ESPN fanning the Billy D to UK flames

I was discussing that with a few of the TV guys yesterday. Back during the Tim Couch years there was optimism, but it wasn't for winning games. It was more for an entertaining football team. UK fans still knew they weren't good enough to beat the big boys, but at least they would score and be fun.

This is the first time since the early 80s (when there was no spring practice) that UK fans are looking at the team and thinking they are a legit competitive product that, barring any significant injuries, can make themselves a player in the SEC East. They won't win it, but they have the talent to knock off some of the big boys.

And justagirl, making it back to Keeneland should be a must. Greatest place on Earth.

 

As every single college coach who's made the jump to the NBA in the last 40 years has failed miserably. Every Single One.

 

Agreed, Starman. I think the days of successful college basketball coaches making the leap are about over. Pitino, Mike Montgomery, Calipari and Tim Floyd were all having successful college runs about the same time and jumped, and all failed.

How can any coach still look at that and think that they are going to find success in the pros?

 

Heard a guy talking about how the Heat would be an opportunity unlike others for a college coach because of the unique mix of talent on that team, specifically Wade and Shaq.

 

Pitino was successful with the Knicks and Larry Brown did a decent job after leaving KU...

 

There are two reasons why Donovan would go the NBA...

1. If he's successful there, he would be able to do something that Pitino couldn't do... I'm not saying that I think Donovan would be a great NBA coach, but if it was a job like the Heat, it would be pretty hard not to be somewhat successful with that kind of talent...

2. The money. If Kentucky is talking about $4 mil a year, Billy might be able to get twice that in the NBA... Hell, even if he's a failure, that contract would put his great-great-great-great grandchildren set for life...

 

But Pitino left after, what, two years and Brown is such a job whore (hi Starman!) that it's difficult to ascertain if he was a college coach who jumped to the pros, a pro coach who jumped to college or a guy who has the attention span of a crack baby on Ritalin.

The success of one or two guys does not make up for the litany of explosive failures. Tarkanian, anyone?

 

Saturday afternoon on Fox Sports Radio, St. Joe's head coach Phil Martelli said something to the effect of, "I don't care how much money Kentucky gives him, Billy Donovan isn't taking that job."

He sure sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I guess we'll see.

 

Martelli talks a lot about subjects he knows nothing about... I don't think anyone knows what Donovan is going to do other than Donovan and he's being smart by even making his AD squirm over this one...

If Kentucky offers $3.5 mil and Florida doesn't match, do you still think he stays?

For the record, I think Florida will match any offer he gets from a college team...

Let's be honest here, after Florida repeats, there's nowhere to go but down...

 

So he posts at SportsJournalists.com?

 

Well, if it was Rick Pitino or Anthony Grant or John Pelphrey or Urban Meyer or Jeremy Foley commenting on Donovan's thinking, I might take it a little more seriously than Martelli.

The truth of the matter is more than likely, only Donovan knows and he may not even know at this point...

I agree with Martelli, I don't think Donovan leaves for the UK job, but it will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out.