Johnson waiting to reschedule Bulls interview
Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson looks on during a 99-94 loss to the New Orleans Hornets in Game 5 of a first-round playoff basketball series against the New Orleans Hornets, in New Orleans, Tuesday, April 29, 2008. The Hornets won the series 4-1. Joh Dave Martin, The Associated Press
May 14, 2008
CHICAGO – The Chicago Bulls had not rescheduled an interview with coaching candidate Avery Johnson as of Tuesday evening after last week’s meeting was postponed.
General manager John Paxson called that off, and Johnson’s representative, Tyler Glass, said he hadn’t heard from the Bulls in about two weeks.
Johnson went 194-70 and led Dallas to the NBA finals in three-plus seasons before getting fired two weeks ago. He’s owed $12 million over the next three seasons unless another team hires him, and he’s considering sitting out a year.
“He’s not going to jump into a situation just to go,” Glass said.
Paxson indicated in a statement to several media outlets over the weekend that the Bulls were ready to offer the job to former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni on Saturday, after chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with him the previous day. Instead, D’Antoni went to the New York Knicks before hearing Chicago’s offer. And Reinsdorf told the Chicago Tribune in Tuesday’s editions that he was “misled.”
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“I’m disappointed in him,” Reinsdorf told the paper. “I don’t know what else we could’ve done. He chose to go to New York knowing there was a good chance we would make him an offer. If he had really wanted to be in Chicago, he would’ve waited. Instead, he misled us. It’s not the end of the world, but it is somewhat rude.”
The Bulls are also believed to be interested in Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau and Michael Curry of Detroit, but would need permission to talk to them.
Chicago fired interim coach Jim Boylan at the end of the season after dismissing Scott Skiles in December.
