Bulls too late to make D'Antoni an offer

CHICAGO -- The Bulls were ready to talk contract Saturday with Mike D'Antoni but never got a chance.

So said general manager John Paxson after D'Antoni agreed to become the New York Knicks' head coach.

Paxson, who first interviewed D'Antoni a week ago, expressed surprise that D'Antoni wouldn't wait to meet a second time with Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf before accepting what reportedly is a four-year, $24 million contract from the Knicks.

''I felt the meeting (Sunday) went very well and felt we connected on many things philosophically,'' Paxson said. ''On Tuesday, Jerry and I met. Because of our strong interest, Jerry was eager to meet with Mike personally, which happened Friday.''

Reinsdorf hoped to meet again Saturday, Paxson said.

''(On Saturday) morning, Jerry and I spoke and agreed that Mike was a good fit,'' Paxson said. ''I placed a call to his agent (Warren LeGarie). Jerry wanted to meet with Mike again and talk about a deal. Unfortunately, we were never given an opportunity to make an offer of any kind, which is the most disappointing thing in all of this right now.

"I thought it would have been fair to listen to what we had to say, but at the end of the day, we simply weren't given the opportunity to do so. I now will continue to search for the proper fit for our current roster.''

Neither the Knicks nor D'Antoni commented Saturday. A message left for LeGarie wasn't returned.

D'Antoni was believed to prefer the Bulls because he saw the younger talent on their roster as a better fit for his fast-break style than the Knicks, who were assembled by the recently fired Isiah Thomas, the former general manager and coach.

But a source told the New York Post that D'Antoni believes Knicks president Donnie Walsh will give him the time and talent to turn things around.

''He feels management will give him all he needs,'' the source told the Post. ''He liked Donnie. It was a gut feeling.''

Walsh reportedly put together his offer for D'Antoni on Thursday after the two had met Monday in Phoenix. Before that meeting, it widely was believed that former Knicks guard Mark Jackson was Walsh's top choice to replace Thomas.

Paxson also has interviewed Jackson, who has no coaching experience. The Bulls still intend to interview Avery Johnson, who was fired by the Dallas Mavericks. But there is a sense that Johnson is serious about sitting out next season and collecting money from the Mavs, who owe him $12 million over the next three seasons unless he decides to take another job.

Johnson also might be waiting to see if the Atlanta Hawks will be in the market for a head coach once they hire a new general manager. Coaches currently on playoff teams, such as Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau and Detroit Pistons assistant Michael Curry, also are believed to be of interest to the Bulls.

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