Already several firings and even one "retirement" so far. Isiah Thomas is finally out as Knicks coach, the Bobcats fired Sam Vincent and the Bucks ousted Larry Krystkowiak. In Addition, Pat Riley resigned as head coah (but will stay on as team president) of the Heat.

As for replacements, it's looking like Larry Brown will return to the bench, this time in Charlotte while the Bucks seem to be leaning towards Scott Skiles. Mark Jackson is rumored as the front runner for the Knicks job.

Other possible firings being talked about include Avery Johnson in Dallas and Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix if their teams go out meekly. I just read that if the Suns do get rid of D'Antoni, the Knicks are interested.

So would the Raptors be, if they could stomach the thought of eating the last 3 years on Mitchell's contract. Sometimes I think "Coach of the Year" is a curse. Mitchell and Johnson win it the past 2 years, and both would now be getting axed (and still may be) if it weren't for their guaranteed contract. I recall that Doc Rivers won it with Orlando and was soon fired there. I hope Byron Scott survives!

SI.com is reporting that D'Antoni will not return to the Suns. Won't take long for him to find a new gig.

Look for D'Antoni to resurface in Toronto. Sam should be out, and D'Antoni would be the perfect choice for the Raptors. I, also, look for Avery Johnson to get the boot in Dallas. I believe Marc Jackson will become the Knicks Head Coach.

Phoenix's loss would be Toronto's gain (assuming the Raps are willing to eat all the money left on Mitchell's contract). All I can say to the Suns is good luck finding someone better. (P.S. to Steve Kerr: Hey, I hear Pat Riley is available!)

An Arizona Republic reporter told ESPN that the Suns deny the SI.com report.

Didn't take Cuban long to fire Avery!

http://www.realgm.net/src_wiretap_archives...las_head_coach/

Sources are reporting that Rick Carlisle will be the next coach of the Mavs.

ESPN is reporting that the Knicks have landed Mike D'Antoni. I think he's a terrific coach but I think the Bulls are probably a better fit for his style. So now the vacancies are in Chicago and Phoenix, assuming the Carlisle-to-Dallas reports finalize. Does Avery Johnson land in either spot?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3389987

The Knicks baby! The Knicks!

I think this will prove the naysayers wrong (D'Antoni can't coach defense, can't win without Steve Nash, etc.). But they are really going to have to try hard to overhaul that roster. Most of all they need a point guard -- T.J. Ford has the speed and Toronto needs to send him packing, but would NY be willing to give up David Lee as part of the deal? If not, the Raptors would be nuts. Also, how are the Knicks going to unload Curry and Randolph, who are way too slow for D'Antoni.

D'Antoni would have made much more sense for Chicago or Toronto, but money is green. At least with the entrance of Walsh and D'Antoni (and the exit of Thomas), the Knicks look to be tunring the corner and are at least moving in the right direction. I feel sorry for Marc Jackson. I truly thought the job was his.

As for unloading Curry and Randolph (and Marbury), that won't be an easy job. Luckily for Walsh, Kevin Mchale and Chris Wallace are still employed. So there is always a chance. (The only Knick I would want on the Grizzlies is David Lee!!!!*)

As for Toronto, I'm sorry they didn't get D'Antoni. I guess they are stuck with Sam Mitchell for another season. As for trading Ford, I don't think Bryan will do that. Chris Bosh has made it pretty clear- he wants Ford. And at this point with all his injuries, no team is really going to want to touch TJ. I just wonder what that means for Calderon, who is really one of the GOOD guys in the NBA.

Ford is going to have to overhaul his attitude or he's going to become a cancer on that team. He's clearly the Raptors' second best PG, and his true value would be in coming off the bench to change the tempo (and in a big way). But it seems he's too much of a prima donna to do it. In other words, he would have been perfect for the Isiah-era Knicks. Hey, if Isiah traded for Eddie Curry who had (has?) a potentially fatal heart condition, he wouldn't have thought twice about T.J.'s fragile back.

The Knicks would be better off waiting for these huge contracts like Marbury's to expire. The free agent class of 2010 has LeBron and DWade. Anything they get in trades now will pale in comparison. They may not be any better in the next two seasons but they will be entertaining and there will be lots of money to land one of them plus some other second tier free agents then.

That would make sense, but I just read a wonderful rumor -- that D'Antoni is going to try to trade Marbury back to the Suns in exchange for Diaw and Barbosa. Absurd as it sounds, Robert Sarver is such a cheap ass he might like the idea of getting Marbury's expiring contract and saving a bundle after next year. And Barbosa is one of the players that D'Antoni got criticized about in Phoenix, so maybe they're not very attached to him.

This just in out of Auburn Hills....

Flip Saunders has just been fired... more to come... Joe Dumars has started the transition...players next...

So as expected, Flip Saunders has been fired in Detroit. I've lost track now. Are there any openings out there for him? And who do the Pistons go after?

Avery Johnson, perhaps? He is definitely in synch with their defensive mentality. And I mean that in both senses of the word!

As for Flip, the Suns still need a coach, but I doubt they'll be interested.

The Pistons have hired assistant coach Michael Curry. Meanwhile, the Bulls have offered their coaching job to Vinny Del Negro. Vinny was a smart, terrific player. It'll be interesting to see how he fares as a coach, provided he accepts the gig.