The Hard-Luck Coach.

Rick Carlisle's dismissal as the head coach of the Pacers only continues a string of years of coaching in the Association that can only be described as immensely frustrating, just from the arc of it. I can't imagine the difficulty of it personally.

Carlisle's firing as head coach of the Pistons must have been tough enough -- it wasn't that the team wasn't on the rise under his leadership, but Larry Brown was available, and he took the team to the promised land of a title, and he had to deal with that. You can say that without Joe Dumars dealing for Rasheed Wallace in that championship year, the Pistons don't win. I agree with that, but that's still a team that Carlisle had kind of brought back, but didn't get to finish the job with.

He heads to the Pacers, gets the top record in the Eastern Conference, but loses in the conference finals to those champion Pistons, rubbing salt in the wound -- and next season, you get Artest's explosion in the Palace at Auburn Hills, which effectively derailed the team and started a series of trades which robbed the Pacers of any talent that could be coached into a good team outside of Jermaine O'Neal. Since Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh can't fire the players, Carlisle has to go.

Other coaching moves: the Sonics can coach Bob Hill and re-assign GM Rick Sund for the last year of his contract. Not unusual, given that new ownership often likes to bring in their own guys after a bad year, but who will take a job for a team that's likely in its current location for one more season? Lenny Wilkens is running b-ball operations over there, and while it's unlikely that he would go back full-time to coaching, I wouldn't be surprised if it shakes out that way.

One And Done.

No, not Greg Oden, but we'll get to him later. The hatchet came down for one coach that missed the NBA playoffs, and it was faster than the guillotine slicing through Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Eric Musselman is no longer employed by the Sacramento Kings, only one season in after the Maloofs chased Rick Adelman (the long-suffering Adelman, I'll note; despite the fact I don't like the Kings much, Adelman is a good coach) out of town, and after Musselman was arrested for DUI, the team went down the tubes, leaning mostly on Mike Bibby, and even more so after Ron-Ron was distracted by matters pertaining to his erm...home life.

There are bright spots like Kevin Martin on that team, but they'll have to ditch probbly both Bibby and Artest in order to start from the beginning. Whether the Maloofs have the capability not to ignore their basketball guy Geoff Petrie is something to look into, though.

A Legal Jungle For The LSU Tigers?

Pokey Chatman will not go quietly, and this is not good news for LSU -- but it may clear up for us what parts of the allegations against her regarding an affair with a player are substance and what are fiction.

Attorney Mary Olive Pierson says Chatman wants to be compensated for the remaining years of her contract, and says her client was forced out -- made to sign a letter of resignation in two hours. Also at issue is whether the school had a policy regarding coach-player relationships (Chatman's camp alleges there wasn't, and she wouldn't have resigned if her attorney knew there hadn't been one.)

That kind of belies that Chatman was involved in some form of inappropriate relationship, but what we know and don't know about the accusations leveled by assistant Carla Berry, also viewed in light of Berry's departure from LSU, raise more questions about the inquiry and the process than they provide answers. However, does anyone think that with the accusations of an inappropriate affair hanging over her, that she would be hired again? There are male coaches that get involved with former players, but this is a double standard on the part of officials that will give those looking at Chatman pause when it comes to hiring.

A final note: not even a week after the dismissal of the charges of the Duke rape case and "Nifong" is already being used as a pejorative.

Miami Quarterback Follies.

Must be something in the water down in the Florida area that makes the front offices of their pro football teams insane regarding quarterbacks. We'll gloss over the whole mess of Tampa Bay, bringing in Jeff Garcia to compete with Chris Simms and Bruce Gradkowski (right, adding Bruce only to be a completist) and trading for Jake Plummer, who then retired -- Gruden must just think that if he has four going into camp, one of them just has to be starter-quality enough to hurl it to Calvin Johnson, whom the Bucs are clearly man-crushing over hard enough to consider trading up for (more on Mr. Johnson later.)

