Blake Griffin: "OU has made a mistake"

[TINY]

It's a free country so Blake can do what he wants. I find it weird though, that if he was so upset, why he chose to contact the media instead of OU and voice his complaints. And why he didn't call OU and Joe C. and voice his support when Capel was on the hot seat but not yet fired.

In my opinion, going to the media instead of the source of the firing was a bad move.

Probably because he is going to let Joe C do his job, unlike some extra douchey boosters who never attend the OU bball games anyway.

 

[Sooner Quick]

He has his opinion, he's earned his right. The guy was player of the year, donates money, and some of what he says isn't far off. And I can tell you this while he did come to OU because of Taylor he did come because of Capel too. By the time Blake left he said he considered Capel like an older brother.

Had Sampson stayed our coach we would not have had Blake or Taylor and a few others.

 

[trueou]

What a bunch of cry babies some of you Capel haters are. Blake stepped up to defend his coach and friend. Did you think that firing Capel would have no cost? No fallout? There are no free lunches. When tough decisions are made there will be push back. And sometimes that push back is from people you like and respect. If Blake being upset with OU for a while is the only problem we have from this change, consider us to be blessed. Good grief, some of you harped non-stop that Castiglione and OU were worthless and irresponsible for letting Capel stay another day. And now you get all defensive when a 22 year old former player disagrees with your world view? He is a bad guy for talking bad about the program? You don't think your demanding that Capel be fired didn't have any affect or recruiting?

Some of you seemed to think that Capel being gone would automatically solve our losing problem. And you spent so much time and energy heaping up reasons to hate him that you began to believe some things that just weren't so.

But that is not what matters anymore. The Jeff Capel era is history. The only thing that will solve our losing problem is a coach who can build a team that wins.

Another good thing to remember is that the present and future is what is important. Every time we have had a coaching change we seem to just create another camp of division among OU basketball supporters. We need to quit arguing sometime and unite behind our team of today. They are the only ones who can win games. And, maybe just maybe, we can regain and retain the support of all of our former players.

 

[playmakr]

He wasn't asked why he went to OU, so he didn't have to say anything publicly. I have spoken to several people who know Blake personally and all of them agree that he was not headed to OU until he met Capel. I've never really understood why people feel the need to argue this point. He's even on record of saying it, and people disagree.

That being said, Blake knows Capel on a personal level and has been through a lot with him. He obviously has great admiration for him and thinks very highly of his coaching abilities.

Something Blake probably doesn't understand, is the position Joe C. is in. The pressures are different, the viewpoints are different and the experiences are different.
Blake might be right, and Capel might have been able to turn the program around. The problem is that Blake isn't the one who has to take that risk, Joe C. is.

Blake can be loyal to Capel and still be a loyal Sooner. He has the rest of his career and life to show his loyalty to OU. This was a particularly tough blow for his friend though, and he reacted. There is nothing wrong with that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/sports/ncaabasketball/09griffin.html


But Oklahoma’s basketball renaissance was once at risk of never happening.

Shortly after replacing the former Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson and before Blake’s commitment, Capel had a conversation with Taylor while watching Blake play at an A.A.U. basketball tournament in Dallas.

“You know that Blake almost committed here last year?” Taylor asked, according to Capel.

“Really?” Capel said.

“Yeah, but I kind of talked him out of it,” Taylor said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to come back.”

Taylor said he did not know if he would still be playing for the Sooners if Sampson had stayed. Even when Sampson left for Indiana after his freshman season, Taylor was unsure of his future.

“I was going to stick around at least for that next year and see how things went and everything,” Taylor said of his sophomore season.

Taylor did not end up having to wait until his sophomore season to know he would finish his career at Oklahoma. He quickly became enamored with Capel, and less than a month after meeting him he made the dinner pitch to Blake about Oklahoma.

“If it hadn’t been for Taylor talking to him, I’m not sure what Blake would have done,” Tommy Griffin said. “I don’t know if he would have gone to O.U., or would he have gone somewhere else? That’s one of those things we will never really know.”

 

[Shooterms]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/sports/ncaabasketball/09griffin.html


But Oklahoma’s basketball renaissance was once at risk of never happening.

Shortly after replacing the former Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson and before Blake’s commitment, Capel had a conversation with Taylor while watching Blake play at an A.A.U. basketball tournament in Dallas.

