There was some talk of the Knicks reaching out to Mike D'Antoni despite his closeness with the Chicago Bulls. Turns out we're reaching out with fat stacks of cash in our hands. From ESPN:

The New York Knicks on Thursday outlined the lucrative parameters of a five-year deal they're prepared to give new No. 1 coaching target Mike D'Antoni, according to NBA coaching sources.

A rival proposal from the Chicago Bulls-- the team many still favor to land D'Antoni -- is expected by Sunday at the latest, sources said.

Although Knicks president Donnie Walsh, through a team spokesman, insisted Thursday night that the Knicks have not offered "anyone" a coaching contract, that might just be a technicality. Sources close to the process say D'Antoni, who celebrated his 57th birthday Thursday, has had advanced discussions with the Knicks about leaving the desert for Manhattan.

The Phoenix Suns' coach will naturally wait to hear what the Bulls present before continuing or breaking off his dialogue with New York, given his well-established interest in the Bulls' opening and his standing as Chicago's top choice.

But the latest estimates on the five-year package New York is prepared to formally put on the table fall in the $30 million range. Although that figure had been projected Wednesday by coaching sources to be even more "staggering," it's a level of annual compensation exceeded by only a few coaches in the game, such as Phil Jackson and recent coaching retiree Pat Riley.

ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, quoting a source close to D'Antoni, reported on SportsCenter early Friday that D'Antoni is leaning toward taking the New York job.

It remains to be seen how high the Bulls are willing to go financially in comparison and how much security their pitch will afford. The Chicago Tribune reported in Thursday's editions the Bulls are determined to "pay D'Antoni only on their terms" and won't engage in a "protracted price war" with the Knicks.

What could be the logic behind this? Is D'Antoni really our top choice? Are we just toying with the Bulls? I will say that if D'Antoni's going to take that rumored hefty contract from us, he better be ready to grind. That cash won't look so pretty when he realizes he's got a team with no direction and no Steve Nash on his hands. The article goes on to say that Monday is a tentative date for D'Antoni to make a decision, so we'll sit tight until then.

Right in the midst of some second-round action with L.A., we're now representing the Utah Jazz at SB Nation. Head over to SLC Dunk (name courtesy of yours truly- my only real contribution to the company) to check out what Basketball John's got to say about Sloan and friends.

From Yahoo! Sports, it looks like those rumors of the Knicks and Avery Johnson having mutual interest are true.

New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh is racking up the mileage. On Tuesday, he's scheduled to fly to Houston in team owner Jim Dolan's private plane to meet with Avery Johnson regarding the Knicks' coaching vacancy.

Earlier Monday, Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum reported that Walsh had also jetted to Phoenix to meet with Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. Suns GM Steve Kerr announced Monday he has given D'Antoni permission to speak with other teams. Chicago Bulls officials also reportedly have spoken with D'Antoni.

Knicks spokesperson Jonathan Supranowitz said he could not confirm either of the team's meetings with Johnson or D'Antoni.

Good to know that Supranowitz is still as deceptive as ever. Nothing better than a mute spokesperson.

Anyway, it's good to know that Walsh is, as rumored, exploring a variety of options and not just settling on Jackson. Preacher (I'm calling him "Preacher" now, at least occasionally, because of his role in Eddie) may not even be the leading candidate anymore, for all we know. Maybe he never was. Maybe he doesn't even exist. Leave your thoughts on Walsh/Johnson '08 and the potential that Mark Jackson is a shape-shifting entity from another realm in the comments. Peace.

(Tip of the hat to Brett Edwards at the Fanhouse)

With thanks to our good friends at Bright Side of the Sun, KTAR in Arizona is reporting that Mike D'Antoni has been granted permission to talk to the Knicks and Bulls about vacant coaching positions.

D'Antoni was previously denied permission to speak with any team, Suns GM Steve Kerr told KTAR last week.

Kerr and owner Robert Sarver met with D'Antoni for a lunch meeting on Friday to discuss his future with Phoenix, but it was reported a decision would not be made until later in the week.

ESPN.com reported Friday that Chicago has emerged as the most likely landing spot for D'Antoni if he leaves Phoenix.

Bulls management contacted D'Antoni's agent last week, according to sources close to the subject.

D'Antoni, who has two years and $8.5 million left on his contract, would likely have to resign if he departed for Chicago.

First off, Chicago sounds like a better bet for D'Antoni. But say he is really interested in the Knicks spot? What do we think of him? Do remember that his only NBA coaching work was leading a run-and-gun offense with a two-time MVP at the point and an array of All-Star caliber weapons at other positions. He seems like a great guy and a fun coach, but does he fit a turnaround project with serious defensive flaws? I'm not so sure. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Our Knicks are currently in the throes of a coaching search. Donnie Walsh is moving as quietly as he can to survey the field and get in touch with potential candidates. Our range of suitors varies from guys with real experience (Johnson, Carlisle) to guys with only second-banana experience (Herb Williams, Thibodeau, Ewing?) to guys with none at all (Jackson).

In our discussions and in the news, there's been chatter about some of the apparent front-runners, like Mark Jackson, being too green for such a messy project as the Knicks. There's no doubt that what we need here is a culture change, and I just haven't seen coaching experience work in that department. This echoes some of the sentiments in Starktastic's diary and the comments below. There's a certain amount of pretense and pomp that comes with a veteran coach, and these cowboys aren't necessarily going to cope well with the sorry state of the Knicks and the onslaught from the New York media shitting upon their egos. If you want proof, look at our last three coaching hires. Wilkens curled up in the fetal position and caved. Brown got testy and threw the whole team under the bus (good luck with that guy, Charlotte!), and Isiah was Isiah.

