DHam waiting on Ollie situation

[Rdm203]

Let me know when Hamilton or any recruit says they are actually leaving! Until then the contract situation has not changed anything. Move on please.

 

[James]

How is Dham left out of the loop? In the article he states that KO told him he's going to be here and isn't going anywhere.

He is left out of the loop in that he isn't sure KO will be here next year . He "needs to clear things up" and even brings going over it AGAIN with his family . Look, that article doesn't sound good regardless

 

[UConn990411]

Some of you will panic over literally anything.

UConn is the defending champs, and Ollie has given every indication that he plans to be here for awhile. Relax, people.

 

[aceboon]

He is left out of the loop in that he isn't sure KO will be here next year . He "needs to clear things up" and even brings going over it AGAIN with his family . Look, that article doesn't sound good regardless

You're making way too much out of this. This was the whole point of him not signing the LOI after Isaac got burned with Tim Floyd. DHam said he's coming if KO is here, and if he's not then he's not coming which nobody should be surprised about, he committed to UConn to play for KO. If KO is telling incoming recruits that he's going to be here, which DHam explicitly states he did, then what is to worry about? It ain't like DHam called up whoever at Rivals to discuss his situation, the writer brought it up because KO's name is hot out here.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Some of you will panic over literally anything.

UConn is the defending champs, and Ollie has given every indication that he plans to be here for awhile. Relax, people.

I'm totally committed to helping this group of young men reach their dreams. I wouldn't & couldn't leave this group.

 

[Husky25]

I still don't quite understand the money issue. It's not going to be much difference coaching at UCONN. This is after making $20-25m (and being smart with his money) during his career. $2.5m per vs what 4m? Plus, more job security (= more future earnings) at UCONN; In college, you largely control your own future, whereas in the NBA, it's largely dependent on management. I suppose if they make him one of the highest paid coach in the nba ($7m+ 5 year deal) then we are talking; that's snot happening though.

Also, more family time, which is more important to a family man than. Oh, and JC is essentially a father figure, so he's part of the family too!

There is little chance that Ollie gets $4 Mill. I used that number last week to try and illustrate a point. But the fact of the matter is that Ollie won't get much more that $3M, if even that. Brad Stevens had a longer track record at Butler, brought them to Two Final Fours out of the Horizon League, and is "only" getting $3.66M. If the reports of what UConn is offering are true, Ollie will only have to bridge a $333k gap.

Ollie could have a long and illustrious NBA coaching career, but the odds are clearly against him. College coaches don't generally translate well to the NBA, by way of the college game being a different animal. Who was the last one to successfully make the jump? Do you really could Mike Montgomery, PJ Carlesimo, or Tim Floyd as successes? I don't, and because Kobe Bryant is on the last half of his career back nine, Ollie probably has to show immediate results. If he doesn't, he's gone. The Laker's buy out his contract and he has no other place to go. Waquoit's opinion notwithstanding, but $4M is only U money to the average Joe posting on a UConn message board. Ollie becomes used goods and it would be a shame to see him as just another assistant coach, hoping to get another shot. Similar to DeAndre Daniels, it is true that Ollie's stock is higher than it's ever been, but there is certainly room to go higher.

 

[James]

You're making way too much out of this. This was the whole point of him not signing the LOI after Isaac got burned with Tim Floyd. DHam said he's coming if KO is here, and if he's not then he's not coming which nobody should be surprised about, he committed to UConn to play for KO. If KO is telling incoming recruits that he's going to be here, which DHam explicitly states he did, then what is to worry about? It ain't like DHam called up whoever at Rivals to discuss his situation, the writer brought it up because KO's name is hot out here.

"He just told me that he's going to be there and that he's not going to go anywhere," Hamilton said of Ollie. "I just have to weigh out my options and see what's next. Because if he goes somewhere, I have to do something about it and talk to my family about it."

Dham clearly has no idea what KO is doing next year , which is worrisome. But you are right in that this has been the case , dham never wanted to sign a LOI . Nothing's really changed there , just dislike these quotes

 

[Inyatkin]

I don't think Ollie's leaving, but we need to stop assuming he won't because he's "a man of his word" or he cares too much about UConn or whatever. He'll do what's right for his own situation, like anyone would. It doesn't make him a bad person to recognize that.

 

[Leebo]

That Hamilton quote could literally have been taken from any time in the last year and you wouldn't be able to tell, because he says this stuff all the time.

 

[Husky25]

The cieling on his income is higher in pros though , right ? If he turns into an elite NBA coach his salary could skyrocket. Also the competitive factor , he might believe he can outcoach a lot of these young coaches in the playoffs .

That is YUGE "If," and to what level does his salary "skyrocket?" Doc Rivers and Greg Popovich are the highest paid coaches at $7Mil and $6 Mil, respectively. They also have been coaching for 14 and 18 years as well as 1 and 4 NBA Championships, respectively.

 

[cohenzone]

If KO leaves, I'd love to hear Calhoun's comments after he pushed the guy on Manuel. I'm not saying KO was a bad hire, I'm saying it would be just a little embarrassing to JC, no matter how it would be spun, if KO bails after 2 years and UConn has to go on a search. If KO is what I think he is, I'd be surprised if he leaves. What UConn will be offering him isn't chump change.

 

[hthusky74]

If KO leaves, I'd love to hear Calhoun's comments after he pushed the guy on Manuel. I'm not saying KO was a bad hire, I'm saying it would be just a little embarrassing to JC, no matter how it would be spun, if KO bails after 2 years and UConn has to go on a search. If KO is what I think he is, I'd be surprised if he leaves. What UConn will be offering him isn't chump change.

