Knuckle is the same knucklehead who got crucified on the Scout board for posting his clown show tripe.
I haven't seen his knucklehead name since.
Mack is the extreme favorite...
- Thread starter HRTheCard
- Start date
Knuckle is the same knucklehead who got crucified on the Scout board for posting his clown show tripe.
I haven't seen his knucklehead name since.
First of all, I’ve never once posted on the scout board. So to quote Jim Calhoun: get some facts and then come back and see me.
And secondly the next insightful thing you post will be your first.
I don't know...sounds like an interesting coincidence. How many aliases does a guy like you post under?...
He's pretty new around here. But it's amazing how quickly 007 figured you out. Bright guy...
i don't know man. i heard Mack back when RP was making his first set of "i might retire" overtures. he did that several times so i'm sure Jurich had some folks in mind each time.
maybe he could've got Wright back 5 years ago but to say that was going to happen after 2 giant scandals and wright having 2 nattys that will stick to the rafters? doubt it.
but this is all silly now. i missed the Crum/Pitino fight so maybe this is how it was then too. i don't get it but whatever.
I'm not saying you've asked me. But I know I've been asked a dozen times. The answer doesn't change; it's the same guys.
And I think some are asking because one or more candidates would eventually disqualify themselves, such as Donovan signing a new contract. "Well see???"
WHEN something happens determines everything else. K-rag was a good hire WHEN he was hired...
Chris Mack may be a failure at Louisville.
But if you think that hiring him at this point in time in our programs history was anything more than an absolute home run then I don't know what else to tell you.
Literally the only 2 candidates that would have been better are Donovan and Wright and there was absolutely 0.000% chance that Jay Wright was leaving Nova.None, zip, ziltch. So literally the only option out there better than Wright was a current NBA head coach of a playoff team and reigning MVP who's been connected to Rick Pitino his entire life.
But if you think that hiring him at this point in time in our programs history was anything more than an absolute home run then I don't know what else to tell you.
Literally the only 2 candidates that would have been better are Donovan and Wright and there was absolutely 0.000% chance that Jay Wright was leaving Nova.None, zip, ziltch. So literally the only option out there better than Wright was a current NBA head coach of a playoff team and reigning MVP who's been connected to Rick Pitino his entire life.
Now just stop and think about what you just said. You just said that Donovan, Wright and Mack are all equal? Last I checked Mack hasn’t won 1 NC let alone 2. Yes those first two guys are on one level but Mack was on another level with about 10-12 other options, that we don’t know could have been homerun hires. Mack could still be but we have to let it play out first.
No, sorry. Didn't mean for it to come off like that. Didn't say Mack was on the same level as Billy D and Wight. he's a home run hire in my humble opinion and there were only 2 candidates that would have been grand slam/better hires than Mack and that's Wright (not happening) and Donovan (not happening, very connected to Pitino)
I would rather roll the dice with Mack than with Tony Bennett, Shaka Smart (huge buyout, wasn't happening), Dan Hurley, Eric Musselman, Greg Marshall, Buzz Williams, Mick Cronin.
My wish list of realistic candidates (I don't think Billy D or Wright were realistic)
1. Mack
2. Musselman
3. Buzz Williams
We're purely talking semantics, but they should mean something... How can a guy whom you assign anything significant as far as probability of failure be a "home run hire"? Those two concepts in tandem make no sense.
Pitino was a home run hire in 2001, and he had almost--never say "never"--no probability of failure. And he of course didn't fail as a coach--he won a championship and went to multiple F4s. THAT is the proper context for a "home run hire". Anyone short of that is simply a "hire" or at best, a "good hire". That's as far as you can go with Mack...
I think there's a chance of failure with anyone you hire. Do I think Chris Mack will be a failure at Louisville? No, but I think we have to be patient.
I simply don't think any of your versions of a homerun hire are realistic candidates. If I remember correctly those were something like Billy D, Brad Stevens, Jay Wright and Tony Bennett? If I'm not mistaken? Who out of those 4 did we have a realistic shot at besides Bennett and I would rather have Mack over Bennett.
I simply think that of the realistic candidates - and they aren't not realistic because its Louisville they aren't realistic because they aren't leaving their current job for ANY school. I don't think Jay Wright would leave UK or UNC nor do I think any elite school would lure Billy D back this year and I've said I'm not a Bennett fan. I think Chris Mack is the absolute best coach available for Louisville.
