KO

[babysheep]

How come KO preaches UConn is he's dream job....but yet he's still thinking about the NBA .....

Because he's been lying to everyone including JC this whole time

 

[August_West]

We are going to have to get used to it. KO being young, of outstanding moral character and well respected in NBA circles is going to be on the short list for every job opening the NBA has from now until he turns 65.

Do I want him here forever? Definitely. Will he be? Don't know. Lots of variables come in to play down the road via our ability to compete if we are not in a P5 conference. I don't think he is leaving now, but if he does I'm not angry. Worried about what's next? Sure.

Someone said they want a 20 or 30 year coach.

You want Jim Boeheim? Just good enough to win regular season games at a decent clip, but not good enough to win titles? Success means that people want what we have. No thanks, give me the shooting star of KO even if it is just for 2 years. He has already equaled Boeheim in titles in his first tournament. He righted a program that many left for dead. I don't believe his job is finished here yet. 5 years down the road, I don't know. His stock is sky high right now he has to listen to these offers. Doesn't mean he's not ten toes in still. I just wish they'd finish the contract already.

 

[jleves]

I hope some of you don't have to negotiate your own salary at work. I imagine there's not a lot of double your salary opportunities when the most common phrase in your job is 'Do you want fries with that?'

 

[Zionn]

@Aaron_Torres: Ugh. RT @foxsportsreiter Source close to Kevin Ollie says he plans to visit with Lakers in coming weeks. Meeting not yet set up but expected

 

[aceboon]

I would love to know who this source is that leaking all of these stories to the media. I get the idea of holding leverage over Warde but damn, enough of the public postuting.

 

[James]

If he is flying to LA to visit the lakers cya later KO. If he's enticed by that dumpsterfire , imagine if gsw or okc court him ?

 

[tcf15]

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspo...ed-in-north-carolina-head-coach-roy-williams/

According to a report from Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers are also interested in speaking with North Carolina head coach Roy Williams about their vacant head coaching position.

Bresnahan reports that the Lakers are currently interested in George Karl, Byron Scott, Kurt Rambis, Jeff Van Gundy, Calipari, Ollie and Williams and that Los Angeles won’t hire a new coach before the May 20th NBA Draft Lottery.

 

[superjohn]

If he is flying to LA to visit the lakers cya later KO. If he's enticed by that dumpsterfire , imagine if gsw or okc court him ?

He's not going anywhere but the Lakers will always be more attractive than those teams despite the weak roster. It's the freaking Lakers, the biggest job in all of basketball.

 

[Stinger92860]

@Aaron_Torres: Ugh. RT @foxsportsreiter Source close to Kevin Ollie says he plans to visit with Lakers in coming weeks. Meeting not yet set up but expected

A few weeks? No way the lakers or uconn waits a few weeks. This is done soon.

 

[jibsey]

My biggest problem with this and believe me I want KO to get all he can from us, but Hamilton is sitting out there having presumably been told by KO that he is definitely staying. That has been reported by many sources including KO in multiple interviews So going on an NBA head coaching interview is simply to play this out for: number one experiencing the process and number two leverage. If he goes to
LA though, recruits are left clouded and that is a very bad thing.
Izzo did the right thing after speculation on him and I admired him for it, he shut it down immediately. If KO is going to be upfront he needs to settle this now, Calhoun went to a lot of trouble to secure this job for him, and as much as I admire what he has done so far, there is a bit of luck involved in everything, like a Brimah 3 point play. So come on KO and do the right thing here for yourself and the university, get your money and stop this nonsense.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

So come on KO and do the right thing here for yourself and the university, get your money and stop this nonsense.

Prolonging this "nonsense" is part and parcel of "getting his money."

 

[2north]

I know one thing...Warde better not be choking down Mai Tai's with Herbsey in the next couple weeks.

 

[David 76]

I would love to know who this source is that leaking all of these stories to the media. I get the idea of holding leverage over Warde but damn, enough of the public postuting.

Without the leaking, there is no leverage. We will be fine and I can't blame Ollie for leveraging his new contract or for just allowing the Lakers to court him.

 

[LoveThemHusky]

why do the justice of responding to this garbage? Please let the replies stop here.

You, my friend, stink.

 

[temery]

How come KO preaches UConn is he's dream job....but yet he's still thinking about the NBA .....soooo I guess its not his dream job! And really if we have to deal with this every year maybe he should just go now I want a coach that will be here for 20 years not 5!!

He's not allowed to preach. This is a state university.

