Donovan considering NBA

[orangedave]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...billy-donovan-guarantee-return-florida-gators
Can't blame him for wanting to test the waters. His mentor, Rick Pitino, can offer advice.

 

[Madbiker]

Donovan already makes as much if not more than most NBA coaches. He's revered in Florida. He's a great college coach. If he goes to an NBA job I don't see the upside. He'll end up fired in a few years ... like all NBA coaches. For a few million more it isn't worth it. It sure worked out great for Pitino, right? What these guys never take into account is that in college they control the whole show including their roster personnel. In the NBA they have little if any control of the personnel and have a GM and owner who wield the real power.

 

[NashvilleOrange]

He has it made right now. Can coast through the SEC and has an awesome fan base that isn't full of over-demanding psychos like Kentucky or Kansas.

 

[elimunelson]

what's the downside? I mean it worked out great for Rick. he left Kentucky, made a ton of money with the celtics, got the NBA out of his system (due to his failure), and soft shoed his way back into another plum job making a ton of money. Why not give it a try if you have the itch? You will get another chance in the college ranks. I fully expect Brad Stevens to do this as well. He'll end up at Duke in 3 years probably.

 

[Full_Rebar]

Pitino, Cal, Nick Saban...man those college coaches who jumped to the pros and bombed sure are struggling.

 

[MikeSU02]

what's the downside? I mean it worked out great for Rick. he left Kentucky, made a ton of money with the celtics, got the NBA out of his system (due to his failure), and soft shoed his way back into another plum job making a ton of money. Why not give it a try if you have the itch? You will get another chance in the college ranks. I fully expect Brad Stevens to do this as well. He'll end up at Duke in 3 years probably.

Exactly. Why not give it a try? If you can land on a team with a top ten player, you will probably make the playoffs. I wouldn't leave Florida to go to Minnesota, but if you can find a team that is coming up or is a great franchise (like Stevens with Boston), give it a shot.

With that said, I actually think Stevens does well in Boston and ends up there for a while. He made that team competitive when it had no business of being competitive.

 

[PoppyHart]

I wonder if Hop would be interested in taking over in Gainesville.

 

[Full_Rebar]

I'd imagine he would be very interested- Florida is a great job.

 

[Alsacs]

Richard Pitino will replace either his father at Louisville or Billy Donovan at Florida it makes too much sense whenever either of them leave.

I can't see Donovan leaving for the NBA until its a good job. The Orlando Magic job in 2008 with Dwight Howard was a good job, but I don't see him leaving for a while. I think Scott Brooks is an overrated coach with a good job in Oklahoma City or Tom Thibodeau eventually has a falling out with the Bulls in Chicago being two spots that could appeal to Donovan in the future.

 

[Knicks411]

Google tells me Donovan is making about $3.7 million per year. That's pretty much exactly what Brad stevens signed for. My guess is if he would jump, you're talking 4.5-5 million per year, at least. And maybe he wants to try coaching in the NBA, to win at the highest level. As has been pointed out in this thread, not like he couldn't come back to college if he bombed out.

And maybe he's just trying to get a raise with Florida.

 

[NashvilleOrange]

I don't think he's an idiot for looking at a pro gig; winning big in the NBA is way more impressive than winning a national championship. I just think he has one of the best situations in college sports; he'll be uprooting his family and leaving a great job for something with a lot more pressure. Sure, he can always come back and get an elite job, winning two national championships guarantees that but he's in a great situation right now.

 

[Alsacs]

The NBA is not a good move unless you get a good job. You need a top 5 player(Heat/Thunder) or incredibly good player drafting/coaching(Spurs/Pacers) to win the NBA.

I wouldn't leave college hoops for the NBA unless I was sick of college basketball or I was getting a good NBA job. Look at Lon Kruger he left Illinois for the Atlanta Hawks got paid insane NBA money to leave Illinois made a boatload of money failed at Atlanta which was obvious to happen and then has come back to college at UNLV and Oklahoma and made more money or Leonard Hamilton he left Miami(Fl) for the Washington Wizards and bombed in the NBA made a boatload of money to fail and came to college basketball at Florida State.

These college coaches who leave need to take good jobs or all they are doing is getting paid insane money to lose in the NBA and go back to college. Brad Stevens only left Butler for the Boston Celtics because of Indiana's 2013 season where Tom Crean won the B1G regular season title and brought Indiana back. Stevens stayed at Butler because he wanted to wait for the Indiana job as Crean was one year away from getting fired when he turned it around in 2013. Stevens learned on the job with the Celtics this year and will likely have another terrible season next year as well and unless he waits out those future Nets 1st round picks which should be high he will fail and go back college if and when the Indiana Hoosiers job becomes available.

