"Tubby's our basketball coach"

I was joking...

 

Mizzou: You think there may be a reason why Billy Donovan didn't sign his extension last year? Hmmm....

 

Why would Donavan leave Florida for Kentucky? Seriously. That's the Rich Rodrigues to Alabama thing, with the caveat that Donovan's won a national championship at his current stop. Going to Lexington is no-win for hmi.

 

no way in hell donavan takes the gig

i've heard mike brey and jay wright. i don't see brey as a big upgrade, and jay wright may end up with the sixers. i'd hire that guy in a second, that's for sure

 

Sarcasm maybe?

That won't happen, especially this year. Ford isn't ready and Pelphrey's teams haven't done anything.

 

I'd be floored if Jay Wright took the Kentucky gig. Why put up with that shit when you're already worshipped and making fat change at home?

Ditto for the Sixers thing. His schtick would not work in the NBA. That dude's born to recruit and coach college kids. Jumping to the pros would be career suicide.

How about John Calipari? He's gotta be bored crushing C-USA every year.

 

And losing to everyone who is good every year.

 

Wrong. Staying at Florida is a no-win for Donovan.

He can never do better there than he is now. This is the absolute zenith of Florida basketball. It can only go downhill from here. Plus, he's not even the top banana in his own athletic department. Urban Meyer made sure of that.

There are maybe like five coaches in America who would turn down Kentucky. And they are: Ben Howland, Coach K, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Lute Olson. I'm only slightly exaggerating here, but the rest would come to Kentucky in a heartbeat (including Bill Self, from what I've heard).

Maybe there is some significant family reason that would keep Billy D from taking the job, but comparing Kentucky basketball to Alabama football is silly.

 

I guess that's better tha saying "Our basketball coach is tubby."

 

I think there are more than five that would turn UK down, but I think those may be the only five that wouldn't give it serious consideration (other than maybe Pitino, who wouldn't be a candidate anyway, and Self, who isn't going anywhere).
,
Once again, Barnhart gives a bullshit statement worth nothing of value to calm the media and the fans. His first one was to calm the people who were pissed off, now he's calming the people who are speculating on a new coach.

Tubby's going to be back next year. That was a given.

But if Morris goes pro, which he's another 20 and 10 from doing (and he could do it against 'Nova if Wright doesn't push the tempo) and UK is NIT bound in '08, it's going to get very dicey in Lexington. And don't think Morris doesn't have a chance to go--he's probably as anxious as anyone to get off the USS Tubby. I don't think he's good enough consistently, but when he turns his motor on, he's as good as any big man in the country. He just needs some skill moves, something the UK coaching staff obviously hasn't taught him.

Regardless, I think a lot of people around here aren't giving UK enough credit. It's a step up from almost any other job in the country, and the comfort factor and pressure factor mean jackshit to a lot of guys. Pitino left Providence for the New York Knicks, then UK for the Boston Celtics. Calipari left UMass for the Nets. Montgomery left Stanford for Golden State. Howland left Pitt for UCLA (dream job, I know, but one Billy Donovan has hinted that UK is a dream job of sorts).

The pressure is blinded by egos and money, and UK can offer more money and more opportunity than pretty much every school in the country. And if it can come back from the near death penalty, every coach knows it can come back from back-to-back 8 seeds. Plenty of quality coaches would jump at that opportunity. Look what it did to Pitino.

 

Yeah, that Bill Self is caught in a dead-end job. He would leave Lawrence for Lexington is a heartbeat. Finally, he could coach at a school where basketball is king, where they have so much tradition that his current job simply can't provide.

 

How is the Alabama football comparison silly? You've got two deluded fan bases that think they should win national championships every stinking year, and anything less prompts talk of firing the coach. It's ridiculous. On the flip side, at least they care, and maybe Donavan's one of those guys that thrives on being in a pressure cooker. But he's set for life at Florida, and if he can win championships there, why submit to the headaches that come with UK?