There’s a rumor out there that Kansas coach Bill Self will be leaving KU after the 2018-19 season to coach the Chicago Bulls next season and it’s at least worth addressing.
But not because I think it’s rock solid or have heard it anywhere else. More because the way the rumor came out was so comical that I can’t get through the night without calling that out.
Brandon Lang, a gambling analyst with his own website (BrandonLang.com) and a flare for the dramatic, was on NBC Sports Radio on Thursday breaking down the lines for a few college basketball games, when he jumped in to tell host Tim Murray his big news about Self’s future.
“I’ll throw (out) the biggest rumor mill (information) that I found out today from a very reliable source, that Bill Self will be leaving Kansas at the end of the year to become the head coach of the Chicago Bulls,” Lang said. “Brandon Lang is pulling an Adam Schefter, breaking that story on every radio show right now. You heard it here first: Bill Self saying thank you Kansas. We won 14 straight Big 12 championships, it came to an end, it’s time for me to move on and go coach the Chicago Bulls. You heard that first right here. Brandon Lang, March 14, 2019.”
If you’re so inclined to listen and judge for yourself the validity of Mr. Lang’s claim, that quote, and the banter that followed, is in the embedded Tweet below, starting at the 2:54 mark.
OK. Now normally I don’t post all of these types of rumors because they can run rampant and also can create more buzz and panic than they deserve. But I chose to address this one for a couple of reasons.
One: I’ve already had a ton of people ask me about it and I always want to do my best to provide some kind of information. Self’s a little busy right now, but we can ask him about it later tonight.
Two: I could not leave it alone when I heard Mr. Lang twice mention his own name in the quote while also drawing the comparison between him and NFL Insider Adam Schefter, who has literally broken hundreds of player and coaching moves during his career.
Maybe the guy knows something the rest of us don’t. Maybe he’ll be proven right and get the last laugh.
After all, it’s not a huge reach to think of Self someday making the jump to the NBA, nor is this the first time anybody has talked about it. What’s funny, though, is the timing of it all. Self was just asked about the NBA a week or so ago by college hoops analyst Jeff Goodman on Goodman’s podcast [and although he said he’d be lying if he said he had never thought about the challenge the NBA presents, he also painted a pretty clear picture that he still liked his current gig at Kansas.][1]
Take it or leave it. Consider the source. Panic if you want. But I’d probably just kick back and enjoy the next few weeks of basketball if I were you.
We love taking gambling advice from Brandon Lang, but rarely does he break news like he did Thursday, telling @1TimMurray he has it on good authority Bill Self will leave Kansas to take over the Chicago Bulls. https://t.co/XVaMkA42pJ
— NBC Sports Audio (@NBCSportsAudio) March 15, 2019
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2019/mar/8/ku-coach-bill-self-addresses-the-end-of-/
