HoosierTrav

I’m worried that we will lose him to another NBA job or even the Butler job. If he would leave the Boston Celtics for IU, then I think it’s fair to say he could get the pull in another direction. I don’t see Brad as a 15-20 year guy.

Not disclosing information like this could have extremely damaging effects on the deal overall. If Brad knew he was leaving, those conversations would have had to have happened at this stage of the sale. Otherwise it could kill the entire deal. Not trying to sound pretentious here but I have some experience dealing with M&A. High profile acquisitions like this come with extreme due diligence. The buyers will want to have stability for the transition. Losing the league’s top front office executive may be perceived as potential instability. Unless the new owners have their own guy lined up, it’s likely they’ll want him to stay so things continue to run smoothly. None of this means “therefore he wouldn’t leave”. It just means that at this stage of the process, his intentions would have to be made clear. It can really complicate things.

Agree with you here. I believe he’s the straw that stirs UConn’s drink.

Appreciate your optimism but I respectfully disagree.

I meant to include IU profs statement in that rebuttal. He said McCollum’s ceiling is Bennett. So i wasn’t basing that on nothing. Just improperly cited. In disagree that his results at d2 and now year 1 in d1 mean jack squat. It’s an indacator of future success. Now he’s done it at multiple levels. we will just have to agree to disagree bc it doesn’t seem like we will find common ground here. That’s ok.

No doubt. But this is worse than any mike Woodson year. In addition to that, his comments about the fans booing the other night should raise major red flags. This is one of the issues we’ve complained about with Mike Woodson. The true fans fiasco. Cronin, imho, is an awful fit for the IU job. I think he’s a good coach. I don’t think he’d be good here.

Here we go again with the pace argument….. pace is not a determinant of success in college basketball. It’s not. Efficiency is. If McCollums ceiling is Tony Bennett then sign me up. Thanks for proving my point that McCollums ceiling is higher than Cronin’s. And your comment that he was “buried in D2 without sniffing D1 until recently” is absurd and shows your ignorance towards the matter. He was approached multiple times by D1 schools and was selective in choosing Drake. He wasn’t buried in D2….. he completely dominated it.

What do you mean? They just had lost their coach (Devries) and roster!!! Highlighted by the fact that he had to start 4 D2 transfers…..And again, pace being used against him without any useful context, whatsoever. They get more shots than their opponents and are far more efficient than their opponents. They shoot almost exclusively 3’s and shots at the rim. With Cronin we know our floor. We also know we aren’t getting an elite coach. After his recent comments, I don’t think he handles the fishbowl well. He’s beating Miami earlier when they had Larranaga, and has road wins at Vanderbilt and Kansas State. What he’s doing this season alone is far more impressive than what Cronin is doing at UCLA. With Cronin we are very likely a continuation of the current iteration of UCLA… that’s fine. But that’s not what we’ve all been hungry for. We’ve been wanting a climb back to being elite. Our fans simply don’t get it. We think that we are going to go steal an elite winning coach from another school. That’s not happening! That line of thinking is what cost us Dusty May. Whoever takes the shot first is going to reap the rewards. I’m lukewarm on Cronin btw. Wouldn’t be upset, wouldn’t be thrilled. I’d bet my house that we’ll be hiring a new coach inside 5 years.

What are the chances that McCollum somehow stops being elite by going to Indiana? With Indiana’s resources, they can easily provide him with a staff and budget to win right away. We are taking a chance with this hire no matter what. I’m sorry but the Stevens, May, Drew's, and Self’s aren’t walking through this door. They just aren’t. Neither is Otz. Why? They have everything they need to win championships and make lifechanging money. Everyone keeps harping about a “proven coach”…. Ben MCollum is 418-94 in his career! 32 wins and 7 losses in TOURNAMENT GAMES!!! People questioned how he would translate to D1….. he’s 24-3 in his 1st season with his D2 guys… the guy can flat out coach. He’s not Archie Miller. who are the realistic “proven guys”? They’re Beard & Cronin….. we won’t hire beard. Water always finds it level and none of these guys are going to somehow become elite by having the Indiana job. If that was the case, then what happened with Tom Crean, Archie Miller, and Mike Woodson? I’ll take the guy who has proven himself to be elite, at multiple levels. Been a long time since Indiana has had a weapon roaming the sidelines.

Don’t underestimate IU’s ability to f**k up a vitally important basketball hire.

It will piss many off when he’s announced but it won’t be long into his first season before everyone realizes that he’s the real deal. He’s the exact kind of coach that this fanbase would fall in love with. I’ve made my opinion pretty clear. I think Indiana should hire Chris Beard. The upside risk is far higher than the downside risk. “What if he gets fired a year from now and we have to hire again?”….then we conduct another coaching search. You’d think we would be good at it by now. Since we won’t consider the most obvious choice, then the next choice is to take the very best guy available after… that’s McCollum imho.

I will continue to scream McCollum’s name from the mountaintop. He’s elite! When’s the last time Indiana has had the best tactician on the sideline? Prime Knight? McCollum would be the very best X’s & O’s coach 9.9 times out of 10. He’s got a chance to tie Drake’s single season wins record, in year 1 of Division 1, with FOUR D2 transfers starting. He’s not a flash in the pan. He dominates everywhere he goes. Why would that change at all place where he will have no problems getting talent? We missed on Stevens and May? Don’t miss on this no brainer. And he is a no brainer. We are all going to find out in short order. What would everyone’s position have been in TJ Otz prior to his immediate succes at ISU?

The Kentucky search last season was an eye opener for me. Whether any of us want to admit it or not, the Kentucky job is a better job than Indiana. Was it back when Davis was hired? Probably not…. Today, it’s not even close, if you ask anyone not wearing crimson colored glasses. Each day that passes. The way we start with such high ambitions (Brad Stevens) to have those hopes dashed. I anticipate this hire to go very much like Kentucky’s. Zero chance Drew is actually interested in Indiana while not having been interested in Kentucky. Im sorry. I just can’t bring myself to buy that story. May would be a home run but I’m not nearly as convinced as others that he will want to make the move after 1 year in Ann Arbor. We’d be wise to hire McCollum.

I have a hard time believing he’s seriously a candidate. Why would he turn Kentucky down and be open to Indiana? Makes no sense. But then again, nothing coming out lately is connecting many dots. At this point, I think Dusty May is the best fit. I was skeptical last season and wanted Pearl but I admit I was wrong on May. What he’s doing this season at Michigan is special. He has checked every box emphatically. Something I thought I’d never say: I think I want May more than Stevens.

Cronin is a winner. I wonder how he handles the fishbowl. Also would be curious to see how well he gets along with the coaches in the state. Remember Crean was disliked there towards the end of his tenure. Mick seems far more abrasive. Dusty May is the only guy, outside of Stevens, that I think checks all of the boxes. This year he checked the last one. He’s about to win the league in year 1 at Michigan. I personally think he turns us down.