I liked Musselman a lot and would have been excited about him being hired. Here is a prediction for you: Nevada signed a 5 star recruit (Jordan Brown) recently. That team has a lot coming back the year after their Sweet 16 run. Next year when Louisville (likely) struggles, there will be a LOT of people on here saying we should have hired Eric Musselman instead of Chris Mack.
Musselman has the look of a Brad Stevens type of guy who can "coach-em up" and win with anyone. He's not young like Brad...but I see him being a very hot commodity very soon.
Well, let's put some %s on these guys...
Mack's probability of failure 30%
Prob. of good, not great 50%
Prob. of great 20%
Pitino's probability of failure in 2001 <5%
Prob. of good, not great 35%
Prob. of great 60%
We can have a good/great debate about Pitino, but that's not the issue. His probability of failure was minimal; Mack's isn't likely, but it's a lot more than minimal. That's because Mack wasn't a great hire.
We can also debate whether there were more than a couple other guys qualifying as "great" candidates. Again, that's not the issue... It's not yours or my job to gauge "realistic". We simply want great hires pursued whatever the likelihood of landing them. You're downgrading your progam not shooting for truly great hires. Was Pitino a likely hire in 2001?...Not close. But he was a great coach, and along with the UNlikelihood of being able to land him made Pitino a great hire.
In general, your standards for "great-ness" are too low. That would have left a lot of other great-hire candidates. Of course, that's the low bar that Tyra supporters want to see him face as AD...
Right, unemployed and coveted by every major program in 2001 with a coaching vacancy. Slapd!cks wanted to dump Tubby to get The Master back.
Hang in there with that clown show delusion. And see if you can somehow dream up some money for the clowns to get their hands on...they need it.
Mack's probability of failure is a lot higher because of what has transpired before his hire. Even then I doubt his probability of total failure is lower than a third. The fact is there is no Pitino type hire happening. We were lucky then for the timing to work out.
Bennett won the league but can't seem to put it together in the tournament with a team that can win the Acc. You can say that looking at tourney results is wrong because of luck etc.. but having teams win the regular season then lose in the 1st round as a 1 seed will get old quickly. Wright was in the old BE and didn't develop a powerhouse until after everyone else left and he became the biggest fish in a smaller pond. You can also argue that his success is because of the same group of guys. Donovan is the closest to a Pitino level hire but we don't know if he even would do well having to go through the grind of recruiting again. I remember he saying he wouldn't miss it when he got the Thunder job.
Last edited:
Right, unemployed and coveted by every major program in 2001 with a coaching vacancy. Slapd!cks wanted to dump Tubby to get The Master back.
Hang in there with that clown show delusion. And see if you can somehow dream up some money for the clowns to get their hands on...they need it.
And Mack was coveted by Indiana, Ohio St and Louisville - every major program in 2017 and 2018 with a coaching vacancy. Of course he was actually employed...and by his alma mater no less. Nice of a weed to help make my point.
Rick was as bullet-proof of a hire at the college level that anyone could make. He was newly available and we had the right AD in place to make it happen.
I don’t disagree. The person bringing this up is acting as if it took a Herculean effort to get Rick. The reality was that no one in the NBA wanted him and we were the best college job available.
Right, unemployed and coveted by every major program in 2001 with a coaching vacancy. Slapd!cks wanted to dump Tubby to get The Master back.
Hang in there with that clown show delusion. And see if you can somehow dream up some money for the clowns to get their hands on...they need it.
I am shocked that you would cite 'SD's as having good judgement on anything. Lost some credibility in your argument on that one you did.
Also, referring to RP as Master is insulting everyone's intelligence. Losing does not become you and is affecting your judgement some...
Nevada is set to have a very good season next year. If Louisville struggles (and they likely will), there will be a lot of second-guessing on passing on Musselman (even though Musselman would face the same struggles as Mack in Year 1).
Changing the narrative again? I thought we were talking about Pitino in 2001 and your clown show argument that he was little more than an "unemployed" coach? LOL.
Coaches at every level are in demand by someone. You're now comparing yourself to tOSU and IU basketball programs in 2017-18. That's hardly a standard for greatness and is exactly where a coach like Mack should have been top choice. Not at a great program.
These clowns have dummied everything down so that Mack is a good fit. Good, not great. Your clowns can't get to great...
I don't think you understand... It's not slapd!ck judgment at issue, it's their delusional standards for themselves. And Pitino would have measured up just a couple years after Tubby brought them a championship.I am shocked that you would cite 'SD's as having good judgement on anything. Lost some credibility in your argument on that one you did.
Also, referring to RP as Master is insulting everyone's intelligence. Losing does not become you and is affecting your judgement some...