I guess what I'm saying is sometimes you need somebody with a clear head and something to prove- someone who doesn't have their sexy track record as a safety net. It's gonna take someone really with patience and courage to turn the Knicks around, and coaches with a history of success aren't necessarily steeped in such values. If this sounds a little like another debate in national affairs, it should.

I'm not trying to shoot down the prospects of Johnson or Carlisle or whoever. I just think that, unless your experience is in making poop into delicious sandwiches, you're experience means nothing in New York.

Anyway, the recent news is that Jackson is still Walsh's front-runner, but that Avery Johnson has rightfully been added to the list. Also from today's news, we get this gem:

Yesterday Walsh declined comment through a Knicks spokesman.

One rival executive, who asked not to be identified because he wasn't authorized to speak on the subject, said recently that the longer Walsh waits, the more it looks like he wants to see who else will become available.

Wow. That executive better keep his identity under wraps, because that kind of dirt could get him in some serious trouble. How much of an "executive" are you really when you lack the authorization to comment on the elementary concept  of chronology?

Sit tight. This coaching search does appear to be a long haul, but it's worth discussing in the meantime what brand of leader we're looking for. Does experience matter? Does inexperience matter? Speak up in the comments.

(Editor's Note: Now that Avery's actually free, Starkstastic's diary from a couple days ago deserves another look. AJ as the Knick coach...what do you think?)

There has been no mention of this as far as I've seen. I think it's at least worth discussing, as Johnson's exit in Dallas seems likely. Mark Cuban and Co. were head over heels for this guy back in 2006 when the Mavs made it all the way to the NBA Finals, even taking a 2-0 series lead before the refs, ahem, Dwayne Wade and the Heat took over and won 4-2. We all remember Dallas's exciting, if not epic collapse to Golden State in last year's playoffs. Now it looks as if the same disappointing fate awaits Avery Johnson's club. Chris Paul has been unstoppable. J. Kidd has looked like absolute shit, something that makes me very happy. New Orleans looks younger, faster, hungrier, and even more talented. If Dallas can't get their act together the team may have to be blown up -- including getting rid of the coach. I anticipate a lot of you dismissing AJ as a solid candidate for his excitability and need for control issues, but the above picture of Johnson fisting Eddy Curry and the rest of New York's lackluster roster into giving a shit gives me hope for the future. All of the big personalities are not in the Knicks' long-term plans anyway, so who cares if player and coach end up clashing? Expectations are low, right? Primary objectives are to get under the cap while getting more competitive now, right? Why not Johnson? Don't get me wrong, I think several of the candidates already mentioned elsewhere could be nice fits. Mark Jackson is intriguing, and he has no shortage of praise from others who know him from around the league. Rick Carlisle is battle-tested and proven. I just don't feel an A-List coach is necessarily the answer. Herb Williams has great rapport with the players and within the organization; as a fan I would like to see someone from the outside coach so as to signify a complete regime change from Isiah. Even Paul Silas is an interesting wildcard because of his ties to LeBron. Obviously, Dallas is not done yet and there's no guarantee Cuban would fire his coach anyway. Even if this happens, New York could very well have found a coach already. All I'm saying is if Johnson becomes available and the Knicks are still looking, he should get a look. What do you guys think?

Happy Monday, Posters and Toasters. Hope everyone is enjoying the playoffs and took as much pleasure in seeing Jason Kidd tossed last night as I did. Donnie Walsh and the Knicks are still hard at work, so here are some relevant links...

- Add another name to the mix- a name with which we're all familiar. Kenny Smith is now being reported as a candidate for the vacant GM position. We all know "The Jet" from his announcing on TNT and MSG. He's an articulate, intelligent guy who knows basketball. Interesting prospect for the management spot. (Tip of the hat to the Fanhouse).

- Looks like we've got even more competition for available coaching candidates out there.

- A legendary Knick with some actual coaching experience is feeling a little sad that he hasn't gotten a call from Mr. Walsh. I'm of the opinion that Patrick definitely needs a look. Not only is he a smart dude with some coaching under his belt, but he's beloved in New York. It's be a fantastic PR move.

- Good to know that some of James Dolan's wasted bank is going to a good cause. And by a good cause I do not mean Stephon Marbury's "Feed the Ostriches" fund.

Dassit for now, babies. Enjoy the playoffs. Draft things will start up pretty soon. Peace.

Updates on Knicks news and rumors tomorrow. Your games for today:

Cleveland/Washington- 1 p.m.- ABC

San Antonio/Phoenix- 3:30 p.m.- ABC

Detroit/Philadelphia- 7 p.m.- TNT

New Orleans/Dallas- 9:30 p.m.- TNT

Enjoyyyy, and leave your comments here. Peace.

We gots a nice slate of games for today's playoff action:

Orlando/Toronto- 3 p.m.- TNT

Lakers/Denver- 5:30 p.m.- TNT

Boston/Atlanta- 8:00 p.m.- ESPN

Houston/Utah- 10:30 p.m.- ESPN

Not bad at all. This here's your place to comment on the games and other events throughout the day. Have a good one.

From Alan Hahn of Newsday, we get the report that Donnie Walsh is considering another one of his former Pacers for the job of Knick coach. Chuck Person is expected to be interviewed for the spot of head coach, but may alternatively look to take an assistant role. Person is currently an assistant coach for the Kings (check out their take on this report), and is generally held in high regard. Two things we can deduce from this news: 1. If we're dealing with only former Pacers, Rik Smits better get an interview. 2. If Chuck Person ends up with the Knicks, expect some headlines even worse than this one. Brace yourself, cause it'll get cheesy.