Monday, April 7, 2008

Pickens to pony up?

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Tulsa, Okla. — The Tulsa World indicates Oklahoma State booster T. Boone Pickens plans to offer Kansas coach Bill Self a lot of money to coach at Self's alma mater.

The paper has heard reports that after the Final Four OSU figures to offer Self a $6 million signing bonus and up to a 10-year guaranteed contract at $3.5 million a season. Self, who is guaranteed $1.375 million a season at KU, figures to make at least Texas coach Rick Barnes-type money ($2 million a year) if he elects to spurn his alma mater's offer and remain at KU. Kansas AD Lew Perkins has said Self is in line for a raise after this incredible season.

Of course, these are all Final Four rumors about what Pickens and OSU are prepared to offer Self. Perkins is intent on enjoying the Final Four and is not entertaining any questions about coaching contracts at this time.

Self has said he's not a candidate at OSU. KU's players and Self indicate OSU talk has not been a distraction at all in San Antonio.

Comments

jhawks (anonymous) says...

It's too bad they didn't like Sean Sutton in OSU.

To go off topic...
I think he looks like a cross between Ernie from Sesame Street and Dustin Hoffman from Rainman. What do you guys think?

April 7, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

DCSven (anonymous) says...

The only thing larger than Pickens wallet is his ego (once consulted for him and saw through his bravado). He has raided American corporations, Japanese corporations, and all of it, despite whatever his PR people pushed out, was just about him inflating his ego and making more money for himself. The one thing his ego always wanted but never got was to be the Governor of Texas because his polling always showed very high negatives (voters saw through him too). With the price of oil and gas, he can afford to throw money at people, but with that comes control and cow-towing to his whims. Bill Self saw Kansas as the premiere destination when he took the job, tonight he will put his indellible mark on this historic program and Lew Perkins will also open a wallet. The difference is KU's won't come with Picken's Texas sized ego. Prediciton: Kansas by six tonight, Self sees through Pickens tomorrow, if he doesn't already. Bottom line, kudos to Coach Self for handling the distraction so much better than our last coach poaching foray a few years back.

April 7, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawk52 (anonymous) says...

I think that HCBS is seeing the agony Roy went through by leaving the best head coaching job in college basketball. I don't think Self will make the same mistake.

April 7, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

cediger (anonymous) says...

I think if Bill likes coaching for one of the top 5 programs in the nation along with the expectations of the "most unrealistic realistic fans" then he stays. If he is happy with a 20 win season then he goes to OSU, if he prefers a 30 win season then he stays. One way or another KU is fine.

April 7, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

rockchalk80 (anonymous) says...

I can't see Bill Self leaving (arguably) one of best head coaching jobs of college basketball...

- Of the top 6 college programs (Kentucky, UNC, KU, Duke, UCLA and Indiana)... the Kansas job has the least amount of pressure --Jayhawk fans are not unreasonable by demanding a national championship every year...

- Money --Bill Self would be under an extreme amount of pressure to win (assuming the $$s allegedly offered as reported by Tulsa paper)... do you think that Pickens will pay $4M per year for just Big 12 conf championships?

comments?

April 7, 2008 at 12:02 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Rockchalk80, it may not be unreasonable to want a championship every year... but to expect one is very much unreasonable. And, even if you unreasonably expect that... what you expect of your coach should be different. I expect a coach to recruit good players who are good kids (who I like and enjoy rooting for) and to teach them well and give them the best chance for success. Beyond that... my expectations are of the players to honor getting to play at KU by executing... and working hard and doing what the coach has been teaching them.

I agree... Pickens wouldn't be paying $3++ mill a year to expect to go on producing as they have. And you know what? They wouldn't. People think KU just continues to do good because its KU. No. KU continues to do good because we replaced Larry Brown with Roy Williams, and Roy with Bill. He IS a great teacher and a great coach... and if he went to a place like OSU, we would see more proof of that. I said this before the tourney even started... I hope Self coaches here his entire career.

April 7, 2008 at 12:45 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

the lew perkins factor:

Right now is the time for all of us who took hombrage with Lew Perkins' money-grubbing ways to admit he's a man of vision. Lew Perkins may be the only man in America to have the commitment and wherewithal to offer Coach Self a package to keep him here. In my mind, he's the right AD at the right time. Perhaps the only thing that can undo Boone's Billions is Lew's tenacious will to establish and maintain a quality program at his institutions.

I think Coach Self may talk to OSU and T-Bone. I think because of the caliber of coach he is he's earned the right to test the waters and see what his market value is. In my heart of hearts, though, I believe if he's given numbers from OSU he'll come back to Lew Perkins and give Kansas an opportunity to match.

