Billy Donovan to Magic . . . and back? (merged)

#151
#151
BigPapaVol said:
That's certainly no reason to call him an idiot, but the part about not thinking it through thoroughly beforehand makes him worthy
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i get what you're saying, but at the same time, people move, their families included, all the time for better job opportunities, whether it be a promotion from within the organization they are currently with or an outside opportunity.

this guy, turned down what, 5.5 million a year...., for a job that was 2 freakin hours away?

let me tell you what....i'd drive 2 hours a day, too and from for a 50k raise/opportunity, much less a 1.5 million dollar raise. and i can assure you if i didn't take it because of my family, my family would be the ones calling me the idiot.

hence, the idiot comment.....
 
#153
#153
There could also be some unsaid reasons why he had a change of heart. We don't realize as fans that there's still quite a bit of info were not privy to. Maybe something will come out, maybe it wont. But how do we know the guy wasn't told in confidence by every smart basketball person he knows to avoid the Magic like the plague?

Some organizations a are real dumps. Maybe he realized this after the contract signing. Again, we don't know.

He wasn't in a position of desperation by any stretch, he doesn't have to take any crummy jobs. That family answer is the stock response from all coaches, no matter the question. Or, maybe just maybe something did come up.

If you want to argue that he should be a man of his word and honor a contract, ok, I'll listen. But just dont be suprised if theres more to this story than what has been revealed so far.
 
#154
#154
Also, if the gators 3 peat, is he still an idiot?

Not saying they will. But if they do....or even if they just go on to the final 4 again, with many winning seasons to follow.....seems kinda early to call this "dumb."
 
#155
#155
jakez4ut said:
i get what you're saying, but at the same time, people move, their families included, all the time for better job opportunities, whether it be a promotion from within the organization they are currently with or an outside opportunity.

this guy, turned down what, 5.5 million a year...., for a job that was 2 freakin hours away?

let me tell you what....i'd drive 2 hours a day, too and from for a 50k raise/opportunity, much less a 1.5 million dollar raise. and i can assure you if i didn't take it because of my family, my family would be the ones calling me the idiot.

hence, the idiot comment.....
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the amount of the raise is relative. His family probably wouldn't know the difference in the money. They have everything they could want. Point being, the guy was making jillions for a town like Gainesville and he, with Meyer, is the king of the Gainesville universe. A $1.5 MM raise when you're loaded with a great quality of life just isn't that big of a deal.

If was moving for the challenge of the new gig in the NBA, I understand. If he was going for the money, I do not understand.
 
#156
#156
Svengali said:
But how do we know the guy wasn't told in confidence by every smart basketball person he knows to avoid the Magic like the plague?
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If he hadn't already solicited their opinions before taking the job, he goes to the top of the list of 2007 Sports Morons.
 
#157
#157
Svengali said:
Also, if the gators 3 peat, is he still an idiot?

Not saying they will. But if they do....or even if they just go on to the final 4 again, with many winning seasons to follow.....seems kinda early to call this "dumb."
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His track record, which is irrefutable, is one that says he's more likely to lose to Manhattan or Creighton in the first round than go to the Final Four without Brewer, Horford, and Green.
 
#159
#159
Better he let them know now, then to take the job with his heart not completely in it. That would have been worse.

With more time, he realized he made a mistake and let them know he changed his mind. I'm not going to criticize him for that.
 
#160
#160
Svengali said:
There could also be some unsaid reasons why he had a change of heart. We don't realize as fans that there's still quite a bit of info were not privy to. Maybe something will come out, maybe it wont. But how do we know the guy wasn't told in confidence by every smart basketball person he knows to avoid the Magic like the plague?

Some organizations a are real dumps. Maybe he realized this after the contract signing. Again, we don't know.

He wasn't in a position of desperation by any stretch, he doesn't have to take any crummy jobs. That family answer is the stock response from all coaches, no matter the question. Or, maybe just maybe something did come up.

If you want to argue that he should be a man of his word and honor a contract, ok, I'll listen. But just dont be suprised if theres more to this story than what has been revealed so far.
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Do you actually believe the load that you're shoveling? This isn't the first NBA franchise with which Donovan has held discussions. It's not like he isn't familiar with the NBA. Any contacts that he has would have been consulted BEFORE he accepted the position, not afterwards. The man is an idiot. He's not the first, and he won't be the last. Why are so many people averse to calling a spade a spade?
 
#161
#161
Not wanting to watch 90 NBA games a year. I actually have to give Eddie Munster some credit for that decision.
 
#162
#162
Vol423 said:
Do you actually believe the load that you're shoveling? This isn't the first NBA franchise with which Donovan has held discussions. It's not like he isn't familiar with the NBA. Any contacts that he has would have been consulted BEFORE he accepted the position, not afterwards. The man is an idiot. He's not the first, and he won't be the last. Why are so many people averse to calling a spade a spade?
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I did't say I believed this was the case, I threw out hypotheticals and stated, clearly, that we don't know if there weren't some other reasons. I wasn't suggesting one way or another that these were in fact the case. I just think a guy who won back to back titles in a football school never EVER known for hoops deserves the benefit of the doubt, and that frankly, alot of the criticism is nothing but hate for a more successful program. :cool:
 
#163
#163
GAVol said:
You know . . . They have schools and houses in Orlando too.
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I'm also fairly certain that the high school basketball in Orlando is considerably better than Gainesville. I just finished a brief conversation with an old friend who has pretty good insight into this. Donovan sees nothing wrong with this because he's never had to work for anything in his coaching career. He's to the manor born. He essentially starts out on third base, as an assistant at Kentucky, gets the job at Marshall at about 15, then is hired at Florida after having done nothing of note in Huntington. He has no respect for the opportunity he just threw up on because he's never had to worry if the radiator on the team bus was going to blow out or if his paycheck was going to clear.
 
