"It was a very difficult decision to make because I was happy at Iowa State and I loved collegiate coaching," Floyd told Gary Miller recently on ESPN's Up Close. " I was one of those guys that liked to recruit, I liked going into homes and meeting people and enjoyed that atmosphere. But at the same time I didn't want to walk away from the situation just because it was tough."

An edited transcript of Floyd's interview follows.

	Tim Floyd knows it's a long road to rebuild the Chicago Bulls.

Miller: What was your relationship like with Phil Jackson last year (before he took over the head coaching job with the Lakers)?

Floyd: Well I think it will be a little bit unusual to say the least. Phil is a guy who my name was associated with for so long, prior to actually getting the job. I wondered how that relationship would work. I was fortunate enough to have his two assistants with me last year, in Frank Hamblen and Tex Winter, who have now since joined him, along with Bill Cartwright, those guys were great. I found it really interesting throughout the course of last season, which was a difficult year to say the least. Phil was on the phone with me, not just with Tex and Frank, saying, "Hey, look you might want to think about this in the triangle, you might want to think about that" and even prior to the season, during the lockout, I had an opportunity to go over to his house. We sat down, we talked for a couple of hours, just about Tex and Frank and their strengths, and also the strengths of the returning players. He's been terrific to me during the course of this transition.

Miller: Some coaches might say "thanks, but this is my job now so you don't have to call anymore. I'm all right."

Floyd: Our situation was a little bit different, because we kept the sacred triangle. Phil had to learn how to run the triangle himself from Tex Winter, and I wanted to know about his learning curve. I wanted to know about the strengths of the players that were returning, and what their weaknesses were, to try to stay away from those weaknesses. I wanted to know a little bit more about Frank and Tex, all the guys that were returning, and he was great, in fact he even initiated some of the conversations by calling.

Miller: The way you got there was kind of strange - on the day you were hired by the Bulls, you were introduced as "Director or Basketball Operations." Here is what Jerry Reinsdorf said about the head coaching position on July 23, 1998: "The position of head coach of the Chicago Bulls is not going to be filled at this time, it will be left open, perhaps until the end of the lockout. During that time if Phil Jackson changes his mind and decides to return, Michael can have the coach that he and we have always wanted him to have." How can that not make you feel slighted?

Floyd: I tell you what, he said that along with my blessing, because I was part of the initiation of that. I felt like as long as Michael Jordan wanted to be in the league and wanted Phil Jackson as his coach, that he deserved that based on the six championships. This was a tremendous opportunity for me, and I knew that at some point I was going to be the head coach. I felt like I could benefit a great deal just by being around the Bulls. If Phil had returned along with Michael, and I knew the chances were remote that that would happen, I felt like I'd also be around another championship. There were nights, I have got to say this honestly, last year during that difficult 13-win season, when that "Director of Basketball Operations" title that he gave me looked really darn good, because it was a tough year.

Miller: Did you feel that people in the Chicago area thought that you were the guy that kept Michael Jordan from coming back?

Floyd: No I really haven't felt that. I think our fans understood that a change was going to be made, and Michael said at his press conference that he was going to retire even if Phil Jackson had returned, that it had reached a point in his career where he felt like he may not be able to go out and do what he had done in the past. With that blessing then I felt more comfortable and I think that we have a sophisticated group of fans. I think early on, going in, our people did not want any change, and they shouldn't have wanted any change, things were too great. It was a fairy tale and Michael certainly was bigger than the Bulls, or any other team or the league. He meant so much to the league, and as long as there was any remote chance that he might be around, I think that we handled the thing in exactly the right way.

Miller: Michael Jordan turns up to practice last week on your invitation.. He (Michael Jordan) said he did it for morale. Is it good or bad for morale or did it boost the players? What kind of reaction did you see?

Floyd: There was a tremendous boost, and not only by the players but the coaches and everybody in the organization. He just lightens up a room when he walks in all of our young guys. Corey Benjamin, you can imagine, grew up idolizing the guy. Ron Artest, Elton Brand, even though they grew up in New York. You can't tell me they didn't pull a little bit for him. And he had an opportunity to sit down with those guys and just share stories. I think a lot of it was based on his perseverance, early in his career when the Bulls weren't very good. The fact that he continued to work and increase and improve his skills.

Miller: Are you convinced Michael Jordan is not going to come back?

Floyd: I'm convinced. I don't think Michael has any desire to ever return, as good as he may be.

Miller: After the lottery this summer, the Bulls emerged with the first pick of the draft.. There were so many different No. 1 draft choices to choose from. How difficult was it to make the selection?

Floyd: I think it was extremely difficult on Jerry (Krause) because there were some quality players in there, but Jerry never wavered from Elton Brand. Lamar Odom's name was certainly mentioned to great lengths. I think he went back to the blueprint of how he built this franchise originally and it started obviously with Michael, which we don't have.

Miller: Toni Kukoc said he didn't think you guys would win even 25-to-30 games. You took exception to that. You are 1-8 to begin the season. What is a realistic record for this team this season?

Floyd: Who knows. Yeah, I took exception to that just from the standpoint that I don't want to put any limitations on these guys. I don't want them to think that they are not supposed to be very good. I don't want to bail them out with the excuse, you know, the media says this so this is who we are going to be. We need to go out there and try to grow to a level where we're talking in terms of winning instead of competing.

Miller: Toni Kukoc comes up a lot in trade talks because he has incredible trade value. You talked about the long-term plan for this team. How much would trading Toni Kukoc be a good move to make?

Floyd: Well, Jerry (Krause) has always felt that when we are ready to win that Toni could be a big part of that. I don't think that he is going to let him go easily, if that is what he is thinking about right now. Toni is a guy who can help our young guys grow in this triangle. He is a multi-skilled player who can score from inside or outside. He's a tough match-up for threes and fours because he can post up the threes, and take the fours outside. It's killing him right now that he is not able to play. Whether or not Jerry will let him go, I don't know, but Jerry has made the statement that no player on our team right now is untradable. He said that even with the last team, with the exception of No. 23.

Miller: The media says that the commitment of the team is not what it was in the past. How tough is that for you to read about it, hear about it? How difficult was it to decide to take this job, knowing how tough it was going to be to follow the six championships?

Floyd: Well, it was a very difficult decision to make because I was happy at Iowa State and I loved collegiate coaching. I was one of those guys that liked to recruit, I liked going into homes and meeting people and enjoyed that atmosphere. But at the same time I didn't want to walk away from the situation just because it was tough. All my closest friends said, "No way, don't do it! Just don't do it! Things are going too well right now. Nobody survives a championship coach. What was the guy's name that replaced Vince Lombardi?" I heard all of those things, but I didn't want to look back at it when I was 65 and say, "You know what, you were a fraud, you walked away from something that was really tough." It's a tremendous opportunity. I still think that the Bulls were the best professional organization in any sport during the course of the 90's. I really believe in our leadership right now. I think that Jerry is going to go out and find us the right players, and I think that Jerry Reinsdorf is going to pay them.... They know that this is going to take a little time. So I'm going to hang tough. I'm trying to be in this thing for the long haul. I'm not wavering. It has been difficult at the same time. I'm glad I did it, but I don't know that if we do get to the top, that I'd want to start over again and try to take on another one.