D’Antoni Out in Phoenix; Toronto willing to compensate Mitchell?
Jack McCallum of SI, says that Phoenix will part ways with head coach Mike D’Antoni following the team’s early exit at the hands of the Spurs, and that the Raptors, Knicks and Bulls are two possible landing spots.
“One landing spot for him would seem to be Chicago, where general manager John Paxson has not yet replaced Jim Boylan, who himself replaced Scott Skiles (now in charge in Milwaukee). The Bulls underachieved this season under both coaches but would seem to have the kind of offensive nucleus (Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni) with which D’Antoni could build.
One other possibility is New York, where new president Donnie Walsh is taking his time making a head-coaching decision despite speculation that the hiring of former point guard Marc Jackson is a done deal. There has also been whispers of D’Antoni’s taking over in Toronto, where Sam Mitchell‘s coaching future is an ongoing discussion and where Bryan Colangelo, D’Antoni’s former boss in Phoenix and still a close friend, is calling the shots. But Toronto doesn’t seem as comfortable a fit for D’Antoni as Chicago or even New York. Don’t look for that to happen.”
The Journal News’ Mike Dougherty agrees that D’Antoni may not be a fit with the frugal Raptors, who would have to pay Sam Mitchell $9 million dollars.
“The powers that be in Toronto must first decide whether they are comfortable eating up to $9 million. It’s not likely to be an easy decision. The fiscally prudent Raptors have already begun wondering how they will be able to afford T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon, so they aren’t likely to simply throw money away.”
