Lakers beat writer's sources say no Ollie contact, no meeting planned

[8893]

Mark Medina ‏@MarkG_Medina
Contrary to what's out there, I've been told by those in the know that Lakers haven't contacted Kevin Ollie yet. No meeting yet is planned

https://twitter.com/MarkG_Medina/status/463505954651115520

 

[Jimdish255]

Whoever keeps feeding the dragon on this one better be careful it doesn't come back to bite them.

 

[sportsart]

Amazing that the other KO threads keep growing and this one lies dead.

 

[cohenzone]

Amazing that the other KO threads keep growing and this one lies dead.

KO should be making a flat statement if he has no intent on considering that job. Manuel made a public statement that he was going to renegotiate the contract before the Lakers job was sitting there. No tweets, a plain oldfashioned press release. If his agent is advising him to use he Lakers as a negotiating chip with UConn, I'd tell the agent no. Yeas, there is a lot of money involved, but UConn will not be paying him with Confederate dollars.

 

[Dooley]

Kevin Ollie to the Lakers rumors are most likely sparked by Syracuse grads in the media who are hoping (praying) that UCONN will go away someday.

 

[partial]

The more rumours the better for KO and his contract, don't think we'll see him make any real kind of statement until his new contract is signed.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Whoever keeps feeding the dragon on this one better be careful it doesn't come back to bite them.

IT IS HIS AGENT. THAT IS HIS JOB.

Repeat.

IT IS HIS AGENT. THAT IS HIS JOB.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Brooks will probably be fired if OKC is swept by the Clips. The Thunder would be a place Ollie may decide to jump ship to. Good thing OKC survived Memphis or that good 'ole leverage card would be at a real premium for KO.

 

[caw]

KO should be making a flat statement if he has no intent on considering that job. Manuel made a public statement that he was going to renegotiate the contract before the Lakers job was sitting there. No tweets, a plain oldfashioned press release. If his agent is advising him to use he Lakers as a negotiating chip with UConn, I'd tell the agent no. Yeas, there is a lot of money involved, but UConn will not be paying him with Confederate dollars.

I disagree.

There are three scenarios in my mind:

1) KO is truly interested and well then he shouldn't deny the rumors
2) KO is willing to listen and well then shouldn't deny the rumors
3) KO has zero interest and still shouldn't deny the rumors because:
A) it helps contract negotiations
B) it keeps UConn in the news
C) he can say after he signs with UConn that even though the Lakers wanted him he wants to stay with UConn and is completely committed for the foreseeable future. After that any other rumors would be kind of easy to disprove bc he can say, "I didn't take the Laker job, why would I want the OKC/Detroit/NYK/etc. job"

 

[sledog]

He did use 'yet' twice.

 

[Sibeerian]

I am just looking forward to Ollie's new contract being announced so I can unclench

 

[RayRay19]

What if it is his agent

 

[IMind]

Two things about all this:

There's a certain percentage of the media that loves to stir the pot, especially when it pertains to UConn... I mean how many articles did we have to read about Calhoun retiring... for YEARS... like they couldn't wait for the old guy to hang them up... then it was why isn't Calhoun un-retiring and coaching somewhere else... (BC?!) now it's Ollie going to the Lakers. There's not a doubt in my mind it's the same people at work... jealous, petty people.


The second... isn't it nice that it's the Lakers we have to worry about and not Maryland or South Carolina. Finally an organization that's worthy of being in the same echelon as UConn.

 

[cohenzone]

I disagree.

There are three scenarios in my mind:

1) KO is truly interested and well then he shouldn't deny the rumors
2) KO is willing to listen and well then shouldn't deny the rumors
3) KO has zero interest and still shouldn't deny the rumors because:
A) it helps contract negotiations
B) it keeps UConn in the news
C) he can say after he signs with UConn that even though the Lakers wanted him he wants to stay with UConn and is completely committed for the foreseeable future. After that any other rumors would be kind of easy to disprove bc he can say, "I didn't take the Laker job, why would I want the OKC/Detroit/NYK/etc. job"

Interesting, isn't it, that when WM didn't immediately give KO a long term deal, he was being lathered by lots of BYers for creating uncertainty for potential recruits about who the coach would be. KO can stop the speculation today if he wants, or he and his agent can play a renegotiation game anytime KO's name is floated by an NBA team. Yes, I know, recruits know that wherever they commit, nothing guarantees the coach will be there, but either UConn is his dream job (one that coincidentally pays him very well and was about to pay him more) or it isn't. Last time I looked, UConn's prime recruit is supposedly waiting to sign a LOI to see what KO will do. That kid comes from a family that is quite familiar with decommiting. In the meantime, other recruits for next year are already committing to teams. I would assume that the couple of kids who already verballed are paying attention as well. The point being, I fail to see the practical difference between WM being non commital and KO being non-commital. I also stand by my earlier comment that it does Calhoun no great service that the guy he pushed on Manuel is publicly toying with jumping ship less than 2 years later.

