Billy Donovan 🤔

[Danomatic]

You have to wonder... does he regret “not even considering” the IU job? 

Given what he’s about to endure this upcoming offseason, including potentially being removed from the Thunder job. 

Personally, I think that he regrets it. I know this is just my bias showing, believing that our program is still one of the best jobs in all of the basketball world. 

Also, I’m completely satisfied with Archie and truly believe that he’s our guy! I was just curious as to what you guys think? 

[FKIM01]

1 hour ago, Danomatic said:

You have to wonder... does he regret “not even considering” the IU job? 

Given what he’s about to endure this upcoming offseason, including potentially being removed from the Thunder job. 

Personally, I think that he regrets it. I know this is just my bias showing, believing that our program is still one of the best jobs in all of the basketball world. 

Also, I’m completely satisfied with Archie and truly believe that he’s our guy! I was just curious as to what you guys think? 

Funny...that same thought crossed my mind last night when the Thunder was eliminated.  Assuming he had interest in the job (and I believe he did, despite what he says), it has to feel like a missed opportunity today.  Donovan would have brought instant credibility but I still feel like if you look at longevity, Archie is potentially a great choice.  Although I love the choice and am very satisfied, I don't believe Glass when he says Archie was his first choice...way too much smoke around Donovan to believe that they didn't talk about the opening before Glass went after Archie.

Whatever the case, that door is slammed shut now.  I have my doubts Donovan ever gets another shot at it.

[5fouls]

If he had not seen enough from the OKC situation by the end of last year to know it was time to run to the hills, then he actually may not be as smart as we all think he is.    

[IUwins0708]

3 hours ago, FKIM01 said:

Funny...that same thought crossed my mind last night when the Thunder was eliminated.  Assuming he had interest in the job (and I believe he did, despite what he says), it has to feel like a missed opportunity today.  Donovan would have brought instant credibility but I still feel like if you look at longevity, Archie is potentially a great choice.  Although I love the choice and am very satisfied, I don't believe Glass when he says Archie was his first choice...way too much smoke around Donovan to believe that they didn't talk about the opening before Glass went after Archie.

Whatever the case, that door is slammed shut now.  I have my doubts Donovan ever gets another shot at it.

Archie wasn’t his first choice, but ended up being the best choice. 

[FKIM01]

8 minutes ago, IUwins0708 said:

Archie wasn’t his first choice, but ended up being the best choice. 

I don't disagree with that. I'm guessing it was Archie after Stevens and Donovan, but none of that matters now.  I'm well pleased with who IU hired.

[BobSaccamanno]

I like the hunger Archie has as a guy still climbing the mountain.  Donovan’s a great coach and I was fixated on him like many.   He’s already defeated the mountain.  I’m sure he’s got the juice to hit the next challenge, so no knock on him.  

This may not age well, but I think we got the better guy for us now.  I think he matches what IU basketball represents to a tee.  Tough D, players with grit and a home state flavor, good tempo but protect the ball   Basically, he’s ideal.  We may see within the next year very well where this locomotive is headed.  

   

 

[FW_Hoosier]

I thought the same thing after the Thunder got bounced.  If the Thunder don’t win a playoff series next year (and there’s a good chance they won’t), Billy will most likely be out of a job.  In that case, where would he go?  Seems like pretty much all of the blue blood jobs in college basketball are filled for the foreseeable future.

[FKIM01]

UNC or Duke will likely soon have openings, IMO.

[rico]

7 hours ago, FKIM01 said:

UNC or Duke will likely soon have openings, IMO.

Don't ever forget about UCLA.  Seems they are very impatient, even with guys who win.

[dbmhoosier]

1 hour ago, rico said:

Don't ever forget about UCLA.  Seems they are very impatient, even with guys who win.

I have no doubt they'd can Alford in a heartbeat if they thought they could land Donovan.

[Seeking6]

Billy D would bring instant credibility to any job he takes....obviously. With that said if Archie closes on you know who and adds any of the others that have heavy interest...I'm not sure even Billy D could have done this. Best thing is. Archie is what 10-12 years younger. 

[Zuckerkorn]

11 hours ago, FKIM01 said:

UNC or Duke will likely soon have openings, IMO.

Correct.  Also, to a lesser extent Mich St. and Syracuse.  And, UK could even be right in there depending on other factors.

It will really be interesting to see who these schools peg to be their next coach.  Beyond Donovan and Stevens, there really aren't any grand slam/sure-thing hires out there IMO.  There's no guarantee that those two guys will ever return to the college ranks.  I said it last year that hiring Arch may end up being a stroke of genius in the long run.  Obviously, this depends on how successful he is as our coach - but to this point, there's nothing that would indicate otherwise.

[FKIM01]

3 hours ago, rico said:

Don't ever forget about UCLA.  Seems they are very impatient, even with guys who win.

Yeah...I was thinking of old coaches rather than mediocre coaches. I'd have to think Alford was at risk based on his underperformance. 