The situation in South Florida is getting messier -- after the Dolphins dealt for both Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington prior to the 2006 season, big things were expected, as numerous pubs had the Dolphins deep in the playoffs, and SI put them in the Super Bowl against Carolina (yeah, that prognostication turned out well.) Culpepper stayed hurt after rushing back from the first surgery, and Harrington was his usual inconsistent. The play of the two is probably another factor of what drove Nick Saban to Tuscaloosa. It ought to be stated that this continued morass at QB is his fault, but Cam Cameron and the front office haven't done a hell of a lot to solve the problem so far. Harrington is now backing up Michael Vick in the ATL, and it's assumed Culpepper will be on the way out, as the Dolphins try to grab Trent Green from the Chiefs, who feel they no longer require his services with Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle on the roster.

Most sane people who observe the NFL on a regular basis would want nothing to do with Green as far as a trade goes at this point in his career (if he were to be cut, someone would give him a contract offer); however, not a lot of GMs in sports are considered sane. GM Randy Mueller probably rubber-stamps the coach's decisions on personnel, and if that's the case, the Cam Cameron era will be a short one. Now, Trent Green is not a bad QB, but many of us happen to remember this little hit from last year against Cincy:



(Yeah, the video stinks, and I don't think it was a cheap shot. It's the only clip of the video I could find on YouTube.)

Green was out for the majority of the season due to that concussion, and I think it was a mistake for Herm Edwards to go back to him in the playoffs after missing that much time. Why the Dolphins want a 36-year old QB is another question entirely, especially after David Carr was on the market and available for less (Green's agent wants to re-negotiate his contract with the team that acquires him.) It is a slight mistake to consider Green "extremely durable," as he missed an entire season with the Rams due to a freak injury, and Kurt Warner then stepped in and took his job (quite well, if a Super Bowl is good by anyone's standard.) The Dolphins had enough problems with Culpepper, whose injury put a few more virtual years on his already-30 self. Acquiring Green would be a bonehead move when what the team needs is a new or slightly used younger QB for a semi-stable future (Brady Quinn at #9 in the draft would not be a bad way to go, if he falls that far.) The Culpepper experiment, if it is over, ought to be instructive in the sense that it is time to start fresh on the offense, especially when New England has re-stocked yet again and the Jets dealt for Thomas Jones from the Bears. The defense will still be tops in Miami; acquiring Joey Porter is actually a help, even though he's on the way down as an individual player, he's still useful to a team, and he, Zach Thomas, and Jason Taylor look like a hell of a combo on paper.

Now, to the CJ-related tangent: If the Dolphins release Culpepper, what's the temptation the Raiders have to sign him? It re-teams him with Randy Moss, and leaves the Cryptkeeper and Coach Lunch Money (TM The Hater Nation) with an opportunity to draft the aforementioned Calvin Johnson, and ship Jerry Porter out of town. You could say that JaMarcus Russell is a younger, healthier version of Culpepper, but Al Davis is probably sick of waiting around (he may not have many more years to be patient) for a QB to develop; he's been down that road before. Of course, Culpepper post-injury only has a few good years left, which would leave the Raiders in the same damn situation come three or four years later.

You're Either Very Naive Or Bad Liars.

Anyone with half a brain knew that as soon as former WVU coach John Beilein made a, well, beeline for the University of Michigan's vacant men's hoops head coaching gig (he must have really wanted to get out of Morgantown if he was willing to pay part of his own buyout) that Kansas State coach Bob Huggins was one and done in Manhattan, off to his alma mater.

K-State AD Tim Weiser and president Jon Wefald clearly lack half a brain between the two of them, and played indignant when Huggins' departure was official.

"If Bob had indicated to us about a year ago this time that he needed something in his contract about his alma mater, then we would have gone on," Wefald said. "We would have looked at somebody else."

