Suns Trade Rumors

"Donnie Walsh efuted an Internet report that the Knicks were preparing to make Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni a "staggering" offer to succeed Isiah Thomas. The Knicks president has not given any indication that D'Antoni has supplanted Mark Jackson as the favorite to become his team's next coach. Instead, Walsh is doing what he normally does: playing it close to the vest. Jackson, according to sources, remains Walsh's top choice while D'Antoni could emerge as a candidate as well. "

" Sources indicated yesterday Knicks president Donnie Walsh is torn on whether to offer the job to the star coach available, Mike D'Antoni, or take a slight gamble on someone with no head-coaching experience, Mark Jackson. Last night Walsh, through a spokesman, emphatically said he has not offered the job to anybody, contrary to a report. "

"Mike D’Antoni is likely headed elsewhere by this weekend, but not much progress toward his final destination was made Wednesday. That could change quickly today. ESPN.com, citing NBA coaching sources, reported the New York Knicks are prepared to make a “staggering” financial offer to D’Antoni to prove he is the No. 1 choice to lead that once-proud franchise out of the wilderness. The offer, which could top $30 million for five years, would figure to far outdistance any offer D’Antoni’s other suitor, the Chicago Bulls, could muster."

"If Suns coach Mike D'Antoni could get what he wanted for his 57th birthday today, it would be a long-term contract with just compensation from the Chicago Bulls. An NBA source close to the situation said three things could make that happen: "

"Rick Carlisle is nearly off the market, and Mike D’Antoni — who never officially hit the market — could be the next top-tier N.B.A. coach to land a new job... D’Antoni, who is also represented by LeGarie, is anticipating offers from the Knicks and the Chicago Bulls by the weekend. If that happens, D’Antoni could make a decision by early next week. LeGarie contradicted reports that D’Antoni was already weighing an offer from Chicago."

"Mike D'Antoni is on the short list in both Chicago and New York - but he remains the coach of the Phoenix Suns because there are complications keeping both those lists from shrinking down to just his name. League sources confirm that two meetings with D'Antoni and Chicago general manager John Paxson progressed well enough for D'Antoni to be considered the front-runner for the Bulls' position. "

"General manager John Paxson has declined to comment, but ESPN.com is reporting, citing NBA front-office sources, that the Bulls and Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni are close to agreeing on a deal. But a Phoenix radio station reports that D'Antoni is closer to a deal with the New York Knicks because money is getting in the way of a Bulls' deal."

"A Phoenix source said D'Antoni would like to know by Friday which team he will be coaching next season and that the door to return to the Suns has not been shut completely by owner Robert Sarver. Sarver's stance, however, is likely based on the fact the Suns owe D'Antoni $8.5 million for the two years left on his contract unless he is hired by another team. Reports out of New York say Mark Jackson, whom Paxson also interviewed, remains the Knicks' top choice. Rick Carlisle, the first candidate Paxson interviewed, is regarded as the favorite to take over for Johnson in Dallas."

"After interviewing with Knicks president Donnie Walsh in the Phoenix area on Monday, D'Antoni reportedly is headed to Chicago to succeed Scott Skiles as soon as the two sides can agree on a contract, according to NBA sources. Walsh traveled from Arizona to the Houston area Tuesday and met with former Mavs coach Avery Johnson to continue his "due-diligence tour." But Jackson is still regarded as the overwhelming favorite to replace Isiah Thomas. Before Walsh talked to D'Antoni, the Bulls interviewed him on Sunday, apparently coming away thinking that his prolific offensive system will be a good fit for Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and other players who underachieved this season. "

"The Knicks and Bulls may lock horns in a bidding war for Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. According to a source close to the Suns coach, D'Antoni is expecting to receive formal proposals from the Knicks and Bulls by week's end. At least that's what he hopes. The imminent nature of these two offers likely was urged by D'Antoni, who has been told by Suns GM Steve Kerr the club wants a decision by Friday."

"Mike D'Antoni isn't wasting any time in his search for new employment. The Tribune confirmed a report from SI.com Monday that both Chicago general manager John Paxson and New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh have flown to the Valley to interview D'Antoni. He is still technically the head coach of the Suns, but was given permission to seek other employment after Friday's meeting with GM Steve Kerr and team owner Robert Sarver produced little common ground for moving forward together."

