You know what, Billy Donovan? Go to the Orlando Magic. Or go to the Memphis Grizzlies. Or go, if you can figure a way to pull it off, to the University of Kentucky.
Just go already. Me personally, I'm sick and tired of your dalliances with other basketball programs. If Florida isn't good enough for you, then go. Go with my blessing, go with my indifference, go with my foot stuck to your rear end. But just go.
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| You going or staying, Billy? Either way, just make up your mind. (US Presswire) |
But enough's enough. For the love of God, Billy Donovan, could you please stop flirting with other jobs? And if you can't stop flirting, then go ahead and divorce Florida and shack up with the Magic or the Grizzlies or any of the other handful of NBA teams looking for a new coach. Either way, this has moved beyond irritating. It's now becoming inappropriate.
And don't anyone -- not Billy Donovan, not his friends, not his fans -- tell me that Billy the Kid wasn't the one to pursue jobs at Kentucky or Memphis. It doesn't matter who first batted their eyes at whom, but if it does matter, fine. I'll concede the point: Kentucky and Memphis batted their eyes first at Donovan. Terrific. But he winked back. He winked and then he showed some leg when what he should have done, if he was truly serious about staying at Florida, was get up and leave the room in a huff.
Don't tell me it's within anyone's rights to play one job against another to get the best possible deal. I'll grant you that, but I won't grant you this: It's not all right to use Kentucky, and then Memphis, and then the possibility of Orlando, against Florida in the course of seven weeks. That doesn't make you a shrewd businessman. That makes you a skank.
And finally, don't tell me Donovan took himself out of contention for the Orlando job Thursday. Because he didn't. Yes, he put out a statement. But, no -- he didn't shut the door to Orlando. Didn't even mention Orlando. Here's exactly what he said:
"My focus is on coaching at the University of Florida. I look forward to sitting down with Jeremy (Foley) and Dr. (Bernie) Machen and finalizing a contract in the very near future."
Florida fans probably love that statement -- He says his focus is on UF! -- but that's fool's gold. Show me where in that statement Donovan said he won't talk to the Orlando Magic if they call. Show me where in that statement he said he's definitely not leaving Florida. You say Donovan didn't need to mention the Magic job by name? I say you're a sap. I say you're naïve and gullible. I say I'd love to play poker with you.
The only reason Donovan put out the statement in the first place was because of mounting speculation that the Magic would make him their first priority, and that Donovan would be willing to listen when they call. Both assumptions are reasonable. Donovan is the hottest coach in basketball, college or pro, after leading Florida to consecutive national championships, and in New York he grew up fascinated by the NBA. The Magic would allow him to satisfy his NBA curiosity without uprooting his family.
Now then, please. Don't lose sight of my overall point. I'm not trying to predict whether Donovan would go to Orlando. I'm not arguing the pros of Florida against the cons of Orlando, or vice versa. They're different jobs, but they're great jobs. Both of them. Donovan would be lucky to sit in either chair.
But at this point, from Kentucky to Memphis to Orlando, the whole thing is becoming grotesque. It's like watching Tom Brady bounce from one supermodel to the next. It's fascinating, but it's unseemly. In a way, sure, I'd like to be Billy Donovan. Must be nice to have all these options. But in a way, I'm embarrassed for him. He looks like a tramp.
First came Kentucky, which he led on for two weeks. Through back-channel communications as well as Donovan's own refusal to withdraw publicly or privately, the Wildcats were led to believe he would consider their opening after UF finished the 2006-07 season. Ultimately Donovan stayed at Florida, saying, "The best thing for me was the University of Florida," and, "This is where I wanted to be -- I am committed to being here."
So why talk to the Memphis Grizzlies one month later? Donovan apparently didn't get an offer from the Grizzlies, and he might not have taken it even if he had. But why go there at all? It had been less than a month since he had turned down Kentucky and affirmed Florida is "the best thing for me" and "where I wanted to be."
Two weeks later, Orlando fired its coach. And here we are again. The Magic have Donovan on their list, apparently at the top. He's issued an empty statement reminding everyone he works for Florida while making it clear -- by what he won't say -- that he isn't necessarily going to be at Florida for long.
So just go, Billy Donovan. Go with your head held high that you left Florida in much, much better shape than you found it. Go with your head held low that you flirted with Kentucky and Memphis and now Orlando in the course of seven weeks.
But just go. Because it's clear you don't really want to stay.
