I fully expected Billy Donovan to bolt Florida after the Gators won their second consecutive title. For Kentucky that is, not the Orlando Magic! Billy Donovan isn’t leaving a contract that will pay him $3.5 million a year (which will top out at $3.75 million a year in the 2013-2014 season) for a storied NBA franchise like the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, or Bulls, he’s leaving it for the Magic. The Magic have made it to the playoffs nine times in their all so brief history. And out of those nine playoff appearances, they have been swept in five playoff series and made it out of the first round only twice. Ladies and gentleman, Billy Donovan isn’t only leaving Florida because of the money ($5.5 million a year for 5 years), he’s leaving because he’s scared.
Yeah I said it, Billy Donovan is scared of staying at Florida. Why? The obvious answer, of course, is that he is about to lose three lottery picks to the NBA (Noah, Horford, Brewer) and the best recruiting class in Florida basketball history. Florida is going to go young next year, really young. But it’s not like Billy Donovan doesn’t have a lot of talent coming in, he has arguably the best recruiting class in the nation (see below):
Nick Calathes PG 6-5, 185 #3 Rated Point Guard
Chandler Parsons SF 6-8, 190 #5 Rated Small Forward
Adam Allen SF 6-6, 185 #19 Rated Small Forward
Jai Lucus PG 5-10, 160 #7 Rated Point Guard
Alex Tyrus PF 6-8, 210 #12 Rated Power Forward
So why is Billy Donovan scared of staying at Florida? Maybe he just wants to coach in the NBA you would say, right?
Well he had to think about the fact that a startlingly long list of great college coaches including his own mentor, Rick Pitino, haven’t been able to translate success from college to the NBA level. I’m sure Donovan consulted Pitino before he took the job, and I’m sure Pitino told him everything that comes along with the NBA game. Mainly, the fact that the head coach loses control. In college, Donovan controlled which players he wanted on his team and he was able to micromanage every aspect of their lives. In college Donovan was the coach, the GM, and the president of basketball operations. In the NBA, Donovan is just the coach, and will be held accountable for moves made by the front office. This isn’t a dynamic NBA franchise steeped in tradition folks, this is the Orlando Magic, with a career franchise win percentage of .485.
Enough, enough! The real reason Billy Donovan is leaving Florida is because he doesn’t believe he has what it takes to maintain a program at this kind of level year in, year out. Billy Donovan knows he hit the jackpot with this team and these last two championships and he’s cashing in. He knows Florida isn’t going to win the SEC next year, and they might not win it the year after. He knows Kentucky just nabbed Patrick Patterson and is going to put every resource towards beating him. And it’s sad, but he knows he’s not a great, marquee, Coach K-type of coach.
Billy Donovan had a chance to stay and build Florida into one of the best sustained basketball programs in history. The most apt comparison here is Coach K. You may think Billy Donovan’s 5-year $27.5 million deal is a lot of money, but try the 5-year $50 million deal Coach K turned down from the Lakers. Another similarity here is that Donovan came into a great conference and out-dueled one of the nation’s best programs, Kentucky. In the same way, Coach K came into the ACC and out-dueled Carolina. The difference is that Coach K has struck around and made Duke into one of the all-time great programs. Too bad Florida won’t have the same opportunity. Cheers to the end of Florida basketball.
Cavs-Pistons Game
While I was writing this blog entry I was lucky enough to be witness to perhaps the most transcendent individual performance by an athlete (not named Jordan) in my lifetime. Lebron scored the last 29 points and recorded the following stat line:
48 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
Yeah I said it, Billy Donovan is scared of staying at Florida. Why? The obvious answer, of course, is that he is about to lose three lottery picks to the NBA (Noah, Horford, Brewer) and the best recruiting class in Florida basketball history. Florida is going to go young next year, really young. But it’s not like Billy Donovan doesn’t have a lot of talent coming in, he has arguably the best recruiting class in the nation (see below):
Nick Calathes PG 6-5, 185 #3 Rated Point Guard
Chandler Parsons SF 6-8, 190 #5 Rated Small Forward
Adam Allen SF 6-6, 185 #19 Rated Small Forward
Jai Lucus PG 5-10, 160 #7 Rated Point Guard
Alex Tyrus PF 6-8, 210 #12 Rated Power Forward
So why is Billy Donovan scared of staying at Florida? Maybe he just wants to coach in the NBA you would say, right?
