Jilted Jerry Reinsdorf Thinks Mike D'Antoni Was 'Rude' for Snubbing Bulls

If you think Bulls fans feel a little jilted by Mike D'Antoni, well, they're not the only ones. Both GM John Paxson and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf left their meetings with D'Antoni last week thinking their discussions were fruitful only to be surprised when D'Antoni agreed to the Knicks job. From K.C. Johnson in the Chicago Tribune:

"I'm disappointed in him," Reinsdorf said. "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 second subject, I said if we need to get something done this weekend we shouldn't even bother talking because it will take longer than that," Reinsdorf said. "He said nothing had to be done over the weekend.

"I also said if this proceeds to where we want to make an offer, we don't deal with coach's agents. He said that's not a problem and that money wasn't the most important thing anyway. He said he wanted a job where he was going to be happiest. He said he didn't want to coach the Knicks."

A couple of thoughts, some of which echoing the sentiments made by Matt B. over at Blog-a-Bull: they don't negotiate with agents? That just seems weird, and honestly, should automatically put any candidate on the defensive. If you think a guy is good enough to coach your team for the next four years, you shouldn't be worried about several hours of negotiations with an agent.

Secondly, how could Reinsdorf not anticipate that the Knicks would swoop in with bags and bags of money demanding a quick answer? I'm guessing Donnie Walsh gave D'Antoni a "take it or leave it" ultimatum, and considering Reinsdorf made it clear that they wouldn't be rushed into making a decision, D'Antoni did what any sane person would do: take the offer which made him one of the highest paid coaches in the league.

Reinsdorf admitted later in the interview that Paxson wanted D'Antoni and that he himself "was inclined to negotiate a contract," yet he shot himself in the foot by dragging his feet and not doing what Walsh did, namely, actually negotiating a contract. Do I think that Chicago's personnel is better suited for D'Antoni's system? Without a doubt. It's just unfortunate that Chicago's front office sabotaged their chances at getting him.