D'Antoni, Knicks, Bulls weighing options

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.

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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. But Paxson is scheduled to interview former Dallas coach Avery Johnson soon, and sources characterize ESPN reports Tuesday that a deal with the Bulls is "imminent" as premature at best.

Meanwhile, Knicks president Donnie Walsh, who was in Phoenix on Monday night to speak with D'Antoni, flew to Houston on Tuesday for his own talks with Johnson. But while sources in New York continue to report Walsh's top candidate remains former Knick Mark Jackson - a popular face in the Big Apple both as a player and broadcaster (ESPN, New Jersey Nets) - D'Antoni remains very much in the mix after impressing Walsh during their meeting.

There are plusses and minuses to both destinations for D'Antoni:

In Chicago, he would again be following the hard-line approach of Scott Skiles and would be seen as a breath of fresh air in the Windy City. The roster is stocked with talent that would enjoy his up-tempo system and several players - among them guard Thabo Sefolosha and forwards Luol Deng and Joakim Noah - which D'Antoni liked or coveted during his Phoenix tenure.

Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf is a Valley winter resident who knows D'Antoni well and is close friends with Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo. But he has told a Chicago radio station recently that the next Bulls coach will adhere to the organization's long-standing defensive philosophy, not a D'Antoni strength, and Paxson agrees.

Chicago is also not in a position to offer D'Antoni big money. The Bulls have to pay Skiles - who was fired last Christmas Eve and has since become coach of the Milwaukee Bucks - the $6 million-plus remaining on his deal, leaving them no match for the deep-pocketed Knicks.

In New York, D'Antoni would be the follow-up act to the Isiah Thomas nightmare at Madison Square Garden, and his affable nature and open media policy would be a 180-degree change in philosophy on and off the court.

Owned by Cablevision and run by heir James Dolan, the Knicks have plenty of financial clout and could offer D'Antoni a five-year package approaching $30 million to turn around what has become the league's saddest franchise.

But the Knicks also have a roster filled with plodders (Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph) that are square pegs for D'Antoni's fast-paced system. Then there is point guard Stephon Marbury, who didn't mesh well with D'Antoni when they were together in Phoenix, and Act II isn't likely to be much better.

Interestingly, sources also tell the Tribune that while D'Antoni was given permission from the Suns to interview with the Knicks and Bulls, he wasn't extended the same courtesy when it came to former Phoenix GM Bryan Colangelo and the Toronto Raptors.

Money again would have played a key role. Sam Mitchell is the coach in Toronto, and while there have been rumors about his possible departure, he still has two years and $8 million left on his contract with the Raptors.

Meanwhile, Dallas is expected to name Rick Carlisle as its coach within a few days. The Mavericks did not request to speak with D'Antoni about the position. Carlisle and D'Antoni share the same agent, Warren LeGarie, who has been overseas for more than a week for the European Basketball Championships.

One other candidate known to have been interviewed by Paxson and the Bulls, Denver Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap, has agreed to join Lute Olson's staff as lead assistant at the University of Arizona.