Bulls must ante up or find a new deck to play

Sporting News, The, May 26, 1997 by Shaun Powell

When Phil Jackson leaves the Bulls in June for a big payday, and if Michael Jordan follows up on his earlier pledge to retire before he plays for another coach. then the Bulls have a problem.

A problem they created.

The hard-line stance owner Jerry Reinsdorf took during last summer's negotiations with Jackson is coming back to haunt him in a big way A year ago, Reinsdorf balked at the thought of paying Jackson top dollar, which at that time was the 83 million a year over five years John Calipari squeezed out of a desperate Nets club. Reinsdorf reasoned that Calipari was taking on additional duties as a G.M., and that the Nets crying for respectability, had to pay big money to get someone to take that job. Reinsdorf seemed to infer that the Bulls were a coach's dream, that it should be a privilege for anyone to coach Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and that he was paying for a coach, period. Not a coach/general manager.

After some haggling, Reinsdorf and Jackson agreed on a one-year deal, and Reinsdorf allowed Jackson to entertain offers during the 1997 playoffs. Well, in hindsight, this business decision seems about as sound as Reinsdorf's Albert Belle signing.

The marketplace now has been altered considerably. Rick Pitino raised the ceiling with his 10-year, $50 million million deal, and Larry Brown and Larry Bird followed with blockbuster deals as well. Pitino has never won a championship. Brown has never been to the NBA Finals and Bird has never won a game, period as a coach. Let s see. Jackson has four rings. You think that might convince Orlando or Golden State to break the bank?

You bet. The Magic have a standing offer of $30 million over five years for Jackson. They could opt for Chuck Daly immediately, but if they don't, they will want Jackson reunited with Horace Grant, who hasn't played hard since he left Chicago. and Penny Hard away, who has an escape clause next season and will bolt unless the coach is right

The warriors might also be competitive for Jackson's services it they don't move sooner (A report last weekend said they could be close to hiring University of Utah coach Rick Majerus.) But imagine the marketing possibilities with Jackson: The former hippie brings flower power to the Bay. Owner Chris Cohan has a newly refurbished arena to fill, and morale is at its lowest level since Don Nelson's final season.

Couple this with the fact Jackson has never made big money in Chicago, and you can see why Jackson will chase the gold this time.

Of course, the Bulls can nullify this by simply paying Jackson at today's prices. But those who know Reinsdorf say he won't break the bank for a coach. Jordan, yes. Belle, yes. But not a coach. Especially a coach who will never be his G.M.

The one person who may sway Reinsdorf is Jordan. He wants to play another season but doesn't want to break in another coach. For the second straight summer, the specter of a Jordan retirement is an anvil over Reinsdorf's head.

Reinsdorf must either pay Jackson and Jordan enormous sums, or junk the team and start over. His team his choice. He didn't have to back himself into this corner, however. He could have paid Jackson last summer at yesterday's prices.

Now he must contend with today's problem.

Not so black and white

Mike Dunleavy has a new team to coach and a new, wealthy owner to work for. and he also has a few league people scratching their heads.

Exactly what has Dunleavy done to deserve another well-paying coaching job?

He rode Magic Johnson to the 1991 Finals, and a year later scored what was then the biggest contract ever given to a coach when the Bucks gave him a seven-year, multimillion-dollar deal and full front-office authority.

Dunleavy lasted four years on the bench and never took the Bucks admittedly a bad team, to the playoffs. Then he was removed as coach by Bucks owner Herb Kohl before being bought out last month. Last week, Dunleavy accepted the coaching position with the Trail Blazers.

This wasn't lost on handful of black assistant coaches, who are wondering if they will ever get the same kind of opportunity as their white counterparts, like Dunleavy. Butch Beard waited more than 10 years before he finally landed his first head-coaching job. Unfortunately, it was with the Nets. He had to put up with Derrick Coleman and lasted two years before the Nets gave John Calipari, who never played or coached in the NBA like Beard, a $15 million deal. In his first season, Calipari didn't have Coleman to deal with and arguably had better talent than Beard. and yet, after he won four fewer games than Board, Calipari and the Nets called the season "promising."

Meanwhile, Beard is an assistant in Dallas, and when a handful of coaching jobs opened recently, his phone never rang.

Same for Gar Heard, who once did a respectable job with a poor Mavericks team. He's an assistant with Indiana who watched while the Pacers hired a state icon who never coached a game in his life. Alvin Gentry coached in Miami before Pat Riley and now, as a Pistons assistant, wonders if he will ever get another chance. Same for Paul Silas, who saw Danny Ainge leapfrog into the 'coach's seat in Phoenix. Of the handful of recent job openings, only one black man was hired. And once again, it was an unattractive option: The Kings, who tapped Eddie Jordan.