Well he had to think about the fact that a startlingly long list of great college coaches including his own mentor, Rick Pitino, haven’t been able to translate success from college to the NBA level. I’m sure Donovan consulted Pitino before he took the job, and I’m sure Pitino told him everything that comes along with the NBA game. Mainly, the fact that the head coach loses control. In college, Donovan controlled which players he wanted on his team and he was able to micromanage every aspect of their lives. In college Donovan was the coach, the GM, and the president of basketball operations. In the NBA, Donovan is just the coach, and will be held accountable for moves made by the front office. This isn’t a dynamic NBA franchise steeped in tradition folks, this is the Orlando Magic, with a career franchise win percentage of .485.
Enough, enough! The real reason Billy Donovan is leaving Florida is because he doesn’t believe he has what it takes to maintain a program at this kind of level year in, year out. Billy Donovan knows he hit the jackpot with this team and these last two championships and he’s cashing in. He knows Florida isn’t going to win the SEC next year, and they might not win it the year after. He knows Kentucky just nabbed Patrick Patterson and is going to put every resource towards beating him. And it’s sad, but he knows he’s not a great, marquee, Coach K-type of coach.
Billy Donovan had a chance to stay and build Florida into one of the best sustained basketball programs in history. The most apt comparison here is Coach K. You may think Billy Donovan’s 5-year $27.5 million deal is a lot of money, but try the 5-year $50 million deal Coach K turned down from the Lakers. Another similarity here is that Donovan came into a great conference and out-dueled one of the nation’s best programs, Kentucky. In the same way, Coach K came into the ACC and out-dueled Carolina. The difference is that Coach K has struck around and made Duke into one of the all-time great programs. Too bad Florida won’t have the same opportunity. Cheers to the end of Florida basketball.Cavs-Pistons Game
While I was writing this blog entry I was lucky enough to be witness to perhaps the most transcendent individual performance by an athlete (not named Jordan) in my lifetime. Lebron scored the last 29 points and recorded the following stat line:
48 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
Recap
After Lebron hits a ridiculously clutch shot to make the score 100-96 in OT, Lebron air balls the next time down. Then on the first possession in the second overtime he hits a fade away over Tayshaun. Then with 2 minutes left he goes behind the back with his left hand and drains a fade away at the top of the key just inside the 3 point line.
Lebron hits a 3 over Chris Webber to tie the game at 107. Lebron gets the ball, takes Chauncey off the dribble, and puts the ball in with a little scoop shot for a 109-107 lead with 2.2 seconds left! Michael Jordan reincarnate.
Thoughts
What in the world were the Pistons doing on the last possession? Why would you guard any other Cavs player when Lebron has scored the last 27 points and scored the last 11 Cavs field goals?
Mr. Big Shot missed a big shot with 2.2 seconds left in overtime.
What has happened to Tayshaun? He looks really depressed and dejected on the court.
Mike Brown really makes some terrible decisions. He wasted his timeouts in OT and then Cleveland didn’t have a chance to move the ball up the court when the Pistons tied the game with 3.1 seconds left. Lebron sure has a way to mask coaching mistakes. Oh and Mike Brown kissed Lebron twice on the face after the game.
Lebron James sure took his critics’ advice to heart after Game 1. They asked for Lebron to shoot with the game on the line, he did it. This is the official beginning of vintage Lebron games.
After 2:10 left in the 4th quarter, Lebron James was the only Cav to score. How do you let a guy drop 29 straight points on you?
Do yourself a favor and watch this game on ESPN classic tomorrow if you missed it.
13 comments:
Billy Donovan is going to earn his $27.5 million in the pros, lose terribly, and then come back to college basketball. Does $2 million a year really matter when it's $3.5 mil vs. $5.5 mil?
Nice comparison between Billy Donovan and Coach K. The difference between the two is that Coach K has some character. I just lost any respect I ever had for Billy Donovan, what a goat.
that's garbage that donovan is scared. first, nba franchises "steeped in tradition" don't offer head coaching jobs to fresh college coaches because they never need to; they are at the top and they can pick only the best with the most experience. Of a non-elite franchise and any franchise that has a coaching vacancy this year (which is the only year donovan could try for the nba for the next 7 years), which has a better prospect for success? Orlando has Dwight Howard, probably THE best young frontcourt man in the nba. They're coming off a 40 win season (which isn't terrible by any stretch) and a playoff berth. The Magic also have a ton of money in cap space to potentially lure someone to come play, maybe rashard lewis. If you're going to go with a team that has some work to do, this is it.
