Exile on Waveland

Good. Still, this whole thing has been a circus.

Ugh. I'm not going to be happy if McCallum is named interim coach.

I feel bad for IU fans. They don't deserve this mess. At some point Kelvin Sampson needs to think about the kids and tell them to play out the year. Especially since he made a point at the MSU game talking about how this is all about the kids anyways. If Sampson doesn't convince the players to continue playing I will lose all respect for him. No way the players should give up this season for any coach. IU still has a good chance to win the Big Ten and some games in the tournament. This isn't the summer; it's near the end of the season. If you haven't lost all respect for Kelvin yet, I doubt anything he can do will cause you to. You know what I meant. I think I've been by far his biggest critic on here among IU fans. Didn't mean anything personal, just meant he is about as low as can get ethically. There isn't much he can do short of admiting his transgressions and apologize. Sorry if I came across as trying to rip you. For college coaches, I think that honor can be reserved for Dave Bliss. I actually think the Knight and Sampson situations are very comparable. Both did things that are magnified because of IU's fanbase. Both had very legitimate reasons to be fired but weren't and were given other punishments instead. Both of them then got fired with not much additional added. The biggest two differences are that Knight's possible problems were physical (going after players and assistants and possible assult) while Sampson's problems are with cheating, and that Sampson's firing occured during the season while Knight's didn't. For both, I feel like they deserved to be fired but the way it was went about was very, very badly done. Agreed. The situations are so similar. Let's hope this time they don't cave to player pressure and hire the wrong assistant as interim. I had, and still have, high hopes for President McRobbie, but this, as per usual at IU, has been handled very poorly.

I feel bad for IU fans. They don't deserve this mess. At some point Kelvin Sampson needs to think about the kids and tell them to play out the year. Especially since he made a point at the MSU game talking about how this is all about the kids anyways. If Sampson doesn't convince the players to continue playing I will lose all respect for him. No way the players should give up this season for any coach. IU still has a good chance to win the Big Ten and some games in the tournament. This isn't the summer; it's near the end of the season. If you haven't lost all respect for Kelvin yet, I doubt anything he can do will cause you to. You know what I meant. I think I've been by far his biggest critic on here among IU fans. Didn't mean anything personal, just meant he is about as low as can get ethically. There isn't much he can do short of admiting his transgressions and apologize. Sorry if I came across as trying to rip you. No worries. I don't like his ethics, nor did I want him hired. However, his teams played hard, he generally said the right things and the players truly like him. It wasn't all bad by any means. If he was ethical, he'd be a great fit at IU. But he's not, which worries me about the players boycotting. If he leaves quietly and the players stay and play hard for Dakich (without Sampson influencing otherwise), I won't truly revile Sampson. I'll just try to forget he was ever here.

I feel bad for IU fans. They don't deserve this mess. At some point Kelvin Sampson needs to think about the kids and tell them to play out the year. Especially since he made a point at the MSU game talking about how this is all about the kids anyways. If Sampson doesn't convince the players to continue playing I will lose all respect for him. No way the players should give up this season for any coach. IU still has a good chance to win the Big Ten and some games in the tournament. This isn't the summer; it's near the end of the season. If you haven't lost all respect for Kelvin yet, I doubt anything he can do will cause you to. You know what I meant. I think I've been by far his biggest critic on here among IU fans.

I feel bad for IU fans. They don't deserve this mess. At some point Kelvin Sampson needs to think about the kids and tell them to play out the year. Especially since he made a point at the MSU game talking about how this is all about the kids anyways. I would agree with this, although it hasn't been the IU way recently. When Knight left and the players threatened to leave, Knight encouraged every player to transfer. When Davis left, he encouraged players to transfer. Hopefully Sampson doesn't make it 3 for 3. Letting Davis finish out the season while he actively recruited the players was another in a long line of moronic decisions by IU.

I feel bad for IU fans. They don't deserve this mess. At some point Kelvin Sampson needs to think about the kids and tell them to play out the year. Especially since he made a point at the MSU game talking about how this is all about the kids anyways. If Sampson doesn't convince the players to continue playing I will lose all respect for him. No way the players should give up this season for any coach. IU still has a good chance to win the Big Ten and some games in the tournament. This isn't the summer; it's near the end of the season.

Saw most of them at Nick's during lunch today. (Yes, I eat at Nick's a lot. It's by the law school and a B-town tradition.)

I've heard every time in the book today plus sources are saying there is no press conference. I'm not sure anybody knows what is going on. There is one thing I do believe though. One report has that if Sampson is fired, the players want McCallum to finish the season as the coach, not a coach in Dakich who they had never seen before the start of the season. Greenspan is a joke. Tell the players you don't give a crap who you want running the team. If they get all pissy with you, pull their scholarships. IU has to think about its future, not the wishes of 13 20 year old kids. Couldn't agree more. You can't let students hold the program hostage. That's why IU ended up with six years of Davis. The inmates can't run the asylum. Sampson should be gone with Dakich as interim. I haven't heard anything other than Dakich taking over. I think it will be him; it should be him. If there's a boycott (seriously doubt it), IU should immediately pull the scholarships of every single player -- I don't care if it's DJ White, Eric Gordon or Eli Holman.