Shenanigans. You hired Huggins despite his poor graduation rates, his DUI, and other red flags because you wanted to be a Big 12 power, and you wanted a name coach to get you there and recruit players who could contribute to that. Every columnist at the KC Star (including a certain Uncle Ruckus) has gotten this one right: these guys are bullshitting hard, playing the naif for print and camera, especially when they promoted two of Huggy Bear's assistants at K-State to head coach and associate head coach, who are basically known for nothing save an incoming recruiting class that includes Michael Beasley.

And it makes complete sense to do that from a basketball standpoint: Billy Gillispie and Acie Law IV have both left Texas A&M; Rick Barnes may be still be at Texas, but Kevin Durant most likely won't be; Bill Self and Kansas will still dominate the Big 12, but there's serious room for a new #2. Just don't play like you got suckered. Both K-State's AD and prez knew what they were getting into, and signed that deal with the devil. Beasley's apparently going to honor his commitment, so sayeth his mother -- so you're getting what you paid for.

Lexington's Two Weeks Of Anxiety Are Over.

The University of Kentucky was lucky to land Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie to fill the void when both Gator coach Billy Donovan and Texas' Rick Barnes said no to the idea replacing Tubby Smith, who got smart and bailed for the frozen North and the Big 10. Problem is, Lexington will still think it isn't enough if he happens to make the Sweet 16 next year. I don't doubt Billy Clyde's coaching bonafides -- anyone who can take a team that had gone 0-16 in conference play and over several years, get them to the 16, is a damn good coach, but he's in for pressure like he wouldn't believe.

It's all because UK refuses to believe that its job has lost its luster over the years; some of that is utterly beyond the university's control, but the inability of the school and its boosters to realize this is going to hamper anyone they bring in. (I'm not saying they have to admit that in public. Just keep the expectations a bit lower.) With mid-majors becoming more competitive and the parity from the one-and-done rule (and students skipping college before that), the old-school glamour jobs in college basketball just aren't what they used to be -- we're seeing this in football, too, to an extent. UK can't throw around its history and steal the best coach in the land, because they're no longer tops in their own conference; a victim of the changing nature of the college game.

Why anyone thought Billy Donovan was going to leave Gainesville is a mystery. Donovan is the coach who has defined Gator basketball. If he stays for the rest of his career and wins another championship along the way with a brand new squad, he will be linked with the Gators like Dean Smith is with the Tar Heels; like both of the Big East Jims (Calhoun and Boeheim) are linked with UConn and Syracuse; like Mike Krzyzewski is with Duke. That's too much to let go of, and Donovan knew it. That's a college basketball legacy that writers and historians will speak of with reverence. You don't ditch that. If Donovan stays a few more years and jumps to the NBA, then at worst, he will be the basketball Steve Spurrier, and with the way the OBC is still revered, that's not too bad a place to be either.

As for UK's interest in Rick Barnes, I can't explain it at all. It's as if they didn't watch a game Texas played last year, where Barnes failed miserably at finding ways to use Kevin Durant effectively by routing the ball through him instead of having D.J. Augustin slash for an entire second half.

Gillispie could continue to build a program at A&M, but this makes the most sense for both involved -- his star player is graduating, and the team won't be quite as competitive with Kansas and Texas next year (if Durant stays, that is.) But he'd better be able to deal with calls for his head after one season. Maybe if he can get Ashley Judd on his side early on, it'll help.

Nutt Busting.

EDSBS and Journo Rock are all over the latest mess that makes up Las Cronicas Locas de Boss Hawg (TM Swindle and Montana, when are we gonna see a script, gents?) -- for the uninitiated, that's Houston Nutt, Arkansas football coach, and boy oh boy, are there a lot of fun accusations in this one. If you want to read the whole PDF, here it is, but the Newspaper Hack already did it so we don't have to (although I must admit, the good stuff kept me captivated for a good half-hour or so). Here are the biggies:

1) Involvement in an email from a booster supportive of him to QB Mitch Mustain titled "Hello Mr. Interception King"
2) Hiring a new O-coordinator while the old one was still around; hell, you could say, behind his back even.
3) Flirting with both N.C. State and THA U on their recent head coaching vacancies.
4) Doing more than just flirting with local TV anchor Donna Bragg. (Well, you have to give him good taste. I know college coaches text-message like mad to get recruits, but thousands to a woman not involved with the program is well, questionable.)