Perhaps if Warde had showed a little confidence in KO from the get go and signed him to a multi-year contract before his first season, this would all be a non-issue. Hopefully KO doesn't hold any grudges over that!

 

[Jluc]

Don't want to sound negative here..but just because Ollie has come out and told d-ham he isnt going anywhere it doesnt rly mean much. Calhoun told all his recruits (omar, Nolan, ect..) that he would be the coach for their freshman season and then retired right before the season started. I dont think Ollie leaves, but it would be stupid to not think its a possibility if the Lakers offer him two or three times as much as us.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Perhaps if Warde had showed a little confidence in KO from the get go and signed him to a multi-year contract before his first season, this would all be a non-issue. Hopefully KO doesn't hold any grudges over that!

You really think if we just gave a multi-year contract to someone with no head coaching experience who would still be underpaid now anyway it would somehow negate the fact that the NBA probably has some very attractive jobs?

That thought entered your head, and you thought, "Gosh, you know what, that was so good, I need to write it down"?

 

[J-dog]

It's hard not to be paranoid but unfortunately, this NBA attention is going to follow KO around even after he signs a new deal…

While JC's name would come-up now & then associated with NBA job openings, his style just never seemed like it would resonate well with the pampered athletes of the NBA… So we never really worried that much about a potential jump

KO is a different story… And, it doesn't seem like he's the type to make promises to incoming recruits about his status for the entire 4-year period of the recruits eligibility...

Going to have to learn to live with these NBA rumors...

 

[UConn Dan]

The espn report made it sound like they were very close to getting a deal done . If that's the case hamilton shouldn't be left out of the loop . if KO was sure where he would be next year he would tell his 5 star recruit, obviously isnt

KO is not going to sign the restructured UConn contract this week and will listen to NBA offers per Kevin Duffy source close to KO. It's the right thing to do on his part. I don't think he leaves, but why not try to see what your value is on the open market.

 

[cohenzone]

Perhaps if Warde had showed a little confidence in KO from the get go and signed him to a multi-year contract before his first season, this would all be a non-issue. Hopefully KO doesn't hold any grudges over that!

Oh please. Warde was entitled to do a search, but was put into a corner. Obviously we're all delighted that KO is looking like gold, but KO was JCs guy and if he bails as soon as he can, it doesn't look like such a great recommendation. If nothing else, in the new league, UConn needs the appearance of some coaching stability. And yes, I bought a National Champs Tshirt.

 

[aceboon]

KO is not going to sign the restructured UConn contract this week and will listen to NBA offers per Kevin Duffy source close to KO. It's the right thing to do on his part. I don't think he leaves, but why not try to see what your value is on the open market.

that is not how the blog post was worded, Duffy said negotiations are underway, he didn't say KO wasn't going to sign the contract and listen to NBA offers. It doesn't even sound like a deal is even in place yet.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Everyone involved from a UConn perspective is doing and saying exactly what they should be. Why would anyone read any of this behavior as indicative of Ollie leaving.

Is it a possibility? Sure. I put it at less than 5%.

Will Dham not come to UConn if Ollie is here? Less than 5%

 

[Marat]

I really doubt KO will leave for the NBA at this time. It may happen someday in the future but don't think at this point.

If Brimah doesn't grab that rebound/score/FT at end of St Joes, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion. I'll gladly take NC #4, trust in KO - ten toes in - and let it ride.

 

[Husky25]

Don't want to sound negative here..but just because Ollie has come out and told d-ham he isnt going anywhere it doesnt rly mean much. Calhoun told all his recruits (omar, Nolan, ect..) that he would be the coach for their freshman season and then retired right before the season started. I dont think Ollie leaves, but it would be stupid to not think its a possibility if the Lakers offer him two or three times as much as us.

First, the Calhoun retirement was under extenuating circumstances. I have zero reason to believe that Calhoun did not intend on coaching in 2012 prior to his bike accident.

Secondly, I doubt very much that a college coach with 2 years experience has the potential to be offered $500k more than a coach with 14 years of NBA experience and an NBA Championship or $1.5M more than a coach with 18 years of NBA experience and 4 NBA Championships.

 

[willie99]

KO and his family come well before uconn. Could potentially set his kids up for life with millions more

job security much better at UConn

 

[amory]

What's uncomfortable is having to go by the freaking Lakers' timeline for all of this. If they do decide on KO and on the offchance he decides to take the job, it likely won't be until after the draft. So then we can't even conduct a proper search.

 

[caw]

"He just told me that he's going to be there and that he's not going to go anywhere," Hamilton said of Ollie. "I just have to weigh out my options and see what's next. Because if he goes somewhere, I have to do something about it and talk to my family about it."

Dham clearly has no idea what KO is doing next year , which is worrisome. But you are right in that this has been the case , dham never wanted to sign a LOI . Nothing's really changed there , just dislike these quotes

You are misreading that quote IMO. He has been told by Ollie that Ollie will be here, that is very clear in the first part. The second part is probably to a hypothetical follow up. I would doubt very much they were connected without a leading question. Bad, yellow, leading journalism, IMO.

I would love to see the actual transcript.

 

[James]

You are misreading that quote IMO. He has been told by Ollie that Ollie will be here, that is very clear in the first part. The second part is probably to a hypothetical follow up. I would doubt very much they were connected without a leading question. Bad, yellow, leading journalism, IMO.

I would love to see the actual transcript.

Yep very true the more I sit on it the more the TOS guy is baiting and looking for an angle .