Yahoo calls Ollie a liar.

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Kris Dunn calls Woj a liar -

@WojYahooNBA: Yahoo Sources: Providence guard Kris Dunn, a possible lottery pick, plans to return for his junior season. http://post original url/yhTtLUlMjB

@GavinKeefe: Dunn on the report that he is returning to Providence: "That's his opinion. I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet."

Unless he LOVES college he should have declared by now. Locked into guaranteed money or Providence? LOL

 

[hthusky74]

If he leaves, give Geno the job. LOL

 

[Jimdish255]

The media will stir up these Ollie rumors every single year. UConn needs to nail this coffin shut and come up with a long-term contract with excessive buyout clauses to keep the vultures from circling every single time there is an opening. This absolutely affects recruiting.

And that's why the word "agenda" is such an important dynamic in this equation. Why else would they keep picking him out even after a sub-par year. It's meant to de-stabilize the program and it does have an impact.

 

[Gurleyman]

And that's why the word "agenda" is such an important dynamic in this equation. Why else would they keep picking him out even after a sub-par year. It's meant to de-stabilize the program and it does have an impact.

I think it is more his connections to OKC, including the important people (Presti and Durant). If this was an opening in Portland, I don't know if his name would come up.

 

[James]

So if KO leaves, what are possible candidates ( please stop with the JC nonsense, he is retired)? I'm guessing an assistant is promoted? can't think of many under the radar coaches at small schools...

 

[tcf15]

So if KO leaves, what are possible candidates ( please stop with the JC nonsense, he is retired)? I'm guessing an assistant is promoted? can't think of many under the radar coaches at small schools...

Archie Miller is probably the best coach out there. Also, Ed Cooley.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

And that's why the word "agenda" is such an important dynamic in this equation. Why else would they keep picking him out even after a sub-par year. It's meant to de-stabilize the program and it does have an impact.

He's getting picked out because he has a notable relationship with the 2nd best player in the world, who's coach happened to get fired and who will be a free agent in a year and the team is desperate to keep him. He's proven he can coach, he's young and charismatic, he seems like a good personality fit at the NBA level.

You would think UConn is pulling in 5 AA's every year with the people that actually think from ESPN to Woj to Zags, that this is all just an elaborate show of muscle by Cal (or whoever else our MONSTER recruiting is supposedly hurting) to kill UConns recruiting.

 

[Kevin Caliendo]

I wonder how the divorce will impact all this. His oldest kid is graduating high school this year, but his youngest has a couple years left. If he takes the job, he likely doesn't see her much except over Skype. It may not be an issue, who knows.

Honestly, its disappointing if he leaves but the bigger issue for the program is if UConn leaves the AAC. If they re still in the AAC in 2018 with no hope of leaving, Ollie would be gone by then, either to a better hoops program or the NBA. Uconn could hire Popovich and they won't be relevant in that scenario. however, if UConn has an invite to a P5 conference by 2015, then they can find a coach and still be a great program going forward.

 

[superjohn]

He's getting picked out because he has a notable relationship with the 2nd best player in the world, who's coach happened to get fired and who will be a free agent in a year and the team is desperate to keep him. He's proven he can coach, he's young and charismatic, he seems like a good personality fit at the NBA level.

You would think UConn is pulling in 5 AA's every year with the people that actually think from ESPN to Woj to Zags, that this is all just an elaborate show of muscle by Cal (or whoever else our MONSTER recruiting is supposedly hurting) to kill UConns recruiting.

Durant used to be the 2nd best player in the world.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

if UConn has an invite to a P5 conference by 2015, then they can find a coach and still be a great program going forward.

it already is 2015.

 

[Walker11]

Durant used to be the 2nd best player in the world.

And now he is at worst #4. His point still stands.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Durant used to be the 2nd best player in the world.

He's less than a year removed from one of the all time great seasons by anyone ever and won the MVP. He's also a 4x scoring champ. He's in his mid 20s. Having his first injury plagued year isn't enough to move AD (who misses 15-20 games a year himself) ahead of him.