Coach Nutt probably needs to make like Altman and get the hell out of Fayetteville while he still can. If a booster is willing to put together this 48-page doc based on FOIA requests, that's more hardcore than you really need at your program.

So Long, Coach Robinson.

Younger fans of the college football like yours truly can appreciate the numbers behind Eddie Robinson's life at Grambling (408 wins, 85% graduation rate, etc.), but speaking for myself, imagining what he went through in the Jim Crow-era South to lead those teams is something I'll never be able to conceive of when it comes to difficulty.

So, I leave the tributes and notes to my betters at Deadspin and EDSBS; meanwhile, this definitive analysis by D-Wil is a must read.

Bobby Cremins Stayed At South Carolina Longer Than This.

Dana Altman stepped down from his new position as Arkansas Razorbacks hoops coach less than 24 hours after accepting the job, saying that returning to Creighton was "in his family's best interest."

Altman has coached the Bluejays for 13 years and said he made the decision to return to the Omaha, Neb., school after talking to Creighton's athletic director Bruce Rasmussen, then his family.

"After I was sure he would allow me to return, I talked to my wife," Altman said. "This is something I'm doing for my family. I wish I would have come to that decision earlier."

Aren't you supposed to check with them before you make a move like this? Just a thought, Dana. But this looks even worse for Frank Broyles: not only did he screw up royally by firing former coach Stan Heath in the first place in an effort to get Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie to leave College Station, but he can't even get his sixth or seventh option to stick around. If Broyles wasn't scheduled to retire after next football season, Hogs fans would be calling for his head. Now, they'll just have to grin and bear it.

Movin' On Up.

Two college coaches from mid-majors will be getting their shots to run with the big boys at nationally known schools where they'll be second fiddle in terms of program importance, as they're both going to football schools.

Butler's Todd Lickliter (pictured) is heading to Iowa City to take over the Hawkeyes in the wake of Steve Alford's departure, and Creighton's Dana Altman is leaving Omaha behind for Fayetteville and life as a Razorback head coach. Both have earned their moves up, as Butler made the Sweet 16 this year and Creighton was well-thought of heading into the tournament, although it's safe to guess Hog fans were less than thrilled that AD Frank Broyles (who made a dumb move by firing Stan Heath and trying to land Texas A&M's Billy Gillispie) wound up with not the most heralded coach.

I'd say Lickliter is probably more likely to get to the Pearl Standard with his new team, especially considering the general weakness of the Big 10 outside of OSU and Wisconsin.

Jeff Van Gundy Doesn't Like The Lottery System.

Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy's mouth has gotten him in trouble with the Association before (anyone else remember him getting fined for a little tirade about selective officiating on Yao Ming?), and he has a way of making statements that don't disappoint. He's now saying the NBA should scrap the lottery system as it stands right now and give all teams an equal chance of getting the top pick, rather than the better chance going to the team with the worst record.

Gargamel's argument would be convincing if the NBA handed the first pick to the team with the worst record automatically, but having the most losses only ensures you get a better shot. After accusations of teams like the Rockets and the Knicks tanking to get top picks, David Stern took his iron fist and revamped the system where the worst team gets a 25% chance of getting the top pick. Ask Boston Celtics fans how that worked out when Tim Duncan was up as #1 and they had the most losses.

Yelling Louder suspects Van Gundy is espousing un-American ideals, but it's utterly egalitarian, and if we want to be really, truly capitalist, not only should the chances of the pick be open to every team (giving the best chance to the worst-off is pure welfare), but bring in soccer-style relegation: swap the Grizzlies, Celtics, and the Bobcats for the top D-League teams while we're at it.

That Red Blazer Looks Like Blood.