"The Master" is my rebuttal to Pitino hate rhetoric. It's not insulting anyone if you keep it in context...
As there should be. For $30 million, Mack needs to hit the ground running...
"Clueless" is the only apt descriptor.
Pitino resigned from the Celtics on 1/8/2001. Here's an article two months later that doesn't mention him in Jurich's top three for the U of L job. LINK
That was until Jurich went after him and against all odds. It's a shame this stuff is out there on the internet preventing people like knucklehead from rewriting history...
“Against all odds”....ha. He picked between UofL and Michigan. You dismiss Indiana and Ohio State’s programs but must have thought REALLY highly of Michigan. The anti-Mack weed movement is sad but fortunately very small.
Been out of town, sorry to just now be getting back on this.
I don't think you can compare the situations when each coach was hired equally. UL was in a smaller conference and hadn't been good in a while but they weren't the poster child for NCAA sanctions and the laughing stock of college basketball either.
Also, as its been pointed out. Rick was a HUGE deal but he was also a fired, failed NBA coach who happened to need a job at the perfect time.
Louisville, under the NCAA scope, on probation and with an FBI probe hanging over its head for the first time in NCAA history pulled away a coach from a team that had a #1 seed in the tournament the same year. From his alma mater as both a player and a coach as well. There's a reason that EVERY major publication and media outlet viewed the Chris Mack hire as an absolute home run. It was. Again, who could UL have realistically hired that you feel would have a better chance to succeed than Chris Mack? (taking into consideration that I don't think Wright and Donovan are realistic options)
I'm biased. I admit that and anyone that knows me personally has known that I've wanted Chris Mack for the last 2 years. I think in 3-4 years anyone on this board questioning this hire will be laughing at themselves.
Yep I agree. I like everything I've seen and read about Musselman. If it would have came down to it, I would honestly rather roll the dice with Musselman than hire someone like Tony Bennett. Call me crazy...I just hate Bennett's system.
No problem with a late reply. Let's recap why this particular discussion is taking place...
People like me are calling Mack a good but not a great hire. I'm seldom dragging Pitino into that discussion except to comment when asked whether I think Pitino was a great hire in 2001. (Yes I do...) But I generally don't need that comparison to argue my position about Mack. Again, it's Mack's and maybe Tyra's supporters asking that question.
Why someone is a good or great hire is specific to each set of circumstances. Would Mack be an equally great hire at Duke based on what we know today? Certainly not as great. Would he be a great hire at Boston College? Most likely, yes. Unless the guy's already achieved greatness, the coach doesn't entirely determine that about the hire itself. That's determined by the entire set of circumstances incl. how good the coach is. It's also not determined by how good the coach BECOMES. No one can predict the future. "Good" or "great" is judged in the context of when the hire is made.
Mack is not a great coach in 2018, and I don't know of too many people claiming that. I can present a lotta info why he's not. Therefore, the only thing that could make the hire great are the other circumstances. Is U of L so behind the 8-ball that no really good coaches were interested? I thought the typical narrative before Mack's hiring was that we'd be surprised at the number and quality of interested candidates...Am I mis-remembering that?
If you can show why my analysis is flawed or skewed, have at it. Just telling me how you think in opposition, however, won't convince me...
I can't argue with any of that. I'm just curious as to who you think UL could have gotten that would have been better than Chris Mack?
I think Chris Mack would be considered a home run hire at nearly ANY school in the country.
Its not realistic that we will struggle somewhat after the coaching and the circumstances that caused it. We basically have no recruiting class this season. I think making the tournament is a realistic goal for us in the next couple of seasons. After that the goal should be higher. 30 mil or not, miracles weren't going to happen and this recruiting class was going to be tough simply because of how little time Mack actually had to recruit. Next year, I expect it to be a lot better. Mussleman is running a program he already started to build so he shouldn't be struggling.
If we had hire Mussleman instead would you be criticizing him if he didn't do as well as Mack?
I agree w/ both statements - and the 2nd is a good point - I do not know who got interviewed, or who was contacted. It seemed like Mack was hired almost immediately. But maybe others were contacted, we just don't know.
Is mach not a quality candidate? If you don't think that Mack had the resume then Mussleman and 90% of the other candidates had a lesser resume. I don't get the thought that we needed to drag out the search for "reasons".
Actually, I agreed with Zipp's post that said Mack was a good hire.
Recalling hearing there would be a list of candidates is not an indictment of Mack.
I've posted support for Mack in numerous threads since he was hired.
