Inside the Bulls

The Bulls believe Avery Johnson is not interested in becoming their next head coach and the team has no plans to further pursue him.
Johnson told Dan Patrick on WSCR Thursday that he had spoken to the Bulls last week but the former Dallas Mavericks coach indicated his options included taking time off. That is the message the Bulls have heard loud and clear from Johnson. The Mavs owe Johnson $12 million for the three seasons left on his Dallas contract until he takes another job.
Bulls general manager has scheduled interviews next week with coaches currently on the staffs of playoff teams, once the second round concludes, including Utah Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin. Other assistants expected to be interviewed by Paxson include Boston's Tom Thibodeau, Detroit's Michael Curry, and Brian Shaw of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Posted by Brian Hanley at 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Marc Silverman's about as good a reporter as there is in this city, especially for a radio guy, and he caught an interesting nugget in a story the other day and followed up on it today.

Sam Smith, in The Sporting News, quoted Jerry Reinsdorf the other day saying Mike D'Antoni would have been amenable to bringing Doug Collins to the Bulls as an assistant coach.

There wasn't a follow-up question to Reinsdorf, so Silverman asked D'Antoni about it today on the "Waddle and Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000.

Here's what D'Antoni said;
"Doug’s been a friend, we played the same years in college and then we were at the Olympics trials together, so I’ve known Doug for 40 years probably and he was great. And we talked about it and jumped back and forth and I think one of the cities he would do that is Chicago, he wouldn’t do that many places and he probably wouldn’t do that with many guys, but we have a special bond and that was just something that we threw out at each other when we were talking through the process, but you’d have to ask Doug that. I don’t know if we ever got to that point but it was an interesting concept."

Posted by Roman Modrowski at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Salt Lake City Tribune reports that the Bulls have asked the Jazz permission to talk to assistant coach Ty Corbin.

But the Bulls will have to wait until the Jazz are out of the playoffs. The Lakers lead the series 3-2 and play Game 6 tonight.

Posted by Roman Modrowski at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After a Friday meeting with Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, Mike D'Antoni has decided Saturday to take what is a reported four-year, $24 million deal to become the next head coach of the New York Knicks.

Both SI.com and the New York Post reported that D'Antoni has accepted the offer.
Sources confirmed to the Sun-Times that Reinsdorf and D'Antoni met Friday and that the Bulls were not ready to offer a formal contract to the former Phoenix Suns coach.
The Suns are no longer obligated to pay D'Antoni the $8.5 million for the two years left on his contract.
Bulls general manager John Paxson first interviewed D'Antoni, known for his offense-first style, last weekend. Paxson made it clear to D'Antoni he was going to continue to interview other candidates and had no timetable to make a decision. Knicks president Donnie Walsh moved quickly to put together a lucrative offer Thursday for D'Antoni after the two met earlier in the week in Phoenix.
D'Antoni was said to prefer the Bulls job and saw the younger talent on the team's roster as a better fit for his fast-break style of play. Obviously he and Reinsdorf, who still prefers a defensive-minded coach, did not find a way to make the situation work. The Bulls are not expected to pay more than $5 million per year to their new coach.
D'Antoni's hiring comes after much speculation in New York that Mark Jackson was the front-runner to land the Knicks job. Paxson has also interviewed Jackson, who has no coaching experience.
A source close to Avery Johnson’s situation said Paxson had to postpone an interview scheduled with Johnson, recently fired as coach of the Dallas Mavericks, due to a conflict. The Bulls have shown a willingness to reschedule but there is a sense that Johnson is serious about sitting out next season and collecting money from the Mavs, who would owe $12 million over the next three seasons if Johnson decides not to return to coaching. Johnson may also be waiting to see if the Atlanta Hawks will be in the market for a head coach once they hire a new general manager.
Tom Thibodeau, Boston Celtics assistant, could also be interviewed by Paxson if a D'Antoni deal is not done soon.

