Granted, the first matchup between the new Bulls and Knicks coaches might not immediately fit in the annals of this always intense rivalry. But between their shared history in the sometimes fractious front office in Phoenix, as well as D'Antoni's decision to pass on the Bulls job that went to Del Negro, plenty of intrigue is evident.

"Mike was great to me in Phoenix," said Del Negro, who served as assistant general manager during part of D'Antoni's meteoric rise with the Suns. "We worked a lot together and had great success there. He's doing a great job in New York, which doesn't surprise me or anybody."

Indeed, despite D'Antoni saying in an August interview while at the Beijing Olympics that the "roster in Chicago is better," the Knicks are currently tied with the Bulls at 9-11 and in the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 25 percent of the season done.

D'Antoni's decision to take the Knicks job without returning Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's call attempting to schedule a follow-up interview led to a rare Reinsdorf interview in May in which he said D'Antoni "misled" the Bulls. Reinsdorf classified D'Antoni's action as "somewhat rude."

D'Antoni has merely said both organizations presented great opportunities, and now he is riding Chris Duhon to the tune of 40 minutes per night rather than Derrick Rose. Duhon, averaging 12.1 points and 8.3 assists, is emerging as an early Most Improved Player candidate in the NBA.

"Mike opens the court up and uses his players' strengths very well," Del Negro said. "They're playing with a lot more confidence. They're having fun playing Basketball again. Mike has that personality and does that for players."

When the D'Antoni courtship was in full swing, Bulls players expressed excitement over the prospect of playing for someone who is widely regarded as one of the league's premier players' coaches. Instead, Del Negro, with no previous experience, landed the job.

Del Negro's positive demeanor and communicative ways have resonated thus far with most players.

"Vinny is giving us freedom offensively," guard Ben Gordon said. "That's fun for players. I definitely like playing for him. I'm just trying to get used to the system and get adjusted to him.

"We kind of expected him not to know everything right away, knowing he'd be learning as he goes along also. We have to be patient. He knows the game because he played, but coaching is different. You just have to be ready for him to make some mistakes and stand by him."