[Hoosierhoopster]

On 4/28/2018 at 4:45 PM, 5fouls said:

If he had not seen enough from the OKC situation by the end of last year to know it was time to run to the hills, then he actually may not be as smart as we all think he is.    

OKC was in great shape until Roberson went down. When he went down they were playing like the team that would challenge GS. 

[Hoosierhoopster]

14 hours ago, FW_Hoosier said:

I thought the same thing after the Thunder got bounced.  If the Thunder don’t win a playoff series next year (and there’s a good chance they won’t), Billy will most likely be out of a job.  In that case, where would he go?  Seems like pretty much all of the blue blood jobs in college basketball are filled for the foreseeable future.

The good chance is only if Roberson doesn't come back healthy. The bigger question with OKC over the summer is whether Melo returns or accepts a lesser role, and of course whether PG re-signs. If he does and Roberson is healthy, it's an extremely good team, as they were demonstrating when  he went down.

[FW_Hoosier]

7 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

The good chance is only if Roberson doesn't come back healthy. The bigger question with OKC over the summer is whether Melo returns or accepts a lesser role, and of course whether PG re-signs. If he does and Roberson is healthy, it's an extremely good team, as they were demonstrating when  he went down.

I would say “good chance” is an accurate assessment considering all the ifs you just listed there.  I don’t see Roberson making that much of a difference, and I don’t think they’re an extremely good team even with him and all of their “Big Three” back next year.  They were 29-20 when he went down, in the midst of a seven game win streak where their only good wins were over a bad Cavs team on the road and a mediocre Wizards team at home.  Regular season doesn’t really mean anything anyway, and I don’t think having Roberson changes the result against the Jazz.

As for Melo, it appears he’s reached the point where he’s going to be unplayable in the playoffs, and he’s already agitating about his role on the team.  He’s going to be a cancer on the Thunder next season.  And we’ll just have to see if PG wants to stick around and watch Westbrook take 40 shots a game in the playoffs next season.  Regardless, PG proved everyone that was saying he chokes in big playoff moments right in Game 6.  All things considered, I wouldn’t bet on the Thunder winning a playoff series next season.

[rico]

Regardless of what OKC does next year.......Billy D. will draw interest from other NBA teams.

[FW_Hoosier]

8 minutes ago, rico said:

Regardless of what OKC does next year.......Billy D. will draw interest from other NBA teams.

That is true.  He will be able to get another NBA job if he wants it.  Although it seems he didn’t do a very good job with the Thunder this year... But I think that may be because it’s pretty hard to coach Westbrook.  The way he plays doesn’t really allow for any other style of play except iso ball.

[Hoosierhoopster]

18 minutes ago, FW_Hoosier said:

I would say “good chance” is an accurate assessment considering all the ifs you just listed there.  I don’t see Roberson making that much of a difference, and I don’t think they’re an extremely good team even with him and all of their “Big Three” back next year.  They were 29-20 when he went down, in the midst of a seven game win streak where their only good wins were over a bad Cavs team on the road and a mediocre Wizards team at home.  Regular season doesn’t really mean anything anyway, and I don’t think having Roberson changes the result against the Jazz.

As for Melo, it appears he’s reached the point where he’s going to be unplayable in the playoffs, and he’s already agitating about his role on the team.  He’s going to be a cancer on the Thunder next season.  And we’ll just have to see if PG wants to stick around and watch Westbrook take 40 shots a game in the playoffs next season.  Regardless, PG proved everyone that was saying he chokes in big playoff moments right in Game 6.  All things considered, I wouldn’t bet on the Thunder winning a playoff series next season.

I don't think you were watching them, I think you just pulled their record. They were clearly playing outstanding basketball and had 'figured it out' when Roberson went down, as recognized by pretty much everyone at the time. They were a top 3 D and their O was rising fast, that 7-game streak was reflecting of how well they were playing. 

Your comments on PG are just silly, man. He was the 5th leading scorer in the playoffs until that last game, which was clearly a bad one. He was playing outstanding ball, until that last game. BTW, Vic finished something like 17th in scoring in the playoffs and had several very bad games, which, I guess by your measure, means he proved he's a bad playoff player. Both played outstanding in the playoffs overall, both had bad games. 

More or less agree on Melo though, said at the time it was a bad move to bring him on board -- the Thunder played their best with Melo off the floor, including in that comeback game 5 W over Utah, the third best playoff comeback win in League history, and another game in which PG scored 36.  When Roberson was healthy and they had it figured out, though, Roberson and PG covered the D allowing Melo to just score, which remains his strength. though that is now fading with father time.

[FW_Hoosier]

9 minutes ago, Hoosierhoopster said:

I don't think you were watching them, I think you just pulled their record. They were clearly playing outstanding basketball and had 'figured it out' when Roberson went down, as recognized by pretty much everyone at the time. They were a top 3 D and their O was rising fast, that 7-game streak was reflecting of how well they were playing. 