And you thought Andy Reid had enough trouble with his kids a couple months back after auto accidents. Well, NC State men's hoops coach Sidney Lowe has his own family issues, as his son Sidney II is currently facing over 20 charges ranging from armed robbery to drug possession.

If that's not bad enough, they're all in connection with a shooting on the NC State campus over the weekend, and despite the great run Lowe led the Wolfpack to over the weekend, you have to think that this will kind of hamper him there, whether or not his son is actually found guilty of any or all of those crimes.

Correction: I have to stop writing this stuff after waking up. It happened on the UNC Greensboro campus. Thanks, Business or Leisure.

A Long Way Down.

Remember when everyone and their mother could swear that Indiana was going to hire Steve Alford away from Iowa when Mike Davis got out of Bloomington, that it was going to happen for sure? Well, it didn't, and Alford has dealt with another subpar season in Iowa City, where the Hawkeyes didn't even make the NIT.

If ESPN's reports are even half-accurate, he's probably out the door and headed to the Lobos of New Mexico.

Sources said Alford was looking for a school that is passionate about basketball first and foremost after being at a football-first school. UNM athletic director Paul Krebs has pledged to make the Lobos a national program, bumping up the coach's salary more than $500,000 in an attempt to get it closer to Alford's nearly $1 million deal with Iowa.

Nice thought, but before you shell out for a coach like that, you'd better know what you're getting -- Alford has a problem with getting past the second round of the NCAAs regularly, and Iowa lost tourney games they should have rightfully had. The Pierre Pierce issues may have drained it out of him, but it's odd to see him go from shooting star to crawling out of Iowa City.

Does Tim Floyd Know What He's Getting Into?

Far be it for me to question Tim Floyd as a college coach right now, especially after the Trojans just dominated the Texas Longhorns and Kevin Durant in ways I didn't think were possible as an SC fan, based on how Oregon just decimated them in the Pac-10 final. Next season, he has a legitimate shot at making the SC-UCLA rivalry competitive in basketball, which is not something those of us who root for the Trojans have expected in recent years. However, as everyone knows, those hopes for next season lie on a recruit who is most likely one-and-done, and already has a propensity for troubling behavior, as well as bizarre ways of being recruited.

I won't cut and paste the first half of the article here; go read it for yourself (if you haven't already) and just read the oddities throughout. O.J. Mayo essentially recruited USC to host him; not the standard way it's done in college basketball. Floyd didn't have to do any work, he just had to say "Yes." Now, Floyd may be one of those Pete Carroll types who just do better in college than the pros, but it's really hard for me to think he's just hoping this doesn't blow up in his face.

(Also interesting: in the article, it says Mayo's second choice outside of USC would have been an historically black college or university. Now, as the Head Chick noted, the schools probably don't do a heck of a lot with their basketball programs, but imagine if say, Howard had actually made a pitch for O.J. -- the guy would bring the ESPN cameras to you.)

Update: Please note that D-Wil has probably just handed me my ass on a plate on this with his interpretation.

Make Sure That Door Leaves a Mark, OK?

This appears to be the case with Long Beach State University men's basketball coach Larry Reynolds, who will not be offered a new contract after a 24-8 season that was great by all Big West standards. It's probably not the 20-something point loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the NCAAs that did it either.

What I've been told recently is that his firing (the university may phrase it any way it likes, but that's essentially what this is) was the worst kept secret in Anaheim during the Big West tournament, and one bit in this ESPN piece jives a little with what my friend heard down there:

Assistant coach Reggie Howard did not accompany the team to Columbus and was put on indefinite leave as the NCAA investigates recruiting violations at the school. The team's recruiting coordinator, Howard was credited with assembling much of the squad.

Reading the school's released statement again, I note the Golden Rule of Press Releases: the less information provided in the statement or release, the more questionable and seedy the circumstances surrounding the subject. A fundamental difference with an athletic director who came in during his contract is also likely, outside of anything recruiting related, and unless the NCAA actually turns up something with Howard in terms of actual violations, I'll say it's more likely that Reynolds and AD Vic Cegles did not work well together and Cegles pulled rank.