“You know that Blake almost committed here last year?” Taylor asked, according to Capel.

“Really?” Capel said.

“Yeah, but I kind of talked him out of it,” Taylor said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to come back.”

Taylor said he did not know if he would still be playing for the Sooners if Sampson had stayed. Even when Sampson left for Indiana after his freshman season, Taylor was unsure of his future.

“I was going to stick around at least for that next year and see how things went and everything,” Taylor said of his sophomore season.

Taylor did not end up having to wait until his sophomore season to know he would finish his career at Oklahoma. He quickly became enamored with Capel, and less than a month after meeting him he made the dinner pitch to Blake about Oklahoma.

“If it hadn’t been for Taylor talking to him, I’m not sure what Blake would have done,” Tommy Griffin said. “I don’t know if he would have gone to O.U., or would he have gone somewhere else? That’s one of those things we will never really know.”

Well, that pretty much jives with what I've been told. Taylor got him to consider OU and meet Capel. Blake made the decision to come to OU after he met Capel.
I'm not sure if you are trying to discredit what I said, but it is not like the dinner table pitch came and then Blake said, "well, that's it, I'm a Sooner".

 

[playmakr]

Well, that pretty much jives with what I've been told. Taylor got him to consider OU and meet Capel. Blake made the decision to come to OU after he met Capel.
I'm not sure if you are trying to discredit what I said, but it is not like the dinner table pitch came and then Blake said, "well, that's it, I'm a Sooner".

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you said/meant. I felt you meant Blake wasn't going to OU BEFORE he met Capel. I was providing evidence that showed he was set to commit to Sampson, obviously long before meeting Capel. My mistake if I misunderstood what you were saying.

Edit: Perhaps you meant AFTER Sampson left, it wasn't until Blake met Capel he was considering OU, or re-considering OU?

 

[WTSooner]

Well, that pretty much jives with what I've been told. Taylor got him to consider OU and meet Capel. Blake made the decision to come to OU after he met Capel.
I'm not sure if you are trying to discredit what I said, but it is not like the dinner table pitch came and then Blake said, "well, that's it, I'm a Sooner".

It discredits what you said b/c Taylor flat out says that Blake nearly committed to a Kelvin Sampson coached OU team, but Taylor talked him out of it. That means, at least at some point, Blake was fine with Kelvin Sampson as a coach. Fine enough to commit to OU with him as the coach.

 

[Sid]

He has his opinion, he's earned his right. The guy was player of the year, donates money, and some of what he says isn't far off. And I can tell you this while he did come to OU because of Taylor he did come because of Capel too. By the time Blake left he said he considered Capel like an older brother.

Had Sampson stayed our coach we would not have had Blake or Taylor and a few others.

Yes. Thanks for sharing that with us.

 

[Shooterms]

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you said/meant. I felt you meant Blake wasn't going to OU BEFORE he met Capel. I was providing evidence that showed he was set to commit to Sampson, obviously long before meeting Capel. My mistake if I misunderstood what you were saying.

Edit: Perhaps you meant AFTER Sampson left, it wasn't until Blake met Capel he was considering OU, or re-considering OU?

I really haven't heard anything personally about Blake's intention prior to Taylor talking him out of committing at that time. People often want to make this about Sampson, and you are right in your edit, what I'm talking about is the period of time after Sampson left.
It is a simple fact, backed up by Blake's own words, that he came to OU because of how he felt about Jeff Capel.
Whether or not Sampson could have landed him is not something we'll ever know. Apparently, there was a point when he was going to commit and Taylor talked him out of it, and it seems like, from what you posted, that it would have been difficult for Sampson to get him back on board after that. Who knows?

 

[soonerhappy]

THANK YOU, BLAKE!
(for speaking up in defense of J.Capel)

 

[Shooterms]

It discredits what you said b/c Taylor flat out says that Blake nearly committed to a Kelvin Sampson coached OU team, but Taylor talked him out of it. That means, at least at some point, Blake was fine with Kelvin Sampson as a coach. Fine enough to commit to OU with him as the coach.

This is the mentality I was talking about. I didn't mention Sampson, but apparently, Taylor had talked Blake out of committing to him. That doesn't discredit what I said, at all. Doesn't really have anything to do with what I said. Sorry, I just don't have a pony in the Sampson/Capel battle.

