Mike D'Antoni: Just the Medicine the Chicago Bulls and NBA East Need!

Imagine, if you will, a world where the NBA Eastern Conference regular season is just as exciting as the NBA Western Conference season has been the last four years. Teams running up and down the floor, games regularly played above one hundred points and regular season mid-week games sold out without having Kobe or Lebron come to town. 

Mike D'Antoni in Chicago would be the first step.

It must first be admitted that the Eastern conference needs a shot in the arm. Since the departure of Michael Jordan, the East has seen a continuous drop-off in talent and quality of game. Although two of the NBA's premier teams and two of the three most recognizable and marketable stars are located in the East, as a conference, its been putrid.

The Knicks and Heat debacles and the fall of Chicago, Indiana and New Jersey have only served as catalysts to speed the decline. Now is the time for Bulls GM John Paxson to save the east by hiring Mike D'Antoni.

Sure there are other jobs floating around out there for D'Antoni and other candidates to interview for the Bulls job, but this is a match made in heaven. The Bulls went from an unexpected playoff run a year ago to relative obscurity this season with essentially the same team. 

The table is set for instant success in Chicago and the city is hungry for a winner to return to town. The Bears Super Bowl success was fleeting, the Cubs are the Cubs and though they won the 2005 Series the White Sox aren't truly the team of Chicago.  Mike D'Antoni can help quench Chicago's thirst for W's.

The Suns roster, on average, is 29.6 years old, the Bulls is 24.1.  Youth is what D'Antoni had when he moved over to Phoenix and what he'll get moving to the Bulls. Young athletic players to run his high speed offense. The roster in Chicago is set up for D'Antoni to take over and hit the ground running.

Kirk Hinrich at the point guard running the screen roll and kicking out to Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni for the open three. Luol Deng, Thabo Sefolosha and Tyrus Thomas growing into the roles of Shawn Marion, Grant Hill and Boris Diaw over the next couple years. Drew Gooden and Joakim Noah pairing to run the pick and pop with Hinrich hitting the open 17-footers or rolling to the basket for the throw down.

Quality depth including Chris Duhon, Aaron Gray and Larry Hughes would help round out the roster and give D'Antoni a couple roster spots to add or subtract pieces to increase the potency of his system.

Not only would we see the Chicago Bulls win total increase we'd see the second NBA revolution of this early twenty-first century. 

D'Antoni started the first in 2004 when he was hired by the Suns. The NBA West went from slow and plodding to exciting and athletic. While this has been going on, the East has been largely neglected, quagmired in poor basketball. D'Antoni can lead this revolution, forcing the NBA East to adapt to him by becoming younger, faster more athletic teams and give fans a much more enjoyable product to watch.

Please make the call John Paxson, get D'Antoni into the East, your box office and every other team's Owner will thank you.