update

[Elephantitis]

No. It is short sighted to way overpay for a coach, just so you can make a "splash" hire. You are better off hiring a good coach for 1.5m than a slightly better coach with a big name for $2.5m and a huge buyout.

I don't necessarily disagree that paying 10 million next year on a non-profitable sport is a dubious enterprise, but there is a gulf the size of a galaxy as far as future outcomes between hiring Brad Stevens at 2.5 million and Bruce Pearl or Kevin Stallings or Lon Kruger or Buzz Williams or maybe even Shaka Smart at 1.5 million.

Brad Stevens will win multiple national titles, somewhere. Maybe its Butler, maybe its Duke, maybe its OU. But within 20 years, he will have enough rings to vindicate the basketball program wherever he is at. There is no other young coach out there that you can make that projection. A Stevens' coached team cutting down the nets is inevitable.

Stevens has a system. A philosophy. A preparation-based strategy to attack opponents. He doesn't throw some one and done McD AAs out there and hope they just out talent the opponent. Stevens is a surgeon who knows how to move the chess pieces to exploit the opponents weaknesses.

If we want to have a national title in our future, guaranteed, we shell out for Stevens. If we want to just get back to being competitive, sure, Buzz Williams, a "good" coach, would be fine to get us back to the Sweet 16. But Williams, at OU, will just lose to Stevens, at Butler, in the tourney anyways.

How much is a national title worth? Is it worth 10 million? Is it worth taking a chance that Stevens would stay long enough at OU to win that title before Coach K retires, thus making Duke steal Stevens from wherever he's coaching? Who knows. But if Stevens coached at OU for 10 years, we'll have a national title and another Final Four or two banners hanging in Lloyd Noble.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Thanks for the link. I remember reading that the other day and just forgot about it.

I will tell you what though, $6 million for a buyout at Butler. I have to call BS on that. I don't even think Coach K's buyout is that is it --- if he even has one.

Even Duke wouldn't pay that.

 

[Dr Sleep]

Why would Stevens sign such a rediculous contract with Butler? He had all the leverage getting to the Championship game and then willingly locked himself to Butler. He can't leave, he can't even renegotiate, he just pissed his leverage away. He was in the finance sector, so maybe he knows something i don't. But i was him, i would never agree to a $6 million buyout.

 

[Tony]

I will say this no one has even been interviwed at this point.

What? I have a very hard time believing that.

 

[steverocks35]

Do you know how an endowment works? Do you not how profit and loss work? Do you know what business is?

Yes, I know all these things. My point is, for the University of Oklahoma, 7 million dollars (or 10 mil, or 12 mil) is a small drop in the bucket.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Well, IMO, we'd certainly be losing less money on men's basketball with Stevens, some good recruits, and some excitement than we've lost with Capel and are going to lose with some second-rate mid-major coach.

 

[Mr.B!!!]

Why would Stevens sign such a rediculous contract with Butler? He had all the leverage getting to the Championship game and then willingly locked himself to Butler. He can't leave, he can't even renegotiate, he just pissed his leverage away. He was in the finance sector, so maybe he knows something i don't. But i was him, i would never agree to a $6 million buyout.

Loyalty.

Go read his wiki page.

His mom taught there, he just made the FF two years in a row...and money isn't the only thing that motivates him [i.e. the difference between $1mm vs. $2mm per year].

Frankly, the reasons why OU has no chance are the same reasons I would kill to have him at OU.

 

[Sooner_In_MI]

Loyalty.

Go read his wiki page.

His mom taught there, he just made the FF two years in a row...and money isn't the only thing that motivates him [i.e. the difference between $1mm vs. $2mm per year].

Frankly, the reasons why OU has no chance are the same reasons I would kill to have him at OU.

That's why if all of the major coaches fall through I really wouldn't mind taking a look at Evans. If it works out he would stay here for life.

 

[thegreyghost]

Butler is a better job than OU right now outside of $$$, and hell stevens could get indiana at any time if Crean implodes

 

[afaSooner]

I would say third below stevens and williams. But I don't thin Krueger is leaving UNLV. I will say this no one has even been interviwed at this point.

THAT'S IT! Someone get me the Arkansas AD on the phone or better yet, someone get me Texas Tech's AD on the phone because evidently these guys are quicker to the punch than Joe Stoops I mean Castiglione! REALLY???? No interviews?? WTH.

In all seriousness this better point to the fact the we already have the cat in the bag and we're only waiting for him to finish up his season. Is Joe just trying to make Terry Evans sweat or something??? The more he waits to even conduct one freaking interview the more this is absolutely a FAIL situation or someone (Smart? Stevens?) winked at Joe when no one was looking and the deal was made. Man I hope it's the latter.

 

[dubyac]

I would say third below stevens and williams. But I don't thin Krueger is leaving UNLV. I will say this no one has even been interviwed at this point.

the DOK reported last night that Joe conducted an interview yesterday...

 

[Mr.B!!!]

That's why if all of the major coaches fall through I really wouldn't mind taking a look at Evans. If it works out he would stay here for life.

I was going to add that, but didn't want the headache from the negative posts that would follow. I still view TE as I guy I'd like to at least see get an interview.