 

[two3zone]

I wonder if Hop would be interested in taking over in Gainesville.

That would be a no brainier. Don't think he would even be a candidate though.

 

[JohnCuse44]

Didn't he almost go pro back when they won 2 in a row but changed his mind at the last minute?

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

Didn't he almost go pro back when they won 2 in a row but changed his mind at the last minute?

Was literally on the way to take the Orlando job.

 

[Marroniac]

The NBA is not a good move unless you get a good job. You need a top 5 player(Heat/Thunder) or incredibly good player drafting/coaching(Spurs/Pacers) to win the NBA.

I wouldn't leave college hoops for the NBA unless I was sick of college basketball or I was getting a good NBA job. Look at Lon Kruger he left Illinois for the Atlanta Hawks got paid insane NBA money to leave Illinois made a boatload of money failed at Atlanta which was obvious to happen and then has come back to college at UNLV and Oklahoma and made more money or Leonard Hamilton he left Miami(Fl) for the Washington Wizards and bombed in the NBA made a boatload of money to fail and came to college basketball at Florida State.

These college coaches who leave need to take good jobs or all they are doing is getting paid insane money to lose in the NBA and go back to college. Brad Stevens only left Butler for the Boston Celtics because of Indiana's 2013 season where Tom Crean won the B1G regular season title and brought Indiana back. Stevens stayed at Butler because he wanted to wait for the Indiana job as Crean was one year away from getting fired when he turned it around in 2013. Stevens learned on the job with the Celtics this year and will likely have another terrible season next year as well and unless he waits out those future Nets 1st round picks which should be high he will fail and go back college if and when the Indiana Hoosiers job becomes available.

What's wrong with getting paid an insane amount of money by the NBA and then returning to college a couple years later? Seems like a really solid game plan to me.

 

[Alsacs]

What's wrong with getting paid an insane amount of money by the NBA and then returning to college a couple years later? Seems like a really solid game plan to me.

It would depend on the college job you were leaving. Coaches love money and winning. If I was getting insane money I honestly wouldn't care about winning, but if I was only going from 2 million a year in college to about 3-4 million in the NBA I wouldn't leave because I want to win. If your leaving Butler it makes a lot of sense to cash out, but if your leaving Florida its a lot different. Donovan makes more than the football coach at Florida and Florida is a football school.

 

[Full_Rebar]

Let's remember a head coach in the NBA is at the top of their profession. It's a job that has no NCAA rules to worry about, many other people to handle things other than basketball, and it's a new challenge for folks who might need that to push them to work crazy hours. NBA coaches don't have to kiss up to AAU coaches or 14 year old kids and their families who think they they could play in the NBA right now.

It's possible that these coaches might want to just coach basketball/football/whatever without all the other things that come along with being a college coach. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Depends what you're looking for and what's important to you. NBA coaches last an average of 3.03 years on the job, with a median of 2.78. Huge disruption for one's family if you do flop. Lots of college coaches have turned their backs on the NBA while many who have tested the waters end up returning to the college game. Conversely there's quite a few NBA coaches who never were head coaches at the college level.

 

[Briancuse]

He always considers the nba, then comes back to florida. He must have already been linked to about 20 nba jobs.

 

[CU44SE]

what's the downside? I mean it worked out great for Rick. he left Kentucky, made a ton of money with the celtics, got the NBA out of his system (due to his failure), and soft shoed his way back into another plum job making a ton of money. Why not give it a try if you have the itch? You will get another chance in the college ranks. I fully expect Brad Stevens to do this as well. He'll end up at Duke in 3 years probably.

Know someone close to Stevens, his 'dream' job is Indiana. I think he will succeed in the NBA but if he doesn't that's where he ends up

 

[Alsacs]

Know someone close to Stevens, his 'dream' job is Indiana. I think he will succeed in the NBA but if he doesn't that's where he ends up

I have a friend who works for the Celtics they love Stevens and Danny got Stevens exactly for the reason I said above Crean saved his job at Indiana in 2013 and Danny told him Crean has that job for a while now its time to make the move to the NBA game.

Stevens wife negotiated the contract with the Celtics and apparently he may have an out if the Indiana Hoosiers job ever became available.