Bordow: It's now Kerr's turn on the hot seat

Any day now, news will break that Mike D'Antoni has been named coach of the Chicago Bulls or the New York Knicks or some other NBA club, and general manager Steve Kerr will be left with a perplexing and disturbing question:

Now what?

Report: Bulls, Knicks officials interview D’Antoni

Before we try to answer that, let's be clear on one point: Neither Kerr nor D'Antoni are to blame for the dissolution of their marriage.

As GM, Kerr has every right to ask D'Antoni to make changes in the way he coaches.

At the same time, D'Antoni has every right to reject those changes and seek employment elsewhere.

Neither man is at fault. They simply have philosophical differences they can't bridge.

That said, Kerr took a huge gamble in pushing his beliefs on D'Antoni. He's known all along that his mandates - a deeper bench, greater attention to defense, holding Amaré Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa more accountable for their mistakes - would irk a proud man like D'Antoni and persuade him to look for another job.

And that's exactly what's happened.

And now the coach who led Phoenix to 232 wins, two Western Conference finals berths and three Pacific Division crowns over the past four seasons is about to take his innovative style to another club.

How sad.

There's no way D'Antoni can return next year. Every time the Suns lost three straight games, there would be talk about his job security and questions to Kerr about D'Antoni's coaching methods. It wouldn't be fair to D'Antoni, the players or the organization.

No, the question isn't whether D'Antoni stays or goes, it's who replaces him.

Doug Collins doesn't want the job. Rick Carlisle is in line to become the next Dallas Mavericks coach. Kerr isn't interested in Avery Johnson.

Jeff Van Gundy?

While defending D'Antoni in a recent interview with the Tribune, he torched owner Robert Sarver and Phoenix's bench players. That's not exactly a prerequisite for a positive job interview.

Kerr could hire a hot assistant like Boston's Tom Thibodeau, a defensive specialist who is credited for the Celtics ranking second in the league in scoring defense at 90.2 points per game.

But the Suns have, maybe, one more year to try to win a title. Can they afford to wait as a first-time head coach adapts to the job?

For the same reason, putting assistant GM Vinny Del Negro or broadcaster Eddie Johnson on the bench makes no sense.

They might know their basketball, but the Suns don't need a head coach with a learner's permit.

So here's what Kerr likely is looking for: An experienced NBA coach who can massage another season out of an aging roster, improve the team's defense when its three best players are below-average defensively and get more production from a bench that doesn't have a lot of talent to begin with.

And that coach has to want a job that isn't nearly as attractive as it was once was.

See why it's a gamble for Kerr to nudge D'Antoni out the door?

When he acquired Shaquille O'Neal, Kerr said, "If it works, I'm a genius. If it doesn't, I'm a moron, I guess."

He could use the same line for D'Antoni's impending departure.

If Kerr strikes gold and the Suns win a title, he'll be hailed as the GM who had the guts to let a successful coach go.

But if D'Antoni's replacement strikes out while D'Antoni is winning 60 games with the Bulls, Kerr will be ripped for not letting the coach have his way.

Whatever happens, one thing is clear:

It's Kerr's team now.

His responsibility.

His burden.

OK ... NOW WHAT?

If Mike D'Antoni leaves the Suns as expected for another NBA job, it's unclear who Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr would favor as a replacement. With the list of potential candidates thin to begin with, here are a few to cross off right away:

Rick Carlisle: The early whisper-leader when the D'Antoni rumors first gained steam, Carlisle is expected to replace Avery Johnson as coach in Dallas within the next few days - another job that was really attractive two years ago and now ... not so much.

Doug Collins: He lives in the Valley, is friends with Kerr from their TNT days and has an intimate knowledge of the Suns. But Collins isn't interested in leaving the broadcast booth and, like other candidates with options, probably isn't interested in the direction of the franchise - toward rebuilding.

Alvin Gentry: He has NBA head coaching experience and is well-respected around the league for his abilities. But while the Suns have a long history of promoting from within (Paul Westphal, Danny Ainge, Scott Skiles, Frank Johnson and D'Antoni just over the last two decades), Kerr will be looking for a fresh voice.

Avery Johnson: The Little General took the Mavericks past the Suns and into the NBA Finals in 2006, and was a teammate of Kerr's in San Antonio. But the word is that Phoenix has no interest in interviewing one of the few available candidates with a recent, winning track record.

Jeff Van Gundy: The Suns want more of a defensive-minded staff, but they aren't ready to bring in the king of the 85-82 game. The ABC analyst flamed out in Houston after getting the Knicks to the NBA finals, and is the wrong fit for a roster that is pretty much locked in thanks to age and the salary cap.