#164
#164
allvol123 said:
Not wanting to watch 90 NBA games a year. I actually have to give Eddie Munster some credit for that decision.
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Yeah, why would someone want to watch the best basketball players in the world on a nightly basis when he can spend his time watching game film of Auburn.
 
#165
#165
Svengali said:
I did't say I believed this was the case, I threw out hypotheticals and stated, clearly, that we don't know if there weren't some other reasons. I wasn't suggesting one way or another that these were in fact the case. I just think a guy who won back to back titles in a football school never EVER known for hoops deserves the benefit of the doubt, and that frankly, alot of the criticism is nothing but hate for a more successful program. :cool:
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I couldn't care less about Donovan or the state of the Florida basketball program. Hat has characterized his career correctly. He caught lightning in a bottle with one recruiting class, and he is is an absolute moron for not cashing in on it. He'll never again be as highly thought of as he was after that second title. He could have gone to Orlando, cashed in, been run out of the NBA in 3 to 5 years, and then landed the job at Kentucky.
 
#166
#166
hatvol96 said:
Yeah, why would someone want to watch the best basketball players in the world on a nightly basis when he can spend his time watching game film of Auburn.
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NBA is in the dumps right now. Everyone I know who ever talks basketball only does so in March. The ratings for the last few NBA finals have been a joke. It may spike up this year a little because of Lebron. But I don't think it's too far out there to suggest NCAA ball has eclipsed them in popularity. Some guys want the fame.
 
#167
#167
Svengali said:
NBA is in the dumps right now. Everyone I know who ever talks basketball only does so in March. The ratings for the last few NBA finals have been a joke. It may spike up this year a little because of Lebron. But I don't think it's too far out there to suggest NCAA ball has eclipsed them in popularity. Some guys want the fame.
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Then you obviously have no real basketball people as friends. There's a reason that NBA coaches make a whole lot more money than their college counterparts. The NBA generates a boatload more money.
 
#168
#168
hatvol96 said:
Yeah, why would someone want to watch the best basketball players in the world on a nightly basis when he can spend his time watching game film of Auburn.
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Ratings would suggest plenty of people prefer to watch other stuff. So he isn't very alone in this idea.
 
#169
#169
hatvol96 said:
Then you obviously have no real basketball people as friends. There's a reason that NBA coaches make a whole lot more money than their college counterparts. The NBA generates a boatload more money.
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They may bring in more gross dollars, but so what, their business structure is totally different than the NCAA which is tied to academic interests. This aint the 90's, and the so called stars of the NBA don't light up the public interest like the TEAM oriented game of college basketball. The pros depend on a few marketable guys on a few marketable teams for viewing. NCAA tourney will always have high ratings, regardless of who is playing. They arent dependant on stars. Again, check the ratings and see if they lie.
 
#170
#170
allvol123 said:
Ratings would suggest plenty of people prefer to watch other stuff. So he isn't very alone in this idea.
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Compare rating of a JP game involving Auburn to an NBA game, than you'll be comparing apples to apples. Also, if the college game is a comparable product, why is face value on the best ticket at TBA somewhere around $25, while that won't get any ticket in a bunch NBA venues?
 
#172
#172
hatvol96 said:
Yeah, why would someone want to watch the best basketball players in the world on a nightly basis when he can spend his time watching game film of Auburn.
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this is another good point, if you saw his intervie on PTI last week, he went on and on about loving basketball and finally having the opportunity to do nothing but coach...no recruiting, no alumni dinners, yada, yada, yada....it was coaching, pure and simple. it was about "being around the game of basket ball" period. and none of the peripherals that the college game had along with it.

so again, the line of thought he's had just seems contrarian at heart. it is the virtual definiton of "flip flop".

i don't think the reasons why the decision was made at this point really matter. all of those reasons why should have been a part of the decision making process to begin with. and it seems now, that the majority of this "soul searching" has come after the decision was made, hence the criticism.

i don't think anyone is REALLY criticisizing WHY he did it...just that he did, in fact, do it....
 
#173
#173
hatvol96 said:
Compare rating of a JP game involving Auburn to an NBA game, than you'll be comparing apples to apples. Also, if the college game is a comparable product, why is face value on the best ticket at TBA somewhere around $25, while that won't get any ticket in a bunch NBA venues?
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I never compared the college game to the pro game. Only stated that the vast majority of sports fans find the NBA uninteresting at best. Care to point me to the NBA subforum on this board?
 
#174
#174
hatvol96 said:
That is either the most naive statement in the history of this board or the best joke I've seen in some time. Please tell me you didn't mean that to be serious.
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You're compairing the free enterprise nature of the NBA with NCAA which, while out to earn a profit, operates with MUCH more restrictions, self imposed and otherwise.

Put it this way. Supply and demand comparisons are unfair when evaulating college sports and their ticket prices. Otherwise Vols season tickets wouldnt be 300 bucks a piece. They'd be 1000 a piece, because they know you guys would pay that much and more. No?
 
#175
#175
Svengali said:
the NCAA which is tied to academic interests.
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Said academic interests which are evidenced by the fact that the majority of basketball players at big time D-1 schools don't graduate and basketball coaches are being paid 10x what university presidents are making. Yeah, the NCAA is about academic interests in the same way Haliburton's main concern is rebuilding Iraq for its citizens.
 
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