Rick Pitino

Wow!  Not sure how I missed all this fun.  I would like to respond to the question of which is more challenging:  coaching in the NBA or coaching in college.  I feel I am qualified to give an opinion on the basis that in addition to playing at the high school level (but not beyond) - I have coached at the high school level for over 15 years.  I hope that meets the strict standards of the rapist.  LOL

The difficulty lies in a coaches strengths.  The college level is difficult due to the recruitment of players.  You can be an average Xs and Os man, but a great coach if you can recruit the right kind of kids.

In the NBA, it is more about your ability to lead grown men.  The biggest challenge here is getting an adult that makes 10 times your own salary to do what you say.  The harsh reality is that if a the team star doesn't agree with the coach, the coach is often fired, regardless of his ability.

By the way, Hubie Brown once told me (at a coaches clinic) that one of the best coaches of all time (Iba) didn't even play basketball himself.  Just a little FYI......

Now that was fun.....

You know, what didn't get pointed out was the fact that ewinter always has the best avatars!

Pitino is going no where.  I am certain of it. 

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These come up every year. Usually the people who make up the initial list of candidates aren’t the people looking for the job, or the people looking to fill the job, but media types who just throw out names. Don’t believe everything you read that comes from “unnamed sources.”

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And to those who think the best coach in the NBA, consider this; the NBA is the only professional sport where man can become a head coach less than two years removed from being an active player. Many people hired as head coach, and winners of coach of the year, became head coaches with very little experience. They are also the ones who get fired every couple of years, and their coaching skills sometimes leave a lot to be desired. I am not talking about Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Rudy Tomjonovich, or Jerry Soan. I am talking about Byron Scott, Avery Johnson, Mike Dunleavy, Rick Carlisle, Stan Van Gundy, Larry Brown (he has won a lot, but he has lost a lot too, just look at his record)... NBA coaches make only slightly more money than top tiered college coaches (although that is rapidly changing, but still true as of now), so why would someone want to leave for less security, more stress, less control, and the same money.

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I wouldn’t put too much stock in an article stating that Pitino wants to go back to the NBA, when it was quite clear the NBA kicked his ass the last time he was there. More likely, someone called Pitino to make sure he wasn’t interested in returning, and someone else got wind of it, and it took off from there.  It doesn’t take much to see that Pitino enjoys college basketball. He never really enjoyed the NBA as much, only the challenge. So, while that is still out there, it’s hard to go after the challenge when you don’t like what you are doing to get there. In college, he has the challenge to try and be the first man to win a title at two programs as head coach, and still enjoy the work between now and the ultimate goal.