 

[caw]

Durant used to be the 2nd best player in the world.

You assume he meant Durant...

 

[phillionaire]

I'm honestly surprised nobody's been tracking flights out of Hartford or Oklahoma City

 

[444JR]

I would not want this to happen! Sorry!

understandable haha I pray Ollie to OKC is nonsense, not the kind of news i wanted right after the high of the Miller signing. The only thing I want to hear about right now is the recruiting trail for a ballhander and shooter and for the 2016 class. Plus news of enoch improvements as well as Jalen Adams dominance. Maybe even more so, news of the returning guys putting in work on the court and in the weight room.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

You assume he meant Durant...

We probably assumed we were talking about Durant because both of us talked about him by name.

 

[superjohn]

He's less than a year removed from one of the all time great seasons by anyone ever and won the MVP. He's also a 4x scoring champ. He's in his mid 20s. Having his first injury plagued year isn't enough to move AD (who misses 15-20 games a year himself) ahead of him.

Anthony Davis is easily better than him and he's getting ready to pass Lebron.

 

[caw]

We probably assumed we were talking about Durant because both of us talked about him by name.

Really where?

 

[mauconnfan]

If he leaves, give Geno the job. LOL

If he leaves the only thing left to do is take JC out of retirement

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Sure, if you don't count coaching at UConn for 2 years before getting the head coaching job as coaching experience. And UConn isn't the type of program that hires a caretaker for a couple years while searching for somebody else to fill the spot.

Calhoun is much more than a "caretaker". It's unclear if recruits, like Hamilton and Miller would come back next year if Ollie was out. But Calhoun, a guy who has won 3 championships and spent decades at UConn would probably have the ability to convince guys to stay. If you bring in a new guy right away, it could be a little more chaotic. Calhoun could bridge the gap, and smooth into a predictable transition once they find the right guy longterm.

 

[tcf15]

OKC beatwriter. Think Presti may be talking about the hiring process:

 

[tcf15]

Calhoun is much more than a "caretaker". It's unclear if recruits, like Hamilton and Miller would come back next year if Ollie was out. But Calhoun, a guy who has won 3 championships and spent decades at UConn would probably have the ability to convince guys to stay. If you bring in a new guy right away, it could be a little more chaotic. Calhoun could bridge the gap, and smooth into a predictable transition once they find the right guy longterm.

So what are you gonna tell new recruits for 2016, 2017? "I don't know how long I'm going to be here for, but we're currently on the lookout for new coaches, so he could be coming in at any moment." It's hard enough as it is to recruit to the AAC.

 

[tcf15]

 

[8893]

This is wrong for so many reasons. First off, highly doubt anyone cares about UCONN to that extent given our current situation. Second, if that's what it all this is, then why wouldn't Ollie be screaming from the mountains that he is 100% not going anywhere? The 5 mil buyout was very shrewd by Manuel, and he put that in KO's contract knowing what his motivations are a lot more than any of us.

I'm not saying that it's being planted by competing recruiters, but they are helping perpetuate it. Marquette and UConn absolutely compete for recruits at the same level, and that was the only example to which I pointed for the recruiting manipulation. There are plenty of people with different reasons to perpetuate this, OKC itself being another. Even if they want Donovan, it would still make sense for them to make it known that they are considering other options, lest he have all the bargaining power as their sole target.

Ollie has already made a statement that he is staying. That is good enough for me. If he leaves after that, I will have been wrong about him. I am willing to commit to that position.

I don't believe for a second that Manuel has superior insight on Ollie. It was a negotiation in which Ollie had a lot of leverage under the circumstances and UConn got some reasonable concessions in exchange, the declining buyout being one of them. But if you actually looked at the decline rate and concluded what you did on that basis, how do you explain the drop to $1M for an NBA job on June 1, 2016? In other words, if Manuel really thought that an NBA job was Ollie's end game, he got taken in the negotiation even worse than it appeared.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Anthony Davis is easily better than him and he's getting ready to pass Lebron.

Davis just set his career high in games played with 68, so no.