Who'll Crop Up in This Circle?

By J.A. ADANDE

June 9, 1999 12 AM PT

INDIANAPOLIS —

Some things don’t change.

Do you think the only NBA action tonight is in Indianapolis, where the Pacers face the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals?

Think again. The real action is in the same place it has been for six of the previous eight Junes: Chicago.

Only this time it’s not the Bulls who have everyone’s attention. It’s the NBA coaching circle, a select group that will officially welcome at least four new members before next season.

With most of the league’s personnel directors in Chicago for the annual pre-draft camp, it’s the headquarters for Speculation Central.

Is Kurt Rambis really representing the Lakers, or is he merely keeping the seat warm for somebody else? And if he is the guy, why don’t the Lakers say it already?

Can you really picture Isiah Thomas coaching the Washington Wizards? Wouldn’t that be a bold move for a franchise known for unimaginative coaching hires?

When will the New Jersey Nets stop wishing for Phil Jackson (who won’t come no matter how much money they offer him) and hire interim Coach Don Casey?

What will the Cleveland Cavaliers do with their vacancy?

Even in the real games, the story behind the story is coaching.

The juiciest subplot of the playoffs is the fate of Jeff Van Gundy. Here’s a guy who could either be coaching in the NBA finals or looking for a new job by next Wednesday.

Madison Square Garden President Dave Checketts already talked to Jackson behind Van Gundy’s back, lied to Van Gundy and the media about it and hasn’t given any indication that his current coach will be back next year.

Van Gundy has made his share of mistakes and tried to pull some power moves himself, but he has shown he can coach in this league and he has the respect of key players on the team. I’d like to see the Knicks win it all just to put Checketts on the spot and either force him to swallow hard and keep Van Gundy or explain to all those Knick season-ticket holders and MSG owner Cablevision shareholders why he just fired a winning coach.

You can tell it’s eating up Checketts. When the Knicks won Game 1 of the conference finals, he had a concerned look on his face, a pretty odd expression for an executive whose team just won its biggest game of the season to date. When they lost Game 2, Checketts didn’t seem overly depressed. His face almost seemed to say, “Oh, well, you win some, you lose some.”

He’s like Zero Mostel in “The Producers,” hoping that his Broadway show will flop so he can pull off some accounting magic and turn a profit, then watching in horror when the audiences love “Springtime for Hitler.”

Meanwhile, Van Gundy receives the loudest cheers during pregame introductions at Madison Square Garden, and the fans made the unprecedented move of chanting his name near the end of the Atlanta series.

And now, the best bit of back-and-forth to come out of the Knick-Pacer series is Van Gundy’s jousting with Pacer Coach Larry Bird.

After Camby had 21 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3 Saturday, Bird said the Pacers needed to apply more body-checks to the frail-looking Camby.

Somehow, Van Gundy took that to mean, “There’s a bounty on Marcus’ head.”

That was quite a stretch.

“There is no bounty,” Bird said before Game 4. Then he added, while smiling, “He keeps talking like that and I’ll put one out on him.”

The other star of the series was another guy who wasn’t playing, Doc Rivers. Hs name was linked to virtually every coaching vacancy (including the Knicks’ not-yet-posted vacancy, to Rivers’ chagrin; he called Van Gundy to say he hadn’t inquired about it).

Rivers was in Indianapolis for Game 2, working as an analyst for Turner Sports. You should have seen the line of reporters waiting for him.

Rivers finally took the Orlando Magic job over the weekend. Now it’s in his best interests to root for the Pacers. I don’t want to hear complaints about how Rivers had no coaching experience, because neither did Bird. In two seasons on the job, Bird had the Pacers one victory away from the NBA finals last year and they’re back to within two games of reaching the finals this year.

That’s all the defense Rivers needs.

Now, what about Jackson, looming over the NBA like Hillary Rodham Clinton eyeing that New York Senate seat?

When the franchise player, Patrick Ewing, says he’ll never play for Jackson, that’s a problem for Checketts.

There are some players about whom it’s said you hate to play against them, but you would love to have them on your team. The equivalent has never been said about a coach. That ought to tell the Knick brass something.

However, I have yet to hear a Laker offer a word of protest about the potential hiring of Jackson.

It’s not too late.

GAME 5: New York at Indiana, 6 p.m., Channel 4

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NBA Finals (Best-of-seven)

All games on Channel 4

San Antonio vs. Indiana-New York winner

Game 1: June 16 at San Antonio, 6 p.m.

Game 2: June 18 at San Antonio, 6 p.m.

Game 3: June 21 at Indiana/N.Y., 6 p.m.

Game 4: June 23 at Indiana/N.Y., 6 p.m.

Game 5: June 25 at Indiana/N.Y., 6 p.m.*