Billy Donovan (HC Oklahoma City Thunder)

[Steve19]

Dynasty? He better hope that close relationship with his AD includes [don't want to steal Thump's thunder here], because he will be anything but Final Four next year.

 

[jwinslow]

If Oden chooses to stay in college I'd prefer it if they stayed too. With the incoming recruiting class namely Kosta Koufos and the addition of Madsen we would have a strong rotation to match up with their bigs. Oden handled all four of them by himself, subtract one from their side and add Koufos, Madsen, and Hunter working on his game over the summer/fall and I'm confident we can take them.

Honestly, Humphrey was the biggest problem. Take him away and it's likely a stalemate down the stretch. He hit some ridiculous threes, and for some reason Butler's defense was the opposite of normal.

Oden dominated everyone he faced inside, but away from the basket horford made too many plays. Also, Harris & Hunter had serious trouble when Horford backed them down. Koufos & Madsen would help out a lot with that weakness.

I would think Lighty could match Lewis' offensive production on monday, and his defense on Brewer would certainly be better.

 

[jwinslow]

He would of been #1 maybe 2, but now he is going to be 6-10 probably...

I still can't wrap my mind around taking noah 6-10...

He isn't going to stay if the other's go. Brewer is the one that sounded like he needed to go for the money. I just laugh that if Noah would have gone last year he would have been a top 5 pick. Now he will be much lower than that.

I read a quote recently that said if one goes, we all go.

 

[sandgk]

Donovan stays at UF because he feels comfortable there, and implies that he wants the opportunity to build for UF the kind of program that UK was.

Meanwhile all 3 of the big guys he leant upon, plus his Point Guard Green, during this last championship season, have said sayonara - and the incoming UF classes are not flush with equivalent talent.

"One of these things does not belong, one of these things does not fit."

Looked back on some ten years from now, this may rank as one of the best or one of the worst decisions a coach has made at a critical nexus in his career. I respect Donovan for choosing to stay, but wonder if this will come back and bite him the behind.

 

[HailToMichigan]

Looked back on some ten years from now, this may rank as one of the best or one of the worst decisions a coach has made at a critical nexus in his career. I respect Donovan for choosing to stay, but wonder if this will come back and bite him the behind.

If Donovan really is worthy of coaching at Kentucky, then he's also good enough to become "THE PROGRAM" at Florida.

You're right - he's at a crossroads. Ten years from now, he could be the guy who passed on the chance to coach at one of the most prestigious programs in the land in order to stay at a basketball backwater that couldn't build on its short-lived success. Or he could be the Bobby Knight, Coach K, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp of Florida - the guy who absolutely owns Gainesville and by which all other coaches are judged and found lacking.

But if he fails and earns the label of "stupidly rejected Kentucky".....well, then I think going to Kentucky would end just as badly.

 

[jwinslow]

Or he could be the Bobby Knight, Coach K, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp of Florida - the guy who absolutely owns Gainesville and by which all other coaches are judged and found lacking.

Zero chance of him owning gainesville unless Meyer departs.

But if he fails and earns the label of "stupidly rejected Kentucky".....well, then I think going to Kentucky would end just as badly.

This may be true, if he is the reason his success becomes limited. But if the schools present different potential moving forward, it might be a different story.

Will UF still give Donovan the same potential as UK after their bubble team season next year? Losing 5 of their top 6 players, UF will certainly endure a down year.

UK can be demanding, but imagine if he went there, landed undecided 5-star patterson, convince Randolph to stay, and made a mini-run in the tourney?

 

[Flocka]

Zero chance of him owning gainesville unless Meyer departs.This may be true, if he is the reason his success becomes limited. But if the schools present different potential moving forward, it might be a different story.

Agreed. I go to Gainesville about once a month. And even after this last win, Meyer still owns the town. I think this mainly is because football is their #1 sport, and football coaches usually get more credit than basketball coaches. (Not all the time, nor deservingly so)

Will UF still give Donovan the same potential as UK after their bubble team season next year? Losing 5 of their top 6 players, UF will certainly endure a down year.

UK can be demanding, but imagine if he went there, landed undecided 5-star patterson, convince Randolph to stay, and made a mini-run in the tourney?

Firstly, they will be depleted next year, but I am sure they have some very good incoming classes after winning back to back National Championships and this past year in football as well. Donovan really built his way up by finding success at programs and moving onto bigger ones. I am somewhat surprised he did not take the job, especially with his connection to the school, and Pitino and Tubby.

Secondly, I am not sure he is as great of a coach as everyone thinks. I think he has done a great job, especially with recruiting. But lets not forget, prior to last year, Florida was ridiculed for being a very poor tournament time, and this all changed with the great players that won back to back championships.