 

[cohenzone]

IT IS HIS AGENT. THAT IS HIS JOB.

Repeat.

IT IS HIS AGENT. THAT IS HIS JOB.

Agree. But it is KO who controls the agent, not vice versa.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Interesting, isn't it, that when WM didn't immediately give KO a long term deal, he was being lathered by lots of BYers for creating uncertainty for potential recruits about who the coach would be. KO can stop the speculation today if he wants, or he and his agent can play a renegotiation game anytime KO's name is floated by an NBA team. Yes, I know, recruits know that wherever they commit, nothing guarantees the coach will be there, but either UConn is his dream job (one that coincidentally pays him very well and was about to pay him more) or it isn't. Last time I looked, UConn's prime recruit is supposedly waiting to sign a LOI to see what KO will do. That kid comes from a family that is quite familiar with decommiting. In the meantime, other recruits for next year are already committing to teams. I would assume that the couple of kids who already verballed are paying attention as well. The point being, I fail to see the practical difference between WM being non commital and KO being non-commital. I also stand by my earlier comment that it does Calhoun no great service that the guy he pushed on Manuel is publicly toying with jumping ship less than 2 years later.

I agree with you point about Calhoun to some degree, but also could see Calhoun himself encouraging KO to use the leverage to maximize his contract. I would expect that this will do no lasting harm with recruits if it does not drag on for long.

 

[tcf15]

Interesting, isn't it, that when WM didn't immediately give KO a long term deal, he was being lathered by lots of BYers for creating uncertainty for potential recruits about who the coach would be. KO can stop the speculation today if he wants, or he and his agent can play a renegotiation game anytime KO's name is floated by an NBA team. Yes, I know, recruits know that wherever they commit, nothing guarantees the coach will be there, but either UConn is his dream job (one that coincidentally pays him very well and was about to pay him more) or it isn't. Last time I looked, UConn's prime recruit is supposedly waiting to sign a LOI to see what KO will do. That kid comes from a family that is quite familiar with decommiting. In the meantime, other recruits for next year are already committing to teams. I would assume that the couple of kids who already verballed are paying attention as well. The point being, I fail to see the practical difference between WM being non commital and KO being non-commital. I also stand by my earlier comment that it does Calhoun no great service that the guy he pushed on Manuel is publicly toying with jumping ship less than 2 years later.

That recruit we lost out on from Warde's interim contract to Kevin Ollie? Brandon Austin, and no one is complaining today about that one.

Daniel Hamilton is tied to Kevin Ollie. If Kevin Ollie is coaching UConn, Hamilton will be playing. Quite familiar with decommitting? Why, because his brother didn't want to play for Tim Floyd?

What 2015 recruits that have legit UConn interest do you see committing?

 

[8893]

The point being, I fail to see the practical difference between WM being non commital and KO being non-commital. I also stand by my earlier comment that it does Calhoun no great service that the guy he pushed on Manuel is publicly toying with jumping ship less than 2 years later.

Have you ever negotiated a contract?

If your point has any bearing, imo it's that you reap what you sow. Manuel took his own sweet time and kept KO twisting in the wind during a more active recruiting period when potential recruits and others were openly stating that the lack of certainty about whether KO would be here was making them apprehensive. I haven't heard anything from any recruits wavering except DHam, about whom I am not worried because he will come if KO stays, and KO is staying. It is not an active commitment period right now and we are not hot on the trail of anyone who is saying that they are scared off by the fact that the most storied NBA franchise is interested in speaking with our head coach about its head coaching job.

As for JC, I believe he is loving every single aspect of this.

 

[caw]

Interesting, isn't it, that when WM didn't immediately give KO a long term deal, he was being lathered by lots of BYers for creating uncertainty for potential recruits about who the coach would be. KO can stop the speculation today if he wants, or he and his agent can play a renegotiation game anytime KO's name is floated by an NBA team. Yes, I know, recruits know that wherever they commit, nothing guarantees the coach will be there, but either UConn is his dream job (one that coincidentally pays him very well and was about to pay him more) or it isn't. Last time I looked, UConn's prime recruit is supposedly waiting to sign a LOI to see what KO will do. That kid comes from a family that is quite familiar with decommiting. In the meantime, other recruits for next year are already committing to teams. I would assume that the couple of kids who already verballed are paying attention as well. The point being, I fail to see the practical difference between WM being non commital and KO being non-commital. I also stand by my earlier comment that it does Calhoun no great service that the guy he pushed on Manuel is publicly toying with jumping ship less than 2 years later.

There is a big difference though.

Manuel giving Ollie a short contract is a known quantifiable thing. It's not speculation, it's fact.

Ollie not shutting down NBA talks is speculation only.

That's a huge difference. Not to mention the timing is different (not Manuel's control, completely.

Disingenuous or not, Ollie can tell recruits he is at UConn and just using it as leverage. Before all he could say was that if he does a good job he might have his contract extended by the AD.

