We all want nothing but the best for “Billy D”. I hope he find a world of success in the NBA, except when playing my Lakers. It’s been obvious for a long time Billy had an itch to try his coaching skills in the pro league. He has the persona. He’s cool, stylist, and there’s no doubt Billy knows b-ball. The attraction may have been the NBA job would allow him to focus on Basketball 24/7. No more recruiting, no more alumni functions, no more grade-point averages, and no more baby-sitting a bunch of kids. I get it…!
But is the NBA all that? Just ask Pitino, Calipari, Kruger, and other college coaches that made the leap and found on the other side the only thing that was greener was the paycheck. Baby-sitting college kids is a lot easier than “man-sitting” a player with a $60 - $100 million guaranteed contract! As a college coach you are not only king, but in many ways “king maker”. You can tell a kid to go sit on the bench when they aren’t giving 100%, or for that matter, kick them off of the team when they won’t follow “your” rules. Sitting a “star player” in the NBA brings a lot more decision makers into the discussion. The owner and the GM may not agree with sitting a guy that 20,000 rabid fans have paid big money to see play…and don’t forget the TV networks and their audience. More times than not, the NBA turned out to be a graveyard, not a wonderland for college coaches.
Yes, Billy had the itch, and now he gets to scratch it. Let’s just hope he doesn’t find out it was just a bad case of the “crabs”!
But is the NBA all that? Just ask Pitino, Calipari, Kruger, and other college coaches that made the leap and found on the other side the only thing that was greener was the paycheck. Baby-sitting college kids is a lot easier than “man-sitting” a player with a $60 - $100 million guaranteed contract! As a college coach you are not only king, but in many ways “king maker”. You can tell a kid to go sit on the bench when they aren’t giving 100%, or for that matter, kick them off of the team when they won’t follow “your” rules. Sitting a “star player” in the NBA brings a lot more decision makers into the discussion. The owner and the GM may not agree with sitting a guy that 20,000 rabid fans have paid big money to see play…and don’t forget the TV networks and their audience. More times than not, the NBA turned out to be a graveyard, not a wonderland for college coaches.
Yes, Billy had the itch, and now he gets to scratch it. Let’s just hope he doesn’t find out it was just a bad case of the “crabs”!