Posted by Brian Hanley at 08:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Chicago Bulls announced today the hiring of Chuck Swirsky to handle the radio play-by-play duties for Chicago Bulls broadcasts on ESPN 1000 (WMVP-AM) beginning with the 2008-09 season. In this role, Swirsky will be teamed with Bill Wennington who will continue handling the color commentary. Wennington has served as the team’s radio analyst for the past five seasons.
Longtime Chicago Bulls radio play-by-play announcer Neil Funk will now become the voice of the Bulls on its television broadcasts. He replaces Tom Dore on Comcast SportsNet and Wayne Laravee on WGN-TV and WCIU-TV. Funk has been the voice of Bulls radio since 1991. Funk will be paired with Stacey King on all local telecasts. King has been a color commentator with the team for the past two seasons.
Swirsky joins the Bulls from the Toronto Raptors where he most recently served as the team’s television play-by-play announcer for seven seasons. Prior to that, he called the action for the Raptors radio broadcasts for three seasons.
``I am honored, humbled and appreciative to the Chicago Bulls as I return to a world class city and look forward to being a part of the Bulls organization and the Chicagoland community,” Swirsky said. “I want to thank Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and Toronto fans for ten great years of support and encouragement.”
Swirsky brings more than 20 years of broadcasting experience to the airwaves including stints with University of Michigan basketball and DePaul University. He also served as sports director for WJR-AM in Detroit where he anchored the pre-game and post-game shows for the Detroit Red Wings and the University of Michigan football team.
Swirsky rose to prominence while serving as the sports director for WGN-AM in Chicago from 1982 to 1994. He was the host of the Chicago Bears Radio Network for 10 years and held similar responsibilities for the Chicago Cubs Radio Network for 12 seasons. He was also the Bulls public address announcer from 1980 to 1983. At WGN, Swirsky called the action for the Chicago Sting of the NASL and extended into television as a play-by-play announcer for Northwestern University football for three seasons.
``We are most excited to announce that we are bringing Chuck Swirsky back to Chicago where his career began,” said Steve Schanwald, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Bulls. “Chuck is one of the most respected play-by-play announcers in the NBA and I know our fans will enjoy his exciting style of calling a game.”
The Bulls also announced that longtime broadcaster Johnny “Red” Kerr will serve as the host of the Bulls local home telecasts and appear during Bulls pre-game and halftime shows to provide commentary and analysis. His role with the organization will also include appearing at various events around the Chicagoland area as a Bulls Goodwill Ambassador.
Kerr will be honored during the 2008-09 season on a date to be determined for his 36 years of service to the Bulls. In recognition of his contribution to the organization, a sculpture of Kerr will be commissioned and permanently placed on display in the United Center.

Posted by Brian Hanley at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Bulls are believed to be among the three teams which have reportedly already contacted Avery Johnson, who was fired Wednesday as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. ``Anyone with a track record will be considered,'' a source close to the Bulls search said when asked about the team's interest in Johnson. Johnson, who has three years worth $12 million left on his Dallas contract--has indicated he may take a season off and collect the $4 million the Mavs would owe him before getting back on an NBA bench.
Mike D'Antoni would be added to the Bulls' list of candidates as the next head coach should a meeting Friday between he and Phoenix Suns brass--including GM Steve Kerr and owner Robert Sraver--lead to a parting of the ways. Kerr has declined to give permission to teams seeking to talk with D'Antoni. Kerr said he would like D'Antoni to return--the coach has two years left on his contract worth $8.5 million--if the two men can resolve the differences which arose between them this season. D'Antoni reportedly is the Mavs' No. 1 candidate should he leave the Suns.
Rick Carlisle, who was the first candidate Paxson interviewed, reportedly met Wednesday with New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh to talk about their head coaching vacancy.
Also, as expected, Jim Boylan will be an assistant on Scott Skiles' staff in Milwaukee. Boylan was promoted from assitant to interim head coach of the Bulls after Skiles was fired on Christmas Eve.

Posted by Brian Hanley at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)