"By tomorrow, Knicks president Donnie Walsh will have interviewed Mike D'Antoni and Avery Johnson as his decision on whom to offer the coaching job of the moribund franchise takes shape. Walsh had a reservation last night at a Phoenix hotel and was expected to have dinner with D'Antoni. A source said Bulls president John Paxson met with D'Antoni Sunday night, and Chicago appears to be the favorite. "

"While Bulls general manager John Paxson maintained his vow of silence with the media Monday concerning his coaching search, Paxson apparently is doing plenty of talking. After reportedly interviewing Denver Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap on Saturday, Paxson was in Phoenix on Sunday and Monday to meet with Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. Word out of Phoenix is that D'Antoni told Paxson he wants to be the Bulls' next coach. New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh also traveled to Phoenix over the weekend to interview D'Antoni."

"Mike D'Antoni has told John Paxson he wants to be the Bulls' next coach, according to sources. Whether Paxson has the same wish remains to be seen after the Bulls' general manager spent parts of Sunday and Monday with the Suns' coach in Phoenix. If nothing else, Paxson is staying true to his word to keep this critically important search wide-ranging and open-ended. Not many searches travel from relatively anonymous Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap to the high-profile D'Antoni within a wild 24 hours."

"The innovative coach Mike D’Antoni and the Phoenix Suns appear to be moving toward a swift divorce, and it could be only a matter of days before he lands in New York or Chicago. In response to reports in the news media, the Suns confirmed Monday that D’Antoni had permission to speak with other teams, a reversal of the position the team took publicly last week. Sports Illustrated reported on its Web site that D’Antoni had already met with one team Sunday and was meeting with a second team Monday. Those teams were believed to be the Bulls and the Knicks."

"The Bulls will be watching Phoenix in the coming days to see if coach Mike D'Antoni joins the list of available candidates. Depending on how things work out, Bulls general manager John Paxson could be faced with a tantalizing choice between Johnson's discipline and D'Antoni's up-tempo offense. Both have taken home NBA coach of the year awards and produced multiple 60-win seasons."

"KTAR (620 AM), the Suns flagship station, reported late Sunday night that general manager Steve Kerr had granted D’Antoni permission to speak with both the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks about their vacant head coaching positions. That’s a sign Friday’s initial two-hour meeting between D’Antoni, Kerr and Suns managing partner Robert Sarver may have revealed too big of a disconnect for coach and GM to continue working together."

"Suns coach Mike D'Antoni will interview with Chicago and New York about their head coaching vacancies in a sign that he and the Suns brass may have irreconcilable differences. D'Antoni and Suns General Manager Steve Kerr were not available for comment but a franchise source confirmed a KTAR-AM report that Suns management had given D'Antoni permission to interview with other teams."

"Suns coach Mike D'Antoni has been granted permission to speak with NBA teams, including the Bulls and Knicks, according to KTAR-AM 620 in Phoenix. D'Antoni was previously denied permission to speak with any team, Suns GM Steve Kerr told the radio station last week."

"An NBA source said D'Antoni is first on Dallas' wish list to replace Johnson. Chicago and New York also might be interested in D'Antoni, but Kerr said he would not grant permission to a team seeking to talk to D'Antoni. Kerr's sole focus is to find common ground with D'Antoni about how the team can be improved, particularly on defense, with him as coach. "

"Avery Johnson has been out of work for only two days and already has been contacted by at least three teams, including the Phoenix Suns, according to an NBA source. The same source indicated that as of late Thursday afternoon the Knicks had not contacted Johnson, the coach who was fired by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, but that team president Donnie Walsh was expected to reach out to him this weekend. Walsh is close friends with legendary college coach Ben Jobe, who is Johnson's coaching mentor. "

"Avery Johnson's name has been added to the Knicks' ever-growing list of coaching candidates. A source close to Donnie Walsh said the Knicks' president is targeting several head coaches and assistant coaches of playoff teams to interview but that he will not make contact with any of them until their respective seasons end. Johnson, though, became available yesterday, when he was fired less than 24 hours after the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated by New Orleans in five games. "