Your comments on PG are just silly, man. He was the 5th leading scorer in the playoffs until that last game, which was clearly a bad one. He was playing outstanding ball, until that last game. BTW, Vic finished something like 17th in scoring in the playoffs and had several very bad games, which, I guess by your measure, means he proved he's a bad playoff player. Both played outstanding in the playoffs overall, both had bad games. 

More or less agree on Melo though, said at the time it was a bad move to bring him on board -- the Thunder played their best with Melo off the floor, including in that comeback game 5 W over Utah, the third best playoff comeback win in League history, and another game in which PG scored 36.  When Roberson was healthy and they had it figured out, though, Roberson and PG covered the D allowing Melo to just score, which remains his strength. though that is now fading with father time.

So you watched every Thunder game this season?  I doubt that.  Of course I just pulled the record out today, but I watched enough Thunder games this season to have an informed opinion.  Regardless, like I said, regular season means very little in the NBA.

All I said about PG was that he shrank in the big moment in Game 6.  He was atrocious and way too passive in that game.  Meanwhile, Vic closed out the series against the Cavs with two great games.  You can take from that what you want.  And either way, it was pretty pathetic for the Thunder’s “Big Three” to lose in the first round to a team whose best player is a rookie.  That’s on all of them, not just PG.

[Hoosierhoopster]

29 minutes ago, FW_Hoosier said:

So you watched every Thunder game this season?  I doubt that.  Of course I just pulled the record out today, but I watched enough Thunder games this season to have an informed opinion.  Regardless, like I said, regular season means very little in the NBA.

All I said about PG was that he shrank in the big moment in Game 6.  He was atrocious and way too passive in that game.  Meanwhile, Vic closed out the series against the Cavs with two great games.  You can take from that what you want.  And either way, it was pretty pathetic for the Thunder’s “Big Three” to lose in the first round to a team whose best player is a rookie.  That’s on all of them, not just PG.

Right you pulled their record -- no offense man but your comments reflect that you really have no idea how they were playing. For what it's worth, I was watching the Thunder regularly, to the extent it matters. They were killing it, then Roberson went down, and they went from a top 2-3 D in the League to something like 15th or worse. He is a huge part of their game, and he had come back from an earlier injury -- apparently, he came back to soon, as his season-ending injury was an aggravation of the same injury.

And no this is all silly. PG was instrumental, along with Westbrook, in the very preceding game, scoring like mad  from the third quarter forward to erase a 25 point deficit, again, the third best comeback in League playoff history. You don't get more clutch then that, for what that kind of comment is worth. They did that with Melo on the bench, because, again, they are far better with him on the bench at this point when Roberson is not there. Melo cannot defend well. You can call it pathetic, but the simple fact is, if you're actually watching the games, the Jazz came into the playoffs as one of the best all around teams in the League, with Gobert back and healthy, and the Thunder were not the same without Roberson, from that injury forward. Vic played great in the last two -- after playing badly before then -- good for him, but now you're just overlooking how bad the Cavs are. Not taking anything away from the P's and Vic, who played very well, but that Cavs team is terrible, it's LeBron against whoever is playing them. P's are in great hands going forward, regardless.

[rico]

49 minutes ago, FW_Hoosier said:

That is true.  He will be able to get another NBA job if he wants it.  Although it seems he didn’t do a very good job with the Thunder this year... But I think that may be because it’s pretty hard to coach Westbrook.  The way he plays doesn’t really allow for any other style of play except iso ball.

Westbrook is some sort of enigma.  Ain't Billy's fault, the hand he was dealt.

[BobSaccamanno]

Maybe Vic has acknowledged this, or it’s already been discussed and I missed it, but I feel like Vic had an epiphany watching Westbrook up close for a year.  Vic is playing that attacking style, on both ends, to great success.   It’s like he saw Westbrook and thought “I can dominate people athletically too” and he’s gone into full blown attack mode.  

If he stayed in OKC, he wouldn’t have been able to unleash his game in the same way.  As is often said in sports, and in life for that matter, it’s often getting into the right situation.  Vic ended up in the perfect spot to erupt as a player.  He’s one of the top players in the league now.  The sample size is one year, but he’s been so assertive that I’d expect his emergence to continue because he’s in the right place.  

[FKIM01]

Based on what I've seen of Westbrook, while very talented, he's just a terrible teammate.  I know Vic would never say such a thing, but he had to feel relief getting away from him.

[Hoosierhoopster]

33 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

Based on what I've seen of Westbrook, while very talented, he's just a terrible teammate.  I know Vic would never say such a thing, but he had to feel relief getting away from him.

I wouldn’t call him a terrible teammate, he’s highly regarded, but he’s definitely an enigma of sorts, he completely dominates the ball and while averaging a triple double in back to back seasons isn’t helping his team win well in the playoffs. He may well never win a ring. Somewhat like Iverson