Let's not get carried away prematurely though. Kansas is a dream job. If Roy's alma mater was OSU, I doubt very seriously he would have left. There are other considerations besides the chance to coach at your alma mater that would factor in in leaving vs. staying--the chance to coach at a school that's easy to recruit for. The chance to coach where you have a shot at the title. The chance to coach at a school with a longstanding tradition. The chance to coach at a place that makes coaching FUN--apart from the paycheck. These are all heavily weighted in Kansas' favor, and Self knows this. He's no fool. He didn't decide to coach to get rich, I assure you. He decided to coach at a place where we could reap the benefits of coaching: fun, progress, a chance to make his mark on basketball, etc.

It was one of the factors that allowed Roy to leave, and it will be the biggest factor that will compel Bill to stay. (If this doesn't make sense to you, put UNC and OSU in a balance and decide for yourself which comes out heavier.) Every coach wants to leave a legacy. Bill's realizing his will NOT come at OSU.

With the victory of Kansas over UNC, the Roy Williams era is vanquished in Lawrence (though his legacy remains). Bad feelings are 98% snuffed out. Believe this because this next statement is the truth: it wasnt until Self defeated Williams that the sun had set on the Williams era, but now it certainly has. Self has reached the pinnacle of games in the NCAA, and he did it at Kansas. He is no longer in Williams' shadow. He knows this.

For all the green that can be thrown at him, OSU can not offer this to Coach. I say he'll talk with them and return to Kansas with numbers, and Lew will reward him with a renegotiated contract.

April 7, 2008 at 1:04 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

Oh, and another thing...

If Coach Self stays in spite of the millions, can you imagine the love and adoration that will be poured out on him by the fans of the University of Kansas?

WOW!

April 7, 2008 at 1:07 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

Last thing...

This whole incident elevates Bill Self's stature as a coach. He is already out from under Roys shadow with the recent win over UNC. But this offer by Boone unwittingly makes Bill Self a blue-chipper as a coach. If Lew recognizes this and is able to keep HCBS treading Kansas soil, he will be deified not only by Kansas fans but be held in higher regard nation wide as his perceived value grows in stature.

That could translate to even better recruits. That could translate to more wins. That could translate to more championships.

Keep him here, Lew.

April 7, 2008 at 1:14 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

JayhawkPurist (anonymous) says...

Very insightful analysis, jross. I concur completely.

April 7, 2008 at 1:14 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawkarmy (anonymous) says...

i want bill to stay i think its crap that people do that just cause they have money thats why money is the root of all evil i mean would you take the money i would and that sucks that would i love ku just as much as anyone but money talks and i think it might this tme i dont want it too but i dont know i am really worried about this

April 7, 2008 at 1:17 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Periods, commas, and question marks. Oh, what wonderful clarity they bring!

Money IS the root of all evil. That means that all evil comes from money. But not all that comes from money is evil. There's a difference, and I think I could do a lot of "good" things with an extra 1.5 to 2 million a year. I wouldn't hold the least bit of contempt for Bill if he chose to leave, partly because I know that the money wouldn't be the ONLY factor. Part of it is, he could bring them to prominence... and would get far more credit for doing so than he gets for leading KU to a championship game with his very first self-recruited senior class.

April 7, 2008 at 2:40 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

soapboxstew (anonymous) says...

Boone will throw more money than that ($4 mill per) if he has to. I have heard some outrageous numbers being attached to a deal that would guarantee a place in that program for the rest of Bill's career. Bottom line, either Bill cares about that kind of money or he doesn't.

His family calls Lawrence 'home'. Even though Bill is from OK and so is his wife, they now know this town as home. I've been to Stillwater and I lived in Lawrence, and you talk about 'heaven and hell'. It's like putting a feather on one side of the balance beam and a bar of gold on the other. It's not even close to balanced. The biggest no-contest in all no-contests. I know that their kids don't want to go from Champagne to Lawrence to Stillwater.

Even if Bill does go for the money (and claims that it is to revive his alma), we will be fine and they will still be stuck in the 3-9 range in the Big 12. All of Boone's money and all of Bill's charms cannot change the fact that Stillwater is an armpit. KU will still get better players and we will still be top dogs in the Big 12. Same with Texas.

Lastly, don't cry for us Argentina if he does go. We will hire Larry Brown for 5 years under the assumption that he will tutor Danny Manning. Then it is 'the man's' team. Let's see, do I want to play for an NBA championship coach/GM with one of the best players of all time as an assistant in the college basketball capitol of the world, or do I want to go to Stillwater with a guy that used to coach KU? Decisions, decisions, decisions...

I will guarantee you this, OKST would have already hired a coach if they were not going to offer Bill Self. The money will be on the table (once again) after the championship.

April 7, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. ( | suggest removal )