"This is what Knick president Donnie Walsh was waiting for. The Knick coaching search revved up yesterday as Dallas fired Avery Johnson and the Suns reportedly planned to ax Mike D'Antoni. The developments gave lead candidate Mark Jackson serious competition, with Walsh interested in talking to Johnson and D'Antoni, if the latter becomes available, according to sources. The news justifies Walsh's decision not to rush into hiring Jackson, with three Coach of the Year winners, including Raptor coach Sam Mitchell, possibly on the market, too. "

"Avery Johnson was fired by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, and Mike D’Antoni clung loosely to his job in Phoenix — their fates underscoring that success is no guarantee of security for N.B.A. head coaches. The Mavericks fired Johnson a day after his team was eliminated from the playoffs by the New Orleans Hornets. The Suns also lost their first-round series, to the San Antonio Spurs, amid widespread reports that D’Antoni would be replaced."

"With two years and $8.5 million left on his contract, D'Antoni is unlikely to be fired. If he returns, it could be with concessions to change. But there is also the possibility that he leaves of his own accord, especially with a perceived lack of support - and interest from New York and Chicago, both of which have vacancies. There is also the chance Toronto President Bryan Colangelo fires Sam Mitchell to hire the coach he brought to Phoenix from Italy."

"President and general manager Bryan Colangelo finds it "absolutely ludicrous" that there would be suggestions he's going to fire Mitchell and replace him with Phoenix head coach Mike D'Antoni, who is still actually working for the Suns."

"There's also the possibility that D'Antoni might initiate the separation. Two team sources said D'Antoni has grown weary of the grind and the expectations and could take a year off or move to another team and get a fresh start. Say, for example, Toronto, where he would rejoin Bryan Colangelo."

"With two years and $8.5 million left on his contract, D'Antoni is unlikely to be fired. If he returns, it could be with concessions to change. But there is also the possibility that he leaves of his own accord, especially with a perceived lack of support - and interest from New York and Chicago, both of which have vacancies. There is also the chance Toronto President Bryan Colangelo fired Sam Mitchell to hire the coach he brought to Phoenix from Italy."

"As speculation about Mike D’Antoni’s job security has increased the last few days, this is what we’ve heard from Suns owner Robert Sarver and general manager Steve Kerr: Nothing."

"Suns General Manager Steve Kerr calling it a non-issue and saying evaluations will come at season's end did not stop the talk. A convincing Game 4 win did nothing to quell it either. Now, Suns players are trying to take the public heat off their coach, Mike D'Antoni."

"Despite his reputation as a mediocre defensive coach, Mike D'Antoni is on Donnie Walsh's radar for the Knick opening if D'Antoni is fired by the Suns after the first round, according to a source close to the Knick president. Meanwhile, veteran coach Paul Silas told The Post last night he plans on contacting Walsh in the next few days with interest in interviewing for the Knick job."

" Despite the remaining two-year, $4M per obligation and the Raptors' second straight playoff appearance - and 41 wins despite the full-season absence of starting small forward Jorge Garbajosa, T.J. Ford missing half the year due to neck damage and Chris Bosh being unavailable for franchise-player duty for 15 games (another six to get back in shape) - Mitchell reportedly is in job jeopardy. Should Mike D'Antoni bear the brunt of the Suns' annual playoff eviction by the Spurs, the prevailing suspicion is Colangelo will pick up his faithful Phoenix companion on the short hop. "

"So there's that. But the crux of the buzz, really, is this: If you asked Colangelo, in a fantasy-league hypothetical, who he'd pick to coach his dream team, Mike D'Antoni would be in the conversation, and probably at the top of it. And for the first time since Colangelo arrived in Toronto more than two years ago, D'Antoni, the Phoenix Suns coach, may well be available this off-season."

"Assuming the Phoenix Suns don't become the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-0 playoff series deficit and go on to win the NBA championship, Steve Nash has an important decision to make. His career now can go one of two ways."

"With the Suns now one loss from postseason elimination, the belief that Mike D’Antoni won’t be back as coach next season is becoming widespread."

