Depending on what report you read in each respective market -- and each market has its own conflicting reports -- the Knicks are either hotly after Mike D'Antoni or being used as leverage to get D'Antoni's only legitimate option, the Chicago Bulls, to ante up.
Then comes another late-night report by ESPN.com, which said the Knicks are preparing a "staggering" offer to D'Antoni to make him their next coach.
Staggering? While they are laying out $18.5 million to Larry Brown, who, technically, would still be the coach? While they are still paying $18 million to Isiah Thomas, who, technically, still has a job in the organization?
They just print money out there in Woodbury, don't they?
But we know how much Garden chairman James Dolan loves big names and, even if he personally likes Mark Jackson, Dolan knows D'Antoni is a marquee name and knows D'Antoni plays a very entertaining style. Never mind the idea that the current Knicks roster doesn't fit the style...and we've already seen the result of an easygoing coach who doesn't practice a lot and leaves it up to his players to police themselves.
Ugh.
Perhaps Donnie Walsh has full autonomy over the Knicks, but the final decisions still have to be OK'd by Dolan.
And Warren LeGarie is a smart agent. He knows he has the attention of the media, which is hungry for morsels as this story continues to develop. He knows he has the attention of the New York market and that he can use the involvement of Dolan's money as a wild card to his advantage, whether it is serious or not. Agents do what's best for their clients, so you can't expect full disclosure, nor candor.
Bottom line, what kind of negotiations can you have when there's only one team in the competition? D'Antoni will have to walk away from $8.5 million in Phoenix to take another job. You want to make that money back somehow. The Knicks throw money at everyone with a big name, that's the history. And as long as there is an opening in New York, D'Antoni has to be considered a serious candidate, regardless of how poorly his style fits with the current roster.
You have to expect Walsh wants to name his coach sometime before the end of May, preferably before the Pre-Draft camp in Orlando after Memorial Day weekend. Teams are allowed to bring in potential draft picks after the Pre-Draft camp, so you would want your coach in on those workouts.
Walsh also may still be waiting on the opportunity to talk with Celtics associate coach Tom Thibodeau.
And, when all is said and done, I am still of the belief that Walsh's instinct tells him Jackson is the right man for this job, which doesn't mean Jackson is the best candidate available. The Knicks job is very specific and can not be treated as if it is the same as coaching in Milwaukee or Memphis or even Chicago. There are peripheral issues the coach has to be able to handle, including the media intensity (which is why I can't take Avery Johnson seriously for this job...but can see him in Atlanta).
But aside from the need for thick skin is a need for someone who can get this franchise through what will be some challenging seasons in the next two years as Walsh attempts to get this team's payroll to a more manageable number.
And, let's be honest, under the cap by 2010? The more you research the numbers, as some of you Fixers have, the more it seems unlikely the Knicks can be in position to be a player for LeBron, et al - unless you do a slash and burn.
As always, stay tuned.