Jeff Flabjohns

Yea, the cupboard isn’t as bare this time because it couldn’t possibly be. We can be fine putting 90% of our remaining NIL allotment to five new faces. If you pick the right guys then 3-4 should be serious contributors. Dorn, Miles, Harris, Sisley could all stay, or even 3/4 hopefully. + the incoming freshmen. We paid a lot this year to dudes who are either underperforming immensely (third of the budget to Tucker + Bailey) or just not contributing at all.

The Reed Bailey signing is the most interesting one to nit-pick. DDv definitely wanted to pair him with a prototypical 5, but wasn’t able to close on any he felt would be helpful. After striking out on some top guys early he gives Bailey a reported 1.5M. Kid was pretty highly ranked in the portal, but how much he got and the role he’s being asked to play in this conference just hasn’t worked. Hopefully this would have gone differently had Carr been on board. We’ll never know

Yeah, this wasn’t just any run of the mill GM candidate for overseeing acquisition and scouting. Carr, as he tells us in the presser, comes in pretty darn qualified and super well-connected. There will be a transition to evaluating non-elite college talent but his NBA/agent connections are an actual benefit to kids—unlike Woodys. While his history managing salary cap and scouting talent, assigning value to said talent will benefit DDv and the program.

Yeah, fair. You’re probably right. Well executed by Dolson. Planted the seed and made sure Coach & Carr spent significant time talking to determine whether it would be a good match. DDv had final say on offering the role. Not necessarily 0 relationship though. Met DDv and his family during the Pacers playoff run last year. Texts him before and after all games.

Honestly, hearing him speak has me more fired up about the direction of the program than I’ve been in years. This feels like a game-changing move.

Coach would have had to be given clearance from Scott that the role could exist and be compensated, but I’m hopeful it was DDv who was the mastermind behind it. It’s a really encouraging hire either way

It sounds like from Carr’s presser it was predominantly Devries who initiated and had all the discussions about with him this role. Now that might have been kicked off by Dolson going to coach, not sure.

Regarding Carr: Says it all came together in just the last two weeks. Nothing was happening before then. You don’t make this move from high-level Pacers exec without complete confidence in the coach and administrations vision to build a winning program. Or without having complete confidence in yourself as well. His scouting experience, agent relationships, management of contracts will be invaluable. “No other blue blood has someone like me on staff, with my experience”. Getting Cig vibes watching this presser. Dude is here for all the right reasons Also points out the obvious, that the roster has been too reliant on seniors the last two years—akin to overpaying in Free agency.

“No other blue blood has someone like me on staff, with my experience”. Getting Cig vibes watching this presser. Dude is here for all the right reasons Also points out the roster has been too reliant on seniors the last two years—akin to overpaying in Free agency.

Carr in his media availability this morning says the job came together in just the last 10-12 days, he never thought he’d leave the Pacers. He’s emotional talking about leaving them…had really worked his way up there. You don’t make this move without complete confidence in the coach and administrations vision to build a winning program.

This is an incredibly reassuring read. DDv, unlike is predecessor, seems fully aware of his blind-spots and what went wrong this year. Talks began this month as a reaction to the how last offseason and this season have gone. Maybe Carr is the ex-Bob Knight student manager we actually needed! Just from that article the guy is confident in his abilities and views IUs pursuit of him as further evidence they’re serious about getting this right.

I see no way he’s let go even after next year. He gets three years (which is fair) but it’s entirely likely we miss the tournament all of those years. His HC resume to this point doesn’t inspire confidence. At that point he’d be fired and nobody would fault us for it.

We’re probably the highest, or top 3 at worst, spending team on NIL both this year and last that ALSO missed the tourney. Coaches have been given the resources and done nothing with it. He had to replace the whole roster, fine. Too bad it doesn’t seem that there’s a returning piece with any legitimate promise for next season.

Finally a night where most of the games went our way, except the one that mattered most.

His next dumb letter should be an apology to students