 

[Nostical]

Come on guys, KO would be an idiot not to listen. Sure Tom Izzo shut down those NBA rumors early. He's making lots more than KO and is at a more advanced age. But KO has something that Izzo, Calipari, Roy Williams etal don't have. KO has a great reputation in the league right now among some of its greatest players--and Durant's incredible homage to KO is out there for all to see; it's not the mere musings of a blogger. His consideration of the Laker gig doesn't make him disloyal or disingenuous. It makes him smart. The Laker's speculation provides the kind of leverage few folks ever get to use and his agent would be committing malpractice not to use it. But now it's up to UConn. We have to come through for him. I expect him to weigh all the options. Who knows what factors will matter most. His SoCal roots? His loyalty to Calhoun and the school? His word to recruits? The input of his wife and kids? He'll hear the offers, listen to his inner voice and make the best decision for himself and his family. I fervently hope it's to stay, but if it's not, I will certainly understand.

 

[djct1999]

I certainly understand the leverage aspect of all of this but at some point it turns away from that to genuine interest. Am I supposed to believe that if the Lakers offer 6 years and 24 million guaranteed, that Ollie takes that to Warde and says match it? No way. The leverage part of this over. KO has all the leverage he needs. The longer he allows his name out there, the more real the threat of him leaving becomes.

At this point, KO knows very well the lifestyles and demands of both jobs. He wont take one over the other for a few bucks. I will allow this to play out before I rush to final judgement, but I don't really get what KO is doing if UConn is really where he wants to be.

 

[djct1999]

If this is truly a leverage play, what if the Lakers give the job to Byron Scott or Derek Fisher? Does Warde go back to KO and say ok, 2.4 is our final offer? Point is, we are past leverage now.

 

[Kembacity]

Honestly, that's what I call a cool story bro. Such a riveting tale, I honestly copy and pasted it to word, saved on my hard drive, backed it up on a jump drive, drove to the bank, put the jump drive in the safe deposit box, and will leave it there until my kids turn about 12 (when they can actually state their age, and ask what it is I'm showing them), when I will pick it up, put it in an old USB drive reader and relay this cool story to them and tell them, "kids, this is what a cool story should look and sound like...not like the stories your generation tells."

Hey bro that wasn't even a story that you "cool story bro'd" which I think is not cool, bro

 

[aceboon]

Without the leaking, there is no leverage. We will be fine and I can't blame Ollie for leveraging his new contract or for just allowing the Lakers to court him.

that is true, and I have no issue with his source leaking the story the other day about him being willing to listen but commited to UConn...but I have now heard 2 media sources refute that he is meeting with the Lakers, and the Lakers aren't close to reaching out to candidates, so this latest story looks a bit foolish imo.

 

[John]

How come KO preaches UConn is he's dream job....but yet he's still thinking about the NBA .....soooo I guess its not his dream job! And really if we have to deal with this every year maybe he should just go now I want a coach that will be here for 20 years not 5!!

If your post was a jumpshot, I'd hope Emeka Okafor would swat it into the cheap seats.

 

[Final4 42]

I have no problem with Ollie being interested or going on an interview. This is his life and career and doesn't owe anyone anything. As a Uconn fan I am hoping he will stay but it is unrealistic to believe that he shouldn't ever entertain any other offers that come to him in his life.

A 2nd point- How close really are Ollie and Durant? I have heard the interview from Durant and know how Ollie was a mentor and set great examples for the him and the OKC organization but all of these articles and blurbs express how they are "tight" and it is important for his free agency. What does "tight" mean? Do they speak often or get together ever in real life cause I have not seen or heard that. I have had many great mentors and role models in my early career that I can say influenced me but I would never say we were tight, we don't speak often if at all after we have moved on to other areas.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

If this is truly a leverage play, what if the Lakers give the job to Byron Scott or Derek Fisher? Does Warde go back to KO and say ok, 2.4 is our final offer? Point is, we are past leverage now.

Ollie doesn't have to worry about that. The Lakers aren't close to hiring somebody - one report said they will wait until after the draft lottery, which is on May 20th. Ollie's Uconn deal will be done by then.

 

[alexd]

His first post.

Gee, what a surprise.

 

[CL82]

My biggest problem with this and believe me I want KO to get all he can from us, but Hamilton is sitting out there having presumably been told by KO that he is definitely staying. That has been reported by many sources including KO in multiple interviews So going on an NBA head coaching interview is simply to play this out for: number one experiencing the process and number two leverage. If he goes to
LA though, recruits are left clouded and that is a very bad thing.
Izzo did the right thing after speculation on him and I admired him for it, he shut it down immediately. If KO is going to be upfront he needs to settle this now, Calhoun went to a lot of trouble to secure this job for him, and as much as I admire what he has done so far, there is a bit of luck involved in everything, like a Brimah 3 point play. So come on KO and do the right thing here for yourself and the university, get your money and stop this nonsense.

I suspect that the flirting with the NBA will stop as soon as he's into a new deal. You may not like it, but Ollie is doing exactly "the right thing" to bring his earnings up to the market rate for a national championship winning coach. In the long run that stabilizes his position and reinforces UConn basketball as a destination job. Be patient. It will all work out in the long run.