This is the way. I think you have to continue to take stabs at the next hot coach from a mid-major, and sort of just pray that he's a next great coach in the making.. Kentucky has to go get one of these guys off the factory line.
Thamel: UNC hiring Mike Malone
- Thread starter The_Catfather
- Start date
This is the way. I think you have to continue to take stabs at the next hot coach from a mid-major, and sort of just pray that he's a next great coach in the making.. Kentucky has to go get one of these guys off the factory line.
It’s actually Bob Vance they hired.Wait? Michael Malone?
Source? I dont buy this at all. There's no reason Billy Donovan couldn't have taken this job and either finish out a final week of the NBA, or have the Chicago front office part ways with him then. There was no schedule or timing conflict.
Billy Donovan didn't want the job, because the job was beneath him. It's that simple. There was no need to wait for the Chicago Bulls season to end in 10 days from now lol.
This is a VERY unexpected AND underwhelming hire. Tells me that UNC already knew all of the A-List candidates (Hurley, May, Lloyd, Donovan, et. al.) had ZERO intention of going to Chapel Hill.
I think Malone is a "good" coach.. But it's also a little hard to tell how good a coach is when you have what's about to be a top5 NBA player of all time (top10 at least). Remember, he did still get fired. And it's not like Joker lost his touch. He's still the should-be MVP.
Further: Malone now doesn't have basketball GM, a large front office, and is going from a 15% roster turnover to a 70% roster turnover.
That sounds familiar. Maybe he can take a year off and we can try for him next year if things don’t improve.
Highly unexpected AND underwhelming hire. Tells me that UNC already knew that none of the A-List candidates (Hurley, May, Lloyd, Donovan, et. al.) had the least interest in going to Chapel Hill.
The only difference is that UNC didn't know this, they found out lol.
I just reviewed his coaching record in the NBA (which as others have pointed out is the only head coaching experience he has)...and I have to admit....it was underwhelming considering the talent he had in Denver.
Keep telling yall. These college coaches are fat and happy were they are at.
LOL good point....in other words, they KNEW it AFTER they DISCOVERED IT, lol.
Damn.....I am betting their die hard fans didn't imagine Malone as their new HC when they successfully ousted Hubert. You just KNOW that delusional, arrogant fanbase had images of Hurley or Donovan or May dancing in their tiny heads. :O
He won a title in 23
Won more games in 24 and lost in G7 of the semis to Minnesota
Got fired the very next year right before the playoffs while being 15 games above .500.
It was a ridiculous termination.
College basketball is such a crapshoot right now with so few proven guys in this era. Unless you were getting one of the handful of guys who have been successful in this era, it’s all a risk. I’d certainly chalk this up as a better hire than we made in Pope based on coaching resumes.
Yep, which is what I also said. Bottom line....barring any sort of absurd astronomical financial offer which nobody could even begin to meet....OR of any individual loyalty to Chapel Hill (such as being an alum who always dreamt of coaching there, etc.)....there is LEGIT ZERO reason for a May or a Lloyd or a Golden or a Hurley et. al. to leave their current situation to Chapel Hill. ZERO.
Obviously he would. Everyone on the board knows that.
Everyone also knows UNC got turned down by:
Hurley
Otzelberger
Mark freaking Byington
Dusty May
etc etc etc
They went through about 10 “no”s before they got to Malone, and I didn’t hear a single one of these hardcore “bluebloods get whoever they want” people talking for weeks about how scared they were about Carolina hiring Mike Malone. It’s almost like they think you can’t click on their names and look directly at everything they’ve said on this topic within the last 72 hours. I have zero tolerance for that kind of cat and mouse game. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Everyone on here, for better or worse, knows exactly my stance on things. It doesn’t change everytime the wind blows. That’s cause my posts are actually ME not just an internet game.
.. and seeing how some are taking fraudlent victory laps because they mentioned Mike Malone once in between 40 posts about Billy Donovan being the betting favorite to UNC, let me give you a REAL victory lap:
Sources: Bulls fire VP Arturas Karnisovas, GM Marc Eversley
- ESPN
Yep, agreed. I heard even Pope turned them down! :O He is quite happy where he is at....UK is his dream job!
I am going to head over to their board to see what the general reaction to Malone is....I have to imagine that majority of their fanbase are something less than "INSANELY ENTHUSED" about this hire, lol.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills reading some of your all’s stuff. Is it just the blind homerism that makes some of you incapable of being objective.
This is like someone criticizing us for letting go of Pope in favor of an NBA champion coach. It’s only a stupid decision to those who hate you. None of their fans would want Hubert Davis to continue and would gladly roll with this gamble. And like I said, there’s hardly anyone to choose from in college basketball with a proven record in this NIL era.
Danny Hurley/ not an option
Dusty May/not an option
Tommy Lloyd/not an option
Jon Scheyer/not an option
Golden/not an option
Nate Oats/not an option
Kelvin Sampson/not an option
Who exactly do you think we will be choosing from next year or the year after? We will be in a very similar place.
I'll give you this, it's probably the best that UNC could have done. They were working their way down to tier 3 and tier 4 level coaches.
I'm indifferent. He's a good coach like I said.. not really sure what he's going to do at the college level though. But I'm certainly not gonna assume it's a total disaster just yet. I think he will be slightly better than Hubert Davis, but they will ultimately move off from him in 6 or so years. I'd also put some odds on him up and leaving in 3-4 years if an NBA coaching job opens up. That's my call.
Good news, with the NCAA tournament expanding Pope will probably do just enough to make the tournament yearly and that's all the UK admin consider a successful year
Keep laughing, buddy. Mark Pope enjoyed walking out of Sweat Hog Arena with the W next to his name. Still waiting on your program to do something significant since the Clinton administration.Yep, agreed. I heard even Pope turned them down! :O He is quite happy where he is at....UK is his dream job!
I'm not spinning it as a homerun. We still have to see how recruiting goes.
But this man is a damn good coach.
I agree. "indifference" is about the most accurate reaction one can objectively have to this hire. All I will say is that Hubert did coach UNC to a national title game. Let's see if Malone can, at the very least, match that accomplishment in his time at Chapel Hill. If I had to bet, I would say he gets canned without ever guiding UNC to the national championship game.
He will need an associate head coach with head coaching experience in high level D1 and a great GM. Get those and you can make it work.
oh come on VillageIdiot, I thought we were buddies now. i got no beef with you. And besides, I like Hello Kitty too! OMG it is like tooooo cute!
As I mentioned about 2 weeks ago when I threw his name out as a dark horse candidate
I don’t like that you troll our board. When you get snappy and big for your britches, you may want to bark up a different tree. I’m kind but ruthless.oh come on VillageIdiot, I thought we were buddies now. i got no beef with you. And besides, I like Hello Kitty too! OMG it is like tooooo cute!
I understand what you are saying, BUT that statement kinda reminds me of when a school makes an underwhelming football hire, and the fanbase tries to talk themselves into it by stating something to the effect of: "well, this MIGHT work IF he hires phenomenal coordinators who are also outstanding recruiters and....and...." lol
