CHICAGO -- If Chicago Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wants to talk about his general manager opening, two of the top candidates would listen.

John Paxson nor Jim Stack both said they would be open to talking about the job, though neither had heard from Reinsdorf as of Tuesday night.

"I don't have any insight into what's going to happen," said Paxson, who was a guard on the Bulls' first three championship teams and is now their radio analyst.

"It's all speculation, and it's hard to talk about speculation."

The Bulls are looking for a replacement for Jerry Krause, who resigned unexpectedly as GM on Monday because of health problems. Reinsdorf isn't commenting, but he said in a statement that he hopes to have someone in place within a month.

The top candidates figure to be Paxson and B.J. Armstrong, another former Bull who is in his third season as a special assistant to Krause. Armstrong was not available for comment Tuesday.

Paxson spent all but two years of his 11-year NBA career in Chicago, and he was a vital part of the first three-peat. His 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals against Phoenix clinched the Bulls' second title.

After retiring in 1994, he was a Bulls assistant during the 1995-96 season. He's been part of Chicago's broadcast team for seven years, both on radio and television.

Though he doesn't have management experience, he knows what it takes to run a team. His brother, Jim, is the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the two often talk about the job.

"My brother and I talk about it all the time," John Paxson said. "I have great conversations with him about the job."

But Paxson said it's too early to say if he'd want that job in Chicago.

"You just never know," he said. "Like I've told a lot of people, if I was ever asked to consider it, I'd be flattered."

Stack could also be in the mix after spending 13 years in the Bulls' front office. He was a special assistant to Krause for eight years, and spent his last four years with the Bulls as assistant vice president for basketball operations. His duties included everything from scouting to contract negotiations.

Many believed Stack was being groomed to be Krause's successor. But he took a job as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers in 2000 when it appeared Krause would stay in his job for several more years.

"I would listen, but I'm very content where I'm at," Stack said. "We've got a good team, so we'll see happens."

One person who doesn't want the job is Michael Jordan.

Jordan still lives in Chicago, and Bulls fans would love to see him back with his old team. Though he's not contractually bound to the Washington Wizards yet, he said he plans to return to their front office when he retires after the season.

"I haven't talked to anyone on that staff. You guys are more or less getting things rolling," Jordan said after the Wizards shootaround Tuesday morning.

"My focus is right now trying to get this team in the playoffs, and secondly, making sure this franchise is moving in the right direction."