But the job became more attractive May 20 when the Bulls won the Draft Lottery even though they had only a 1.7 percent chance. They are expected to take Kansas States Michael Beasley or Memphis Derrick Rose with the top pick.

Rick Carlisle was the first to interview for the coaching job, thus becoming an early favorite. But the Bulls werent enthusiastic enough to make a sales pitch and Carlisle eventually landed in Dallas.

Then general manager John Paxson found a candidate he liked when the Bulls were given permission to speak to Phoenix Suns coach Mike DAntoni. Paxson flew to Arizona almost immediately and hit it off with DAntoni.

But the Bulls seemed to have reservations about DAntonis lack of attention to defense, which is one reason he parted ways with the Suns. Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf asked to meet with DAntoni and after a two-hour conversation on May 9, the Bulls felt ready to make a contract offer.

DAntoni, on the other hand, left the meeting and promptly accepted a job to coach the New York Knicks. That didnt sit well with the Bulls, and Reinsdorf lashed out at the former Suns coach, saying DAntoni was rude and misled the Bulls.

For his part, DAntoni took the high road when he was introduced in New York on May 13. DAntoni claimed he and his wife simply preferred living in New York, though many will suspect there is more to the story.

The problem was, everybody thought I wanted to come to Chicago, DAntoni said. I never said that. I do like their roster and I really love the city and the organization. But at the same time, New York was a better fit for me right from the beginning.

The bottom line is the Bulls still need a coach. They are expected to interview former Dallas coach Avery Johnson, while the rest of their top candidates are still working in the playoffs. The wish list includes Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau, Detroit assistant Michael Curry and Utah assistant Tyrone Corbin. Paxson has also interviewed broadcaster and 17-year NBA veteran Mark Jackson.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: For lack of a true highlight, it might be the 135-121 victory over Denver on Feb. 22. The game was played the day after Ben Wallace and Joe Smith were sent to Cleveland and before newcomers Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes were cleared to play. That night, the Bulls core group of young players actually seemed enthused about sharing the ball and recorded a rare win over a good Western Conference team.

TURNING POINT: The only candidate is Oct. 31, a harrowing Halloween night in New Jersey that set the stage for a brutally disappointing season. The coaching staff felt the team looked terrific during the first two weeks of training camp. But by opening night of the regular season, top scorers Ben Gordon and Luol Deng had turned down the teams offers for contract extensions, Kobe Bryant trade rumors dominated the locker room and the Bulls lost in overtime to the Nets, the first of four straight losses to open the season. Things never got any better.

NOTES, QUOTES

—Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf rarely speaks to the media, but he gave a couple of interviews after missing out on former Phoenix Suns coach Mike DAntoni, who chose New York over Chicago.

We felt the Knicks were out of the picture, Reinsdorf said. He said he wasnt afraid of Ben Gordon . He really likes Noah. He likes Hinrich and said hed tell him hes playing 35 minutes and not coming out if he makes mistakes. He did feel you can defend and play up-tempo. He liked Gooden. He said hed be his low-post guy and could be a star. As I was leaving, I said the only thing that could go wrong is if we didnt play defense. Maybe I scared him.

Mike DAntoni insisted the reason he decided to accept the Knicks job without even listening to an offer from the Bulls was because money wasnt the deciding factor. DAntoni reportedly received a four-year deal worth $24 million from New York, which will make him the NBAs third highest-paid coach.

I knew Chicago would be up there somewhere, he said. It doesnt matter. Theres no difference between $6 million or $4 million or $5 million. Its all too much.

QUOTE TO NOTE: Unfortunately, we were never given an opportunity to make an offer of any kind, which is the most disappointing thing in all of this right now. I thought it would have been fair to listen to what we had to say, but at the end of the day we simply werent given the opportunity to do so. — General manager John Paxson, complaining that Mike DAntoni took the Knicks coaching job without even listening to an offer from the Bulls.

ROSTER REPORT

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: This is a tough one, since no one on the entire roster met expectations this season. By default, it might as well go to guard Ben Gordon, who was the Bulls leading scorer for the third straight season at 18.6 points.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: This honor could be split about eight ways and include one player now toiling in Cleveland. Ben Wallace aside, F Luol Deng might have to lead the disappointing category since he missed 19 games with injuries and didnt build on last years promise. That said, Deng was also a strong candidate for team MVP by averaging 17.0 points while shooting 48 percent from the field.

FREE AGENT FOCUS: Most of the focus will be on G Ben Gordon and F Luol Deng, who will become restricted free agents on July 1 because they turned down the Bulls offers for contract extensions last summer. The Bulls wont let either player walk away, but may explore sign-and-trade scenarios. Beyond that, guards Chris Duhon and Shannon Brown are unrestricted free agents. Neither is likely to return. Rookie F Demetris Nichols is restricted.

PLAYER NOTES:

—F Joakim Noah was charged with possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol after being arrested in the early morning of May 25.

—G Thabo Sefolosha will visit South Africa in September for one of the NBAs Basketball Without Borders events. Sefolosha is a native of Switzerland, but his father is an accomplished musician from South Africa.

—G Kirk Hinrich does not plan to attend USA Basketball training camp this summer, which he has done the past two years. ...