There is no real thesis to my post, just giving my two cents.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Message to Gator nation: This is only calm before storm

Congratulations, Florida fans.

You're keeping your coach ... for two years, tops.

That's my guess, and it's an educated guess. Because I don't believe Billy Donovan necessarily chose Florida over Kentucky Thursday morning. I think he chose the NBA over Kentucky, meaning he has visions of the next level -- just like Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green.

Give Billy Donovan at least two more years, and he's off to the pros. (Getty Images)

"After finally having an opportunity to sit down with my family, and with (athletic director) Jeremy Foley, I've decided that I will remain at the University of Florida," Donovan said. "I have great respect for the University of Kentucky, its great history and tradition, and I had five wonderful years in Lexington. That being said, I'm very proud of what we've built here at the University of Florida and I look forward to continuing to build on it."

But for how long?
Not very, I suspect.
Donovan's mantra is the clich?d Live in the Moment, but he's far too smart to plan his life that way. The 41 year-old is always thinking two steps ahead, and Thursday's non-step to a fellow SEC program indicates he's got his eyes set on other things.
Like the NBA.

It's long been assumed Donovan would eventually bolt for the professional ranks, and why not? That move has been a natural progression for many successful college coaches, specifically Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Mike Montgomery, Lon Kruger and Tim Floyd. So the idea Donovan will someday follow suit isn't farfetched, particularly given how he's been the target of speculation involving the New York Knicks, Miami Heat and, most recently, Memphis Grizzlies.

Entire article: http://www.cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10110720

 

[LitlBuck]

Congratulations, Florida fans.

You're keeping your coach ... for two years, tops.

The problem with that article is that monetarily it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. He could have gone to Kentucky for $3.5 million and stayed there for two years and then take a professional job. Maybe he just doesn't like Kentucky.

 

[ScriptOhio]

The problem with that article is that monetarily it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. He could have gone to Kentucky for $3.5 million and stayed there for two years and then take a professional job. Maybe he just doesn't like Kentucky.

Apparently he'll be getting $3+ million at Florida.

Billy Donovan, who earned about $1.7 million last season, is due for a considerable raise. The amount will most likely not be determined for about two weeks, when Florida's athletic finance committee meets. It would not be surprising if his annual salary exceeds $3 million.
-- New York Times

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/scorecard/04/06/truth.rumors.college/index.html

 

[dingyibvs]

Some of you talk as if Florida has only been good for the last two years. Let's not forget that Donovan led his team to a Championship game in the 99-00 season. Ever since his 3rd year at UF, he hasn't had a season of below 20 wins or not making a NCAA tourney, that's 9 straight years. So he's gone to the Final Four and the Championship game in 3 of 11 years he's been coaching at UF. Noah/Horford/etc. is a special group, but the Miller/Harvey/etc. group was very good as well. The Walsh/Robertson/Lee group never had great tourney success, but they weren't slackers either.

As for Donovan's decision, if he can't make it at UF in the future, then he probably can't make it at UK either. So his legacy will have little to do with his decision, but only with himself.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I think Donavan says no to UK for the same reasons Matta didn't pursue the IU job. They are great BBall coaches at football schools. Some see this as a negative but its really a positive imo. Nothing will be good enough at IU or UK, who needs the pressure and unrealistic expectations?

Matta and Donavan have acess to the same recruits as anyone else, their facilities and budgets are on par with anyone, they are paid as well as anyone and can win at OSU/Uf just the same as they could at IU/UK.

The ONLy difference is that when they succeed at UF and OSU its appreciated, at IU and UK it lets you keep your job a couple more years. Donovans tourney struggles early in his career probably would have gotten him fired at UK before he could have gone B2B.

 

[Deport]

Truthfully, being a Long Island guy I think relocating to Lexington might have also had something to do with it. I think he might be sick of living in Kentucky and West Virginia, not that Gainesville is anything great, but new Yorkers have a tough time fitting in in Kentucky or West Virginia. I can speak of this from experience. I still think this might be 1 of the reasons Pitino left for Boston for those few terrible years.

 

[gold_pants]

Truthfully, being a Long Island guy I think relocating to Lexington might have also had something to do with it. I think he might be sick of living in Kentucky and West Virginia, not that Gainesville is anything great, but new Yorkers have a tough time fitting in in Kentucky or West Virginia. I can speak of this from experience. I still think this might be 1 of the reasons Pitino left for Boston for those few terrible years.

Pitino left more a lot more reason$ and control than that

 

[LightningRod]

Donovan expected to be next Orlando coach.