Realistic Expectations

[Haydman]

Agree, it is all about the talent now. I can live with a coach who is not great if said coach can meaningfully upgrade the talent level. Early returns are not good on KS. However, as I have said before, Carr and Stewart have intrigued me enough that I am curious what he can do if given a little time. I know they are not top 100, but, that is not always the best indicator of what a guy can do at the next level. I also like Golden for next year, even tho I don't know if he will be ready to step in and be effective in the ACC.

To me, Stallings needs to strike gold in 2019. The only thing that will keep him here is a talent upgrade. He has shown to be mediocre throughout his coaching career, and there is little reason to think that might change here.

All I know is this, if and when Pitt offs KS, I truly hope they have done their due diligence this time. Hopefully, they find someone who can recruit and coach, as if that combination is impossible to find. We had one of the very best coaches in the land, and at the end he could not recruit a starving man to a steak dinner. Now we have a very mediocre coach, and the jury is still out on his ability to recruit.

Of course, I think many have thrown in the towel on KS, because he has come off as not a very likeable person, which I agree with. That noted, I still think there is a chance that he brings this program some better players down the road. I just don't know how far the administration will let him get down the proverbial road.

I'm with you that there's plenty to like about the potential for Carr and Stewart and i also agree that they need help. To me we actually need recruits that are even better than those two if we want to climb out of this hole.
Where i disagree with you is on when we need to see recruiting improvement. I've always thought that the 2018 class would be make or break for KS. I just can't understand waiting until 2019 to see if recruiting makes a jump. They need help sooner rather than later.

 

[Delpanther]

If they really wanted him to stay couldn't they have just enforced his buyout? No raise necessary in that scenario, right?

Not if he said he wanted to leave...use your head...where a guy wants to leave you don't enforce the buyout to keep him. That only produces an untenable situation going forward!

 

[Haydman]

Not if he said he wanted to leave...use your head...where a guy wants to leave you don't enforce the buyout to keep him. That only produces an untenable situation going forward!

Like the situation we have now? Right, imagine how much worse things could have been!!

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

I'm with you that there's plenty to like about the potential for Carr and Stewart and i also agree that they need help. To me we actually need recruits that are even better than those two if we want to climb out of this hole.
Where i disagree with you is on when we need to see recruiting improvement. I've always thought that the 2018 class would be make or break for KS. I just can't understand waiting until 2019 to see if recruiting makes a jump. They need help sooner rather than later.

IMHO, the ship has sailed on KS. When a new hoops coach doesn't land his most talented recruiting class after season #1--when change and excitement can be used to sell recruits, and when the W-L trajectory simultaneously plummets, that coaches window of opportunity to succeed in turning a program around ends.

KS 's opportunity to right the ship is already over. He now has little to effectively sell 2019 recruits who will hear from other recruiters that they will be joining the Titanic on the bottom of the college basketball sea.