 

[outest]

It's a former player trying to defend his coach. OU didn't make a mistake. There are so many coaches out there who are better than Capel. The program is going downhill, a decision has to be made. OU is too good of a school just to have a mediocre season after season. We are a school that pursue excellence and win championship. I don't see excellence the last 2 years. We need to move forward.

 

[playmakr]

I really haven't heard anything personally about Blake's intention prior to Taylor talking him out of committing at that time. People often want to make this about Sampson, and you are right in your edit, what I'm talking about is the period of time after Sampson left.
It is a simple fact, backed up by Blake's own words, that he came to OU because of how he felt about Jeff Capel.
Whether or not Sampson could have landed him is not something we'll ever know. Apparently, there was a point when he was going to commit and Taylor talked him out of it, and it seems like, from what you posted, that it would have been difficult for Sampson to get him back on board after that. Who knows?

My mistake then. I guess I didn't think saying Blake went to OU because of Taylor and Capel was really making a point at all. Seems obvious.

 

[Shooterms]

My mistake then. I guess I didn't think saying Blake went to OU because of Taylor and Capel was really making a point at all. Seems obvious.

I didn't say Taylor and Capel. I just said Capel. It does seem obvious when talking about Taylor. I think it has been asserted that Blake was coming to OU no matter who the coach was, because Taylor was already there, which implicitly ignores the fact that Capel recruited him and "sold" him on being a Sooner. Capel does deserve credit for having done so. That's my point and my only point.

Incidentally, I'm not saying that was your assertion.

 

[playmakr]

I didn't say Taylor and Capel. I just said Capel. It does seem obvious when talking about Taylor. I think it has been asserted that Blake was coming to OU no matter who the coach was, because Taylor was already there, which implicitly ignores the fact that Capel recruited him and "sold" him on being a Sooner. Capel does deserve credit for having done so. That's my point and my only point.

Incidentally, I'm not saying that was your assertion.

I'm with you. Capel absolutely deserves credit for getting Blake to OU. Certainly, it wasn't all Taylor in the least. Did it help to have Taylor? Yes. But Capel still had to sell him on the idea of OU.

I personally hope to see a renewed interest in Oklahoma recruiting from the new coach. Or as an extension of that, more Texas recruiting. I don't think we need to go Georgia and Virginia all that often to fill out a great roster. If we find kids out there we really like and we KNOW they have GENUINE interest in coming and STAYING at OU, okay fine, but we seem to be getting burned lately out there. (not that we haven't gotten burned by Texas or Oklahoma kids)

 

[Shooterms]

I'm with you. Capel absolutely deserves credit for getting Blake to OU. Certainly, it wasn't all Taylor in the least. Did it help to have Taylor? Yes. But Capel still had to sell him on the idea of OU.

I personally hope to see a renewed interest in Oklahoma recruiting from the new coach. Or as an extension of that, more Texas recruiting. I don't think we need to go Georgia and Virginia all that often to fill out a great roster. If we find kids out there we really like and we KNOW they have GENUINE interest in coming and STAYING at OU, okay fine, but we seem to be getting burned lately out there. (not that we haven't gotten burned by Texas or Oklahoma kids)

:clap

 

[JBaker]

By the end of his sophomore season, Griffin was the national player of the year and the Sooners, once in the NCAA dust, were in the Elite Eight.

Doesn't everybody else see that THIS is the real problem with this article?

We weren't "in the NCAA dust" UNTIL Capel got here.
This article makes it sound like OU was nothing before Capel or Blake got here.
We were in the postseason for 25 straight years before Capel. Before Blake.

Now, I'm absolutely not trying to discount the achievements Blake and Capel had here. And I think Blake has the right to defend his coach, mentor, and friend. Not a thing wrong with that.

It just pisses me off that there's this national consensus that OU has never been good at basketball. That the Griffin era is the only time we've been relevant in basketball. And now people are acting like Texas is some kind of perennial powerhouse. It's just stupid and inaccurate.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

He's even on record of saying it, and people disagree.

can you provide a link?

 

[Shooterms]

can you provide a link?

"When I committed to Oklahoma, it wasn't a popular thing to do at the time but I went because of Coach Capel."

 

[OUFan]

Blake needs to shut the hell up