"Let's connect the polka dots. No sooner does Larry Brown resign his vacuous vice president's job - or whatever title it was - with the 76ers than the 32-50 Bobcats turn Sam Vincent into Sam Vincent van Gone... If my conclusion-jumping is off target, the Grizzlies' presidency and coaching jobs are there for the scoop should Brown want them. Again, he was never in Bulls GM John Paxson's interviewing equation, which has expanded beyond Rick Carlisle... Yesterday's La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Mike D'Antoni could wind up in Toronto with former Suns exec Bryan Colangelo should Phoenix make him the designated scapegoat for its playoff failures and Sam Mitchell be fired by the Raptors."

"Remember Allan Houston? The former sharpshooter turns 37 in just over two weeks and has played only one game ? a six-minute stint with the Knicks at the beginning of this season ? since retiring in 2005 because of chronic knee problems. Houston is in the Valley to visit friend Grant Hill. But while he?s here, he also asked to be evaluated by the Suns medical staff ? or as they are fast becoming known around the NBA, ?The Fountain of Youth.?"

"Former NBA star Allan Houston visited Thursday with the Suns athletic trainers, watched practice with Suns Assistant General Manager Vinny Del Negro and got in an afternoon workout on the court after Phoenix's practice. It's all exploratory. Houston is visiting former Detroit teammate Grant Hill and wanted to learn what the Suns' renowned medical staff, including National Academy of Sports Medicine President Mike Clark, have done to revive injury-plagued players."

"Suns Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin went to Milwaukee on Monday to talk to Bucks officials about their vacant general manager job but has let Milwaukee know that he is leaning toward remaining with the Suns. Griffin was a candidate for the Memphis GM job last year but pulled his name out."

"In regards to Ben Gordon, do you think that the Suns would be interested in trading their pick (from Atlanta) for him? He seems to fit the style that they play (all offense, no defense), and they never use rookies anyway. "

"The Suns expect to sign free-agent wing shooter Gordan Giricek on Tuesday but that does not mean they are done adding talent. Phoenix also is talking about signing free-agent point guard Tyronn Lue, who was released by Sacramento on Friday without playing for the Kings since Atlanta sent him there in the Feb. 16 Mike Bibby trade."

"Still looking for a little backup help at the point guard position, the Suns are attempting add point guard Tyronn Lue — who had his $3.5 million contract bought out by Sacramento on Friday, leaving him eligible for the playoffs for a team that signs him."

"As expected Philadelphia released Gordan Giricek on Friday and the Suns will sign the 6-foot-6 Croatian guard as soon as he clears waivers on Tuesday. No NBA team is expected to pick up Giricek’s $4 million contract that expires at the end of the season over the next two business days. Once he clears, Phoenix will sign him to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum."

"Philadelphia waived Gordan Giricek on Friday. That sets up a 48-hour period in which any team can claim him on waivers but only business days count. That means the Suns can't sign him until noon Tuesday."

"In a move that had been expected, the 76ers waived Gordan Giricek yesterday, two months to the day after they got him from the Utah Jazz with a first-round pick for Kyle Korver. Giricek, who was acquired Dec. 29, is expected to sign with the Phoenix Suns after clearing waivers."

"Bygones, Brent Barry. Greetings, Gordan Giricek. Barry told Suns General Manager Steve Kerr on Thursday night that he would re-sign with San Antonio despite a tempting role offer in Phoenix."

"In the end, Brent Barry just couldn’t leave home. Barry told Suns general manager Steve Kerr late Thursday evening he intends to re-sign with the San Antonio Spurs when he is able to do so next month... The Philadelphia Daily News reported the 76ers are willing to release Giricek as long as he signs with a Western Conference team, and that his direction is Phoenix."

"The Suns got another phone call and some more text messages Wednesday from free-agent guard Brent Barry but still no decision. Barry told teams he would have a decision Tuesday. He has remained torn between the opportunity of a significant playing role in Phoenix and his emotional attachment to San Antonio, where he has played since 2004, winning two titles and establishing a family home."

"The Suns were still pursuing Brent Barry with a full-court press on Wednesday, but they can’t afford to wait much longer for his decision."

" Another day came and went with no indication about Brent Barry's immediate basketball future. Barry, waived by Seattle after the Spurs traded him to the SuperSonics as part of the package that brought Kurt Thomas to San Antonio, reportedly will either re-sign with the Spurs or join the Phoenix Suns, a team he twice helped the Spurs defeat in playoff series en route to two NBA championships. "