Will anybody want Bulls' job?

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- On paper, the Chicago Bulls job sounds like a good one.

With six NBA titles in the 1990s, the team has an impressive history few others can match. OK, so things haven't gone so well since that guy named Jordan left, but it's not like taking over, say, the Clippers.

The team is stocked with young talent and the Bulls have one of the best practice facilities in the league. Chicago is a sports town, and Bulls fans are a forgiving bunch willing to wait out the rebuilding process.

It all sounds fine, right? Wrong. While the Bulls' gig might not sound bad on paper, in reality, it's a mess. When Tim Floyd resigned Monday, he walked away from a team that is 49-190 over the last three-plus years and has little hope of getting better any time soon.

"In the case of me stepping away," Floyd said, "I think it's going to provide hope for a lot of people that maybe this next coach could be the guy who can help the Bulls go to where they ultimately need to be, and that's back to the championship level."

Berry interim coach

But who would want this job? Assistant Bill Berry will be the interim coach, beginning with tonight's game in Memphis, but general manager Jerry Krause made it clear he's looking for someone else to be the permanent replacement.

Sure, there are savvy, veteran coaches out there like Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Dunleavy who might be able to make a difference with this team. But would they want the headache?

The top free agents, the kind who quickly could turn a team around, have already showed they're not coming to the Bulls' rescue. Grant Hill didn't even consider Chicago. Remember Eddie Jones and Tracy McGrady? They flirted with the Bulls and then went where they could win.

Those young players? They're really, really young. General manager Jerry Krause seemed to have a cornerstone in place when he took Elton Brand with the No. 1 pick in 1999. Not only was Brand a good, solid player, but he was an even better person, the kind around which you build a franchise.

But Krause scrapped his first youth movement last summer and got even younger. First he drafted high schooler Eddy Curry. Then he shipped Brand to the Clippers for the rights to Tyson Chandler, another prep star.

Curry and Chandler are immensely talented, and they might be all-stars someday. For now, though, they're teen-agers going through gawky growing pains.

"This organization will go on from here," Krause said. "There is young talent here that's going to get better. They will improve."

It's a good thing the Bulls have that nice practice facility, because the new coach will need it.

"I think people expect these young players to go from A to Z," Floyd said. "These guys simply can't go from A to Z overnight. It takes time."

There's also the Krause issue. Though he's been unfairly given all of the blame for breaking up the Bulls' championship dynasty, Krause doesn't have the greatest track record with his coaches. Just ask Phil Jackson.

Though Krause and Floyd were once fishing buddies, it was clear Monday that relations between the two are now frosty, at best. When Floyd thanked a laundry list of people in the organization, Krause's name was noticeably absent.

"We had disagreements," Floyd said. "You're going to have disagreements in any professional sports organization. For the most part, we were able to work together."

Krause could choose to go with an NBA newcomer, like he did when he hired Floyd out of Iowa State. A college coach might better relate to younger players and have the energy needed for such a massive rebuilding effort.

But the Bulls are having enough trouble finding their way. The last thing they need is a tour guide who doesn't know where he's going.

Which brings the Bulls right back to where they were 3 1/2 years ago -- in the middle of a mess.

"I wouldn't have any advice for that guy," Floyd said when asked if he had any suggestions for his replacement. "My God, look at my record. I can't give anybody any advice."