Coaching Vacancy

[Admiral]

GM John Paxson appears to be in no hurry to make a hire, and there are two, maybe three, candidates who could end up beating Rick Carlisle to the coaching seat.

One is Avery Johnson, whose impending dismissal has been widely forecast if Dallas ends up losing to New Orleans.

The Bulls are also intrigued by Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau. Word is Carlisle plans to bring former NBA head coaches Terry Stotts (Atlanta and Milwaukee) and Dwane Casey (Minnesota) along as assistants if he's hired by the Bulls.

Arlington Heights Daily Herald

[Admiral]

Proving yet again his open-mindedness to a coach search that is nothing but open-ended, Bulls general manager John Paxson is scheduled to interview former NBA point guard Mark Jackson this week.

This despite Jackson telling confidantes his preference is to land his hometown Knicks job, for which he is considered the front-runner

The Chicago Tribune

[Admiral]

Here's what Tom Izzo said about a report that he's a candidate for the Chicago Bulls job: "I can definitely tell you I've never been contacted by anybody. The answer is no. I 100 percent have not been contacted by anybody there."

So what would he do if contacted? Would he give the Bulls a good listen? "I don't know if I would or not," he said from Milwaukee. "I really don't. I've got a class (coming in) here, we've got a chance to do some things."

Lansing State Journal

[Admiral]

The Bulls' coaching search continues with no favorite having emerged and no hiring imminent, according to those close to the situation.

GM John Paxson is set to interview Mark Jackson in Los Angeles, likely Wednesday. Jackson, the longtime NBA point guard and currently a TV analyst, reportedly is the front-runner to land the New York Knicks' vacancy.

Once the first round of the playoffs ends, Paxson is expected to interview some of the losing teams' assistant coaches. One assistant he is expected to interview is Utah's Tyrone Corbin, the former DePaul star.

Chicago Sun-Times

[Admiral]

The Bulls definitely have interest in Avery Johnson for their coaching vacancy and he more than likely is their top target. So far, Rick Carlisle and Mark Jackson are the only candidates to have formal interviews with GM John Paxson.

Arlington Heights Daily Herald

[Admiral]

Days like Wednesday are why GM John Paxson insisted he had no timetable to fill the Bulls' vacant coaching position. With the Mavericks firing Avery Johnson and enough smoke swirling to suggest Mike D'Antoni might walk away from two years and $8.5 million on his Suns contract, Paxson's lengthy list of candidates just got lengthier."

The Chicago Tribune

[Korrupt]

Avery Johnson in Chicago...that would be interesting.

[Admiral]

Not quite sure why the Bulls would want Johnson. Since taking the Mavs to the finals, he's been out cached ever since and has't grown much as a coach. D'Antoni would be interesting as he'd play to thier strengths; better pick of the two if you ask me.

[Admiral]

After reportedly interviewing Denver Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap on Saturday, John 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.

As much as D'Antoni might want to take over the Bulls' bench, Paxson may have to be convinced that he will emphasize defense and hold young players accountable for mistakes, two things Kerr reportedly believes D'Antoni did not do enough this season, which ended for the Suns in a first-round exit at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.

The fact that Steve Kerr and Paxson remain close and are like-minded in their basketball philosophies could make D'Antoni a longer shot for the Bulls' job than Avery Johnson.

Chicago Sun-Times

[Admiral]

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.

But Paxson, in his only public comments to date, also stressed he wanted to hear various philosophies and how different candidates viewed Bulls personnel. And Paxson will get plenty of honest background on D'Antoni from Kerr, a friend and trusted confidant.

The Chicago Tribune