-Jake from Memphis
Back by popular demand, we’re going to spend a second consecutive blog entry tearing Billy Dononvan to shreds. Jake, thanks for the comment buddy and don’t worry, The Scrapper’s on the prowl.
Alright, alright, so I guess all you readers are starting to wonder about my assertion that Billy Donovan is too scared to stay at Florida now that he’s waffled on his commitment to become the next coach of the Orlando Magic and returned to the Gators. When I found out that Billy the Kid had changed his mind, I was thrilled. Now he gets to prove my point to the rest of the world, that he just got lucky these last two years and he isn’t a good enough coach to sustain Florida’s program at an elite level. But before we go into the ramifications of Donovan’s decision, let’s think about this from Florida’s perspective. You have your coach bolt for a mediocre NBA franchise, only to instantly flip-flop and return. If I’m a Florida fan, I’m insulted that he made the decision to leave in the first place. If you are the 2-time defending national champion Gators, why allow him to come back? If Coach K decided to go to the NBA and then vacillated on his decision, I wouldn’t accept him back. Not after knowing he had the audacity to turn his back on us, even if only for an instant.
I hope this decision results in Billy Donovan losing a lot of credibility. Even when he realized he made the wrong decision, he should have sucked it up and honored his commitment. He gave the Magic his word (and his signature on a $27.5 million contract). Not only that, but he let down the hopes and dreams of Orlando Magic fans everywhere (if there are any). But seriously, people bought 200 season tickets within the afternoon that Billy Donovan was announced as coach and then poof, he disappeared. Personally, I’ve lost all respect for Billy Donovan.
My dad tells me that indecisiveness is a sign of weakness. I guess people don’t get much weaker than Billy Donovan then. What he is doing is embarrassing. Not only will he appear foolish, the Magic are also going to ban him from coaching in the NBA for the next 5 years and could also impose a monetary penalty. If I were the Magic, I would make him pay a lot of money ($10 million sounds about right).
Regardless of whatever made Billy Donovan change his mind, I think his recruiting goes downhill too. If I’m a parent, I don’t want my child playing for a man with such weak character. I guarantee Billy Donovan doesn’t win another NCAA title. I guarantee it.
As a Duke fan, it’s a great feeling knowing your coach turned down a job offer from one of the greatest NBA franchises in history. I can only wonder how Florida fans (like my roommate’s girlfriend) feel about their Coach deciding to leave them for the Orlando Magic (and then changing his mind to become the laughing stock of the NBA). I found the video below on Youtube, this guy is weird. 
9 comments:
Billy Donovan= a goat
The Magic shouldn't let him out of his contract, he's classless. I don't think Florida will be that good next year anyways. Max 20 win season, they have NO ONE IN THE POST.
That is one WEIRD DUDE in the video. Watch his video where he's at the tournament game.
Why would you be insulted if your coach came back? He had an opportunity to take care of his wife, kids, and grandkids for life, and he loved the university and what it brought to him so much that he realized where his heart calls home. If I were a florida fan I would be happy that he regarded Gainesville as more than anything Orlando could be. The audacity? He had not yet been signed with Florida, his contract ran out. He was under no obligation to return, and many coaches dream of being able to be in the NBA in the beginning of their careers; perhaps this was true for Donovan. I'm sure his aspirations have changed over the course of time, but initially when you become a coach, I would assume the ultimate goal is to coach at the highest level.
Also, if the final outcome of this whole situation is that Donovan was offered a job with the Magic and turned it down for Florida, then it is indeed the same as Coach K; he turned away the Magic for his college team.
I will grant the fact that his change of heart is unfair to the Orlando fans, especially those who invested in their team's future with season tickets. I would hope that they will be given a chance to refund their tickets. I think a ban from the NBA for 5 years is fair, so Donovan cannot exploit the Magic's sympathy for his change of heart.
Also, the idea that indecisiveness is a sign of weakness is a load of shit. Everyone feels indecisive about things before making a decision; Donovan made the mistake of rushing his decision before he truly felt comfortable with it. I'm not excusing what he's doing as alright, but the fact that he made a mistake shouldn't tarnish his entire career.
Someone once told me that hyperbole is a sign of bad journalism. Having a super-opinionated view that lands all the way on one side of the spectrum is the cool and sexy thing to do in today's age of PTI, Around the Horn, and Jim Rome. But sports columnists never have any accountability for the extravagant claims and predictions they make, so I hope you intend to break the mold and admit fault or claim success in the future.
Thanks for your message Jim. Don't worry buddy, I'll eat my words if I'm wrong about Billy. I'm glad you're so passionate about this subject though. Keep reading the blog.
“Someone once told me that hyperbole is a sign of bad journalism.”
Jim, he’s writing a BLOG, not articles for a newspaper. The whole point of a blog is you’re supposed to EXPRESS YOUR OPINONS.
"Everyone feels indecisive about things before making a decision."
The point is that once you make a decision, you should stick by it. And Billy Donovan deserves to be ridiculed for what he did, it was wrong.
"Also, if the final outcome of this whole situation is that Donovan was offered a job with the Magic and turned it down for Florida, then it is indeed the same as Coach K; he turned away the Magic for his college team."
What matters is that Billy Donovan actually turned his back on Florida and embarrased all Florida fans whereas Coach K took his time to make sure he was making the right decision so he didn't let people down or create false optimism in L.A. Billy Donovan could learn a lot of things from Coach K. Maybe he could infuse Billy with some character.
"Jim from Durham," you are obviously a Florida fan. This is a blog, where people write THEIR OPINIONS. Whoever you are, all your arguments are illogical.
how is it embarrassing florida fans?
Look, I'm a pretty serious Florida fan but even I am embarrased by what Billy Donovan did. Don't get me wrong, I think he is a great coach and I am ecstatic he is back. But the fact that he turned his back on us, albeit for an instant, really turns me off. Why couldn't he have just said no in the first place?
Hey Scrapper, Jay Bilas just wrote an article about how what Billy Donovan did was "unprofessional."
He agrees with pretty much all of your arguments, here's the link,
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/columns/story?columnist=bilas_jay&id=2893085
Jay Bilas says "Decisions in basketball are made in short order, and every coach knows it. Coaches are required to decide quickly which jobs they will look at and accept. Orlando didn't rush Donovan or pressure him into anything. Donovan negotiated a deal, had his lawyer look it over, signed it, appeared at a press conference announcing it and then reneged on it...Donovan made a big mess out of this, and it was horribly unprofessional."
Indecisiveness IS a sign of weakness.
Post a Comment