 

[cohenzone]

That recruit we lost out on from Warde's interim contract to Kevin Ollie? Brandon Austin, and no one is complaining today about that one.

Daniel Hamilton is tied to Kevin Ollie. If Kevin Ollie is coaching UConn, Hamilton will be playing. Quite familiar with decommitting? Why, because his brother didn't want to play for Tim Floyd?

What 2015 recruits that have legit UConn interest do you see committing?

The point is, there is uncertainty that KO controls. Obviously if KO stops the speculation in UConn's favor, the potential problems ought to disappear. The longer he lets the press rumors to fly, the more it looks like he is leaving it on the table, the more a kid like Hamilton, who has other options, can decide he doesn't want the drama. As far as possible recruits who might commit soon, I haven't the foggiest idea what will impact this kid or that or which ones are anxious to commit sooner rather than later. All I know is that UConn is after a bunch of kids who have offers from very good programs and if some were worried about the impact of WM's handling two years ago, there is no reason to think that the longer this plays out, there shouldn't be the same issue. The less certain it becomes about KO the more negative recruiting happens, including that maybe if not the Lakers this year, his commitment to UConn maybe isn't so strong that next year the drama plays out again. I'd use that on recruits every bit as much as his agent is using the possibility as a renegotiation tactic.

 

[cohenzone]

Have you ever negotiated a contract?

If your point has any bearing, imo it's that you reap what you sow. Manuel took his own sweet time and kept KO twisting in the wind during a more active recruiting period when potential recruits and others were openly stating that the lack of certainty about whether KO would be here was making them apprehensive. I haven't heard anything from any recruits wavering except DHam, about whom I am not worried because he will come if KO stays, and KO is staying. It is not an active commitment period right now and we are not hot on the trail of anyone who is saying that they are scared off by the fact that the most storied NBA franchise is interested in speaking with our head coach about its head coaching job.

As for JC, I believe he is loving every single aspect of this.

Yes, actually, I've negotiated tons of contracts and still do from time to time. I understand the process very well and why it is probably occurring right now. A personal services contract, where there are potential rivals for a service that can only be provided to one customer at a time is a great spot for the service provider to be in. However, the head coaching job at a D1 school is not like most personal services contract, because another subset of providers of personal services, important to the business success, will be concerned with who the coach is. They have there own criteria for who to sign with and they all have agents as well in some shape or form.

I assume you have communicated with Hamilton that he should sign the LOL because KO is staying. I assume he is taking your word for it and the LOI has already been signed and faxed. I also think KO will stay, but he isn't being particularly out front in stopping the rumor mill. KO seems like a nice guy. Recruits seem to love him. Great. But as much as KO has impressed me, I'm a UConn guy first and I also see my school in a second rate conference, in a situation where I'd hate to see it treated like a stepping stone just 2 years in by a guy who in theory would be among the last to treat the job as temporary. If JC is enjoying every bit of this, maybe they should rename the street again. If all the job is is a negotiating chip, I'd assume that at least some recruits will think twice about coming here, especially since we all know kids commit to coaches, rarely to a university.

 

[jibsey]

Question. Why is KO flying all over the country to convince top shelf recruits to come here? So when he leaves for LA they can say " yes I will play for Karl Hobbs?"

 

[8893]

I assume you have communicated with Hamilton that he should sign the LOL because KO is staying.

This is the one sensible statement in your post. If you've been waiting on Hamilton's LOI it really is a LOL. And if you didn't read what Hamilton said it's even worse.

Maybe you should stop using Hamilton or some other mythical on-the-fence recruit as an excuse for your own impatience and inability to assess the situation like an adult.

 

[cohenzone]

This is the one sensible statement in your post. If you've been waiting on Hamilton's LOI it really is a LOL. And if you didn't read what Hamilton said it's even worse.

Maybe you should stop using Hamilton or some other mythical on-the-fence recruit as an excuse for your own impatience and inability to assess the situation like an adult.

I'm not waiting on anything except for KO to decide if his dream job is really that dreamy. Frankly, I don't get excited about recruits. I get excited by how players perform. The point is, Hamilton is a ready example of just how meaningful the identity of the coach is to recruits (as if we didn't know that already). He is also a recruit who is exceptionally pointed in his (or his family's) understanding of the process as demonstrated by his statements.

If you mean by assessing like an adult, you mean that you see a business situation for what it is and I don't, don't worry my astute friend. What's happening is no secret, so don't pat yourself on the back, but the end result is not guaranteed so long as a negotiation is taking place. If that is not in the realm of possibilities, UConn would certainly understand that better than you and the agent should just pack up and go home. In which case a public denial does no harm since KO staying is assured. Robinson Cano sure is playing a mean second base for the Yankees this year.

 

[Chief00]

Be real - quite frankly would any of us - not use the levers Kevin is using to
Negotiate ?