Pacers for Jermaine O’Neal…

Both guys have terrrible contracts with 2 more years left, but Jermaine makes about 21 million with Hughes just under 13 million. If you add Gooden’s expiring deal of about 7 milion then the salaries match up. I think the Bulls might also have to throw the #9 pick into the deal to make this sweet enough for Indy though.

From the Pacers viewpoint, they save about 8 million in guaranteed salary for 2009-2010, because Gooden will be off the books after next year. They also then have the #9 and #11 picks in the draft this year to get some young talent to build with. I think O’Neal has kind of quit on them and wants out, and I think they’re in need of getting rid of some bigger contracts. Granted they still have to pay Tinsley and Troy Murphy a ton of money through 2010-2011, but maybe they can address that in another deal or 2. At least gettting rid of O’Neal gets them going in the right direction in terms of cutting salary and getting a good draft pick.

From the Bulls viewpoint, I guess the first thing is to figure out if O’Neal is washed up/too injury-prone, or if he’s just fed up with the situation in Indy and needs a change of scenery to get himself going again. He is only 29 years old and has enough skill that he should be able to play at a high level for at least the next 2 years, which he would be under contract for.

I like Noah and Thomas and don’t want to stunt their growth by not getting them enough minutes, but I think a 3 man rotation at the 4 & 5 spots of O’Neal, Noah, and Thomas could work well. That’s 32 minutes each that can be adjusted depending on who is having a good night or is in foul trouble. Plus O’Neal gives a much different look on offense than Noah or Thomas as he is a better post scorer and a better shooter out the about 17 feet. O’Neal is a good rebounder and shot blocker too, so the Bulls should be set as far as interior defense and rebounding.

I also think this helps the perimeter guys on offense and prevents them from having to try to score or create too much, because we’d have a legitimate scoring big man. This would take the load off of Hinrich, Gordon, and Deng and make us a more well rounded team offensively.

I don’t know how realistic this is, but I have been trying to think of any way possible to get rid of Highes, and I know that the only way to do it will be taking back a bad contract in return and giving up a young player or draft pick with it.

Ths would only be a 2 year commitment on O’Neal as his contract is up after 2009-2010. We’re already on the hook with Gooden for 1 year and Hughes 2, so I think it could be worth it.

If it doesn’t work out next year, then the Bulls either have an expiring $22 million contract to trade or to hang onto to create cap space for the summer of 2010.

And as far as sending Nocioni instead, the Pacers are trying to cut salary and Nocioni has a longer contract. This is appealing to them, because Gooden comes off the books after next year, and they get another good pick in this year’s draft. They also already have Granger and Dunleavy, who are both really small forwards, so adding another one would not make any sense. We’re all Bulls fans here, but you have to look at these trades from both sides.

I think they would want at the least our first round draft pick along with Hughes and likely Gooden or Nocioni. Despite his injuries he would be a great addition. Although his offense has not been that impressive recently, he would give the Bulls another terrific defensive, shot blocking big. The Bulls could afford to rest him with his injury history because of their depth. As long as he is healthy for the playoff run, because with his addition, the Bulls would definitely make the playoffs next year (assuming D’Antoni is our coach) and get beyond the first round, at the least. Wishful thinking, maybe, but I don’t think so.

Young stallions need room to run, not someone who will turn them into harness racers.
If you’e going to saddle them up, make sure the trainer cracking the whip is someone who recognizes this. My only concern if the Bulls let Adams go is how Noah’s psyche will handle the loss of his spiritual mentor. And then if the next shoe drops, meaning cutting Pete Myers adrift, can the Bulls really afford to lose a quality hall of famer like him? Oh wait, I was thinking of Pete Maravich.

lol. Isn’t it bad enough they were led this year by a bunch of braying jackasses?

knock 2 birds out with one stone and hire Dantoni to be the head coach (for our offense) and thibedo as an assistant (for our defense)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-080505-mike-dantoni-chicago-bulls,0,1914550.story

It also says Paxson interviewed some guy named Mark Dunlap (a Denver assistant). I know nothing about the guy at all, but it would be hilarious if Paxson decided to hire a guy no one’s ever heard of over Mike D’Antoni and Avery Johnson.

sign D’Antoni because the Bulls are unwilling to meet his financial demands.

If they’re unwilling to pay good money for a replacement? Were they just planning on hiring some random assistant who would work cheap? If so, they might as well have just kept Skiles. This is the most profitable franchise in the league, so if they fuck this up simply because of money, then this is nothing but a bush-league franchise that deserves to lose.

And it’s really quite simple why D’Antoni would choose the Knicks over the Bulls- money, absolutely no pressure to win for a few years, and after Isiah, D’Antoni will be treated as a savior by the New York media. Oh yes, did I mention money? D’Antoni’s spent the last few years working for a owner that routinely sells his draft picks off to save money (and then complains that the team has no depth and that D’Antoni doesn’t play enough people off the bench), so I wouldn’t blame him for wanting to go to a team that money is no object for.