Second, like you said the Gators have the best recruiting class of next year, bar none. They have the potential to make some noise next year and continue to assert themselves as an elite team in the NCAA. I don't see how you can say that Donovan left in fear of tarnishing his legacy. He won two championships, his contract was over, this was the only time to do it!
Also, Coach K's situation was totally different because he was at Duke for 25 years and to leave such a history behind seemed unimaginable; spending one third of your life building a program and leaving for 5 years in L.A. seems like a waste. But Donovan is still young, and he only spent 11 years at Florida. Yes, Coach K has established himself as a legend and Donovan has not reached that same status (although the last 5 years of Coach K's reign have been mediocre at best from a coaching standpoint). But his move to the NBA does not at all prove that he couldn't continue his run of success with Florida. If there was ever a time for a change in his career, here it was and he seized the opportunity.If he wants to move forward with his career in this way, so be it.
"that's garbage that donovan is scared. first, nba franchises "steeped in tradition" don't offer head coaching jobs to fresh college coaches because they never need to; they are at the top and they can pick only the best with the most experience."
First of all, a coach who has been at one school for 11 years and has won two championships is not a "fresh college coach" v money.
Secondly, NBA franchises steeped in tradition DO offer coaching jobs to fresh college coaches. If you knew anything about basketball, you would know that Coach K was offered the Celtics job in 1990 before he won any of his championships. And he turned it down. Do you think he would have even listeined if it was the Magic calling?
Donovan is scared BECAUSE he has so much talent coming in. If he doesn't produce, people WILL criticize him. He's scared of not being able to sustain excellence. Smart move getting out now when his stock will never be higher.
Here's to Billy Donovan joining the list of college coaches who have failed in their attempts to succeed at the NBA level: Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Tark, Tim Floyd, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery, P.J. Carlesimo.
In a few years after he makes his $27.5 mil, we'll see him back in the college game again with a loser's reputation.
Also, Dwight Howard is garbage, I would rather have Al Jefferson. Dwight leads the NBA in turnovers if you haven't noticed.
If you look at that "stellar" recruiting class you will notice that Billy Donovan has two point guards, two small forwards, and only one power forward coming in. Billy Donovan is losing Noah, Horford, and Richards this year and he knows he will be ridiculously weak in the post. If Patrick Patterson had committed to Florida, Donovan would have stayed.
Donovan, more than anyone else, is concerned about his image. He's not expected to win in the NBA since so many other great college coaches have failed before him. He probably knows he's going to fail and thinks failing in Orlando will be better for his reputation than failing at Florida (and the money's not bad).
By the way, Dwight Howard will never be dominant. He sucks.
Billy Donovan is looking for trouble. I totally agree with the point about him losing control. He's going to have to live with terrible decisions by the Magic front office. If he was so sought after, why didn't he ask to be coach/GM?
Regardless of the outcome of this Cavs-Pistons series, I hope the Cavs fire Mike Brown and make some roster moves (i.e. cut Damon Jones and Eric Snow). Lebron is too good for the Cavs to surround him with this level of mediocrity. I think the Cavs need to trade whatever is necessary to get a reliable big or another slasher. They shouldn't even worry about the salary cap. How can you with Lebron entering his prime and ready to go on a title binge?
agreed, those two you mentioned (jones and snow) are seriously dead weight, especially jones. the self proclaimed best shooter in the nba is too small, too slow, and too miserably inconsistent to be anything more than a 10th man on the grizzlies, or maybe a ballboy for the spurs.
All I know, Donovan, his kids, and grandkids are set for the rest of his life...
so billy might be going back to gainesville if the magic let him pretend the last week never happened.
god i hope he just runs through the sec and proves you wrong.
remember the name, if your blog is still up in 9 months expect a post reminding you of this shit
I can't believe Billy Donovan changed his mind and wants to come back now. He can't even make a decision. Scrapper, please tear this guy to shreds for me.
He is scared huh??? Eat your words sucker! You people talk trash too much! And sorry for you and other anti-gators.. Billy is back in GATOR NATION!(where TITLES are held).
Genial post and this enter helped me alot in my college assignement. Thanks you for your information.
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