Two Degrees of Pass Interference?

That's what Niners coach Mike Nolan thinks there ought to be, as a former defensive back himself. The FanHouse dug up this bit of Nolan saying there should be 15-yard infractions and spot fouls, much in the way face masks have degrees for intentional and unintentional.

Much like Michael David Smith, I am intrigued by Nolan's idea and wish to subscribe to his newsletter; however, I'm not sure how we would differentiate between the types of PI to make it worthwhile. However, I'm all for stopping the "throw deep and see if we can get a flag" strategy that occasionally happens to pop up in pro games. The spot foul is devastating, but it's not like 15 yards and a fresh set of downs is exactly a light sentence. If pushed, I'd probably side with the college rule for pass interference for 15 yards and a first down.

What confuses me more is the difference between O-holding and D-holding -- why make it 10 for the offense but five and an auto-first for the D?

Kevin McHale and Billy King still have cover.

Isiah Thomas will remain employed by the Knicks, after an earlier assertion of his job security by owner James Dolan this year.

Admittedly, the Knicks are in a decent position in a very weak East, and he has the team only five games under .500 (where .500 is a good record in conference), so he's effectively managed to outcoach Larry Brown in his one year there. However, it's still confusing why Dolan has allowed him to continue as team president -- Thomas isn't exactly the most competent of executives, and never really has been. It would have made more sense if he kept him as coach and got another GM, but Isiah has started to dig himself and the team out of the hole he got them into with questionable personnel moves, so I suppose that resembles progress.

(Oh, and so I'm a day early. Oh well. L.A. clubs continue to suck and overcharge for booze. About to start driving. Will have the fully unprofessional evaluation of the bracket tomorrow, unless I get back to my apartment early.)

the last thing a team needs.

LSU women's b-ball coach Dana "Pokey" Chatman resigned much earlier than expected (as she was giving up the position at year's end). Now, she's out and will not be coaching the program through the tournament, and this is really the last thing necessary for a team that just happened to up-end Pat Summitt and the Lady Volunteers in the SEC tourney.

Chatman's immediate resignation is prodded by allegations of an affair with a former player, and it's a serious matter -- no matter how many jokes I try to keep back right now. (You may crack at will, though.) The whole mess at this point is just that, a mess. Assistant Bob Starkey, who's taking over for now, said this:

"She came in and said for personal reasons some opportunities had come available to her -- that it was something she needed to move on."

Really, I'm not sure if it's the allegations or if there's some truth to them, and I was actually kind of mortified reading the comments attached to the article (some implying that people thought it was okay because it was two women). Let's leave it like this: if she did have a relationship with a former player, it's improper -- position of authority and all that, regardless of gender and orientation. Regardless, it's a bad beat for the team -- you don't want to lose a coach with a 90-14 record.

I feel kind of odd even posting this -- the only time the majority of us pay attention to women's college hoops is when something bizarre happens with the coaches or the players that grabs our attention (unless you are a die hard or dedicated to the school.)

school spirit.

Gotta respect the Volunteer coaches. First, Bruce Pearl goes to a Lady Vols' game, and then Pat Summitt pulls the cheerleader outfit out for the men as they spank Florida.



Can't hate on that at all. But you can hate on Florida, who are playing some lackluster ball as of late.

(Hat tip for the video: Awful Announcing.)

out the door already?

Pistons coach Flip Saunders has been connected with the University of Minnesota's head coaching vacancy ever since it became available, and the rumors will be even more amplified after Mike Tirico read the first paragraph of Minneapolis' living case of brain atrophy Sid Hartman's column where the ex-Gophers coach Dan Monson says Saunders is already set to succeed him.

Like the Pistons need this post-Larry Brown -- with contenders in the East falling by the wayside, all the Pistons need to do is play relatively well and they'll make the Finals. Saunders and Joe Dumars now need to get out in front of this -- figure out what is the truth and tell fans before this goes any further and ESPN is dogging Saunders about it during the post-season.