Joe Mazulla getting what he deserves
- Thread starter steeleer
- Start date
Lol people are so naive. There is zero evidence to suggest there is mutual interest in Mazzula giving up the NBA to come back and be the coach here, let alone come back and actually work under Huggins as a coach. Not to mention Huggins has given zero indication of a potential successor, or if he would even be involved in the decision.
The NBA might as well be a different sport than college basketball given the pace, rules, off the court obligations and overall talent level vs college. If he wanted to remain as a college coach he would have. People have to stop building an imaginary link to Mazzula and the WVU coaching gig and just appreciate that a former player who helped give us an incredibly special season made good in life.
The NBA might as well be a different sport than college basketball given the pace, rules, off the court obligations and overall talent level vs college. If he wanted to remain as a college coach he would have. People have to stop building an imaginary link to Mazzula and the WVU coaching gig and just appreciate that a former player who helped give us an incredibly special season made good in life.
I'm not disagreeing, but I also don't need a "reality check."
I do appreciate you helping me out though. That is not sarcasm...honest.
BTW....unless we kill it this year and bring back this team largely intact as a true contender, I assume Huggs will step down. Therefore Joe would be brought on as HC in that case.
I'll also remind that (weirdly enough) he is officially only covering as a 1 year stop gap for a really good coach who exceeded all expectations last year. He is also super young. If this team barely makes the playoffs and loses to say a really good Milwaukee team early on, he will likely go back to an assistant with ZERO assurance of a HC spot in the NBA that year or any other year.
Meanwhile, He would get at least $3 million per year at his alma mater with Huggins being on in some executive position with WVU. That is not exactly a terrible plan B. Plus he would maintain the option of going back to the NBA if the opportunity comes up.
I'll also remind that (weirdly enough) he is officially only covering as a 1 year stop gap for a really good coach who exceeded all expectations last year. He is also super young. If this team barely makes the playoffs and loses to say a really good Milwaukee team early on, he will likely go back to an assistant with ZERO assurance of a HC spot in the NBA that year or any other year.
Meanwhile, He would get at least $3 million per year at his alma mater with Huggins being on in some executive position with WVU. That is not exactly a terrible plan B. Plus he would maintain the option of going back to the NBA if the opportunity comes up.
Hes 34, they could have probably brought Brad Stevens down from the executive suite for a year, or brought in some retread who would guide the team through this. Not to mention there is 6 other guys with the same title as Mazzulla they could have picked. The fact that they opted to give the keys to Mazzulla speaks volumes about how they feel about him. This isn’t just some random scenario, it’s the Boston Celtics who are coming off of a Finals appearance and have high expectations again. It was well thought out in a way for what would be best to give a team a shot at an NBA title, and they landed on Mazzula. If it doesn’t pan out he is still going to be talked about in high regard in league circles as an assistant and eventual HC when he gains more experience.
On the flip side, WVU is not going to give $3m to a coach who has zero experience recruiting at a major college level. I am also not convinced there is a scenario in play this year for Huggins to be forced out. I would think if it got really bad they would let him try to go out on a high note next year, but I’m not convinced anyone really has the authority to fire Huggins right now.
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So are you saying that Mazz is someone on this meteoric rise in the NBA OR are you saying that WVU would not be willing to pay him one million dollars a year a year less than Huggs to coach at the college level?
You can't say both skippy. Pick a lane.
BTW....you are crazy if you don't think his age and having this insane amount of exposure on ESPN would not give him crazy street cred with a HS kid.
As I have said, the NBA might as well be a different sport. He is on a meteoric rise in the NBA, college is a completely different animal. The NBA his job is to manage the players his GM gives him over the course of an 82 game season that is like an endless business trip and then playoffs. College his job is the coach, GM, fundraiser, and a can’t miss figure in a small town. If he wanted to be a college coach he would have stayed in college IMO, he didn’t become a somebody in the NBA on accident. I think in the unlikely event he showed interest in the wake of Huggs departure, the University is not likely to duplicate Huggins deal and give a young coach who has never recruited to a power conference school a Godfather deal. He would get a competitive offer that a high level assistant could expect from a school like WVU, maybe a little extra since he is a former player.
NBA coaches aren’t known for “street cred”, they’re supposed to be the adult in the room with a room full of huge egos. There are few examples of highly successful transitions down from NBA down to college. Best case: Penny Hardaway (street cred) Worst Case: Patrick Ewing
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