Some points of response
Originally posted by Pitt79:
There is one thing I have legitimately and rightfully complained about for the last decade, and that is the inability to shoot and score the basketball, it has always been a glaring problem, and winning won't make me stop complaining about that, since it's lead to enough losses over time.
1st: Pitt79 and offense
You have been constant in your complaints about poor offense.
They have NOT been legitimate and you have constantly been wrong.
National AdjO ranking (offensive efficiency adjusted for tempo) for the past 10 seasons.
2006 #25
2007 #14
2008 #12
2009 # 2
2010 #45
2011 #4
2012 #31
2013 #17
2014 #19
2015 #22
You simply have no idea what you are talking about on this subject. You have the right to any opinion you want but this one only continues to make you look completely out of touch with today's game.
2nd. Almost everybody and Dixon's salary.
Dixon's current salary is NOT directly based on his past performance and future expectations of Final Four's or inflated by his agent. It was determined directly by choosing to match a SPECIFIC competitive offer from USC. Pitt did a quick, quiet survey of other possible replacements and decided it was in our best interests to continue with Dixon as coach. Given UCLA's struggles to replace Howland and Minnesota's to replace Tubby Smith, that looks like a wise move.
Anybody who is in business knows that when faced with a competitive bid/price, particularly for a established customer, no matter how unreasonable it may be, the manager has to make a hard choice whether to match the bid or walk away from that customer and try to find replacement business. There is considerable risk and costs involved to find replacement business in a competitive field.
3rd Dixon's future tenure here:
I think he is entering year 3 of a 10-year contract. The USC offer was supposed to be 10 years, $30 million.
The structure of the deal Jamie signed was supposed to be an 8 year extension, with the $3 million per year being phased into the two years remaining on his former deal. The total was, I think, less than the full $30 million.
Nobody has reported what buyout terms might be in the contract but given that there seems to have been some "hometown discount" in overall terms, there might have been no concession for reduced buyout. In any case, Pitt would seemingly owe Dixon in excess of $20 million even after next season if they chose to push him out. Clearly, at a school where we are still subsidizing the Athletic Department by $7 to 8 million yearly, the administration is not going to take on that kind of burden, especially considering hiring a suitable replacement would likely add in the neighborhood of another $2MM yearly.
Dixon is still in demand nationally. Oregon State floated the idea of throwing money at him earlier this year. If things get too bad here, maybe he would choose to take one of the offers that still come to him and walk away. But, if diminishing returns continue, offers which would cover his buyout are likely to diminish too.
The Pittsburgh media loves to jab Pitt fans...as it always results in a firestorm of letters, etc. This kind of journalism is all the Pittsburgh sports media knows. Hail to Pitt!