Yeah, the WTHR reporter implies a boycott is on the table. Still, I seriously doubt this happens. Cooler heads will likely prevail. For everything DJ White has gone through at IU, he's one of my favorite players. However, you cannot quit on your school in the middle of the season.

Judging by the length of the name and the capitalization, it's DeAndre Thomas or DeShawn Thomas. Since other current college players were named and DeShawn Thomas is a minor, that's most likely who it is. Other minors were named. DeAndre Thomas was already implicated(probably the wrong word here) in the report that stemmed from the initial October self-reporting. It's likely him. Although Eric Gordon Jr. = DeAndre Thomas. Are you sure other minors were named? There are some current high school players named, but all are seniors I believe. They might not be minors (I am unsure). There are also no unsigned players that I know of -- well, besides Bud Mackey. And you're right, adding the "Jr." would change things. Didn't think about that. Derek Elston, IU committ in the class of '09 was named in the report. You're right, duh. He's also only verballed, a la DeShawn Thomas. I don't see why he'd be named for shirt/bag and another minor wouldn't for phone calls.

You're not sure IU will recover? Is that a joke? I didn't word that properly, what I meant is as a result Sampson' actions IU Basketball may be hit with some sanctions and will be down in the near future. Short-term is definitely a question mark, no doubt. Indiana is likely to get a good coach -- hell, even if they did the typical IU thing and hired Dan Dakich, I think they could fair decently in the coming years. Also, 2009 is a very good class again in the state of Indiana, which could serve as a quick remedy.

Judging by the length of the name and the capitalization, it's DeAndre Thomas or DeShawn Thomas. Since other current college players were named and DeShawn Thomas is a minor, that's most likely who it is. Other minors were named. DeAndre Thomas was already implicated(probably the wrong word here) in the report that stemmed from the initial October self-reporting. It's likely him. Although Eric Gordon Jr. = DeAndre Thomas. Are you sure other minors were named? There are some current high school players named, but all are seniors I believe. They might not be minors (I am unsure). There are also no unsigned players that I know of -- well, besides Bud Mackey. And you're right, adding the "Jr." would change things. Didn't think about that.

Judging by the length of the name and the capitalization, it's DeAndre Thomas or DeShawn Thomas. Since other current college players were named and DeShawn Thomas is a minor, that's most likely who it is. Ok, I know that Skip Bayless said, per peegs, that it was EJ. That would have been a nightmare for IU were it the case. I obviously don't know for sure, but I really don't think that's the case. The full name appears way too long to be Gordon and I'm not sure why he'd be blacked out (yes, he'd be the only current Hoosier, but that info would come out anyway). The NCAA would also perhaps come down quicker and harder; and IU would likely think about a self-imposed post-season ban. Obviously, having Gordon included would be a nightmare. Bayless is a moron. From everything I've heard/read the players threatening to quit isn't true. Even so, players threatened the same when Coach Knight and Davis were fired/resigned and not much came of it. There's about no chance of a player revolt canceling the season.

Judging by the length of the name and the capitalization, it's DeAndre Thomas or DeShawn Thomas. Since other current college players were named and DeShawn Thomas is a minor, that's most likely who it is.

You're not sure IU will recover? Is that a joke?

Seriously if you read hes quotes they are laughable. Making tons of excuses about injuries, and how he plays hard every night. Well Ben, you guys were sucking when everybody was healthy, and I think we need to ask Skiles about you playing hard every night. He was terrible, but at the same time the Bulls were very strange with him. Getting on him over a headband. We should all just be happy he is gone, Ben included. While the rule about headbands was dumb, it was still a rule, and everybody on the team should follow them. I guess, but if the Bulls had drafted LeBron I wonder if they would have taken the same stance with him? Wallace was paid like a superstar, then treated like a rookie. I can see why he was peeved at the Bulls too. Meh, if not getting to wear a headband while getting paid a crapload of money pisses him off, well I dont know what to say. Hes a baby, and a coach killer. I wonder how long Clevelands coach will be around now that Wallace is there? The sad thing is he went from being very underrated to very overrated the minute he signed the Bulls deal. For years he was all effort. Then he got paid. He was made by Sheed. If I recall he was a decent player in Washington, obviously Sheed made him better. Sheed is a great player. I think a lot of people don't realize just how talented Rasheed Wallace really is. The left handed three in the All-Star game is pretty impressive. It makes me laugh when people say the Pistons win without a great big man. He may not be Shaq in his prime or Tim Duncan, but Rasheed Wallace has been one of the most talented PF's in the league since he stepped foot on the court. The guy is a great player, even if he doesn't score a ton.

Of those three, I'd take Brownell. I might be biased, he went to my high school, but still. I like him a lot. If IU decides to go with a young up-and-comer, I hope it's Brownell.

Lilja's is a 5 year deal (20 million). Clark has reportedly received a 6 year, 36 million dollar deal. There is no word yet on if those deals are backloaded, but my guess is they are. Lilja's will probably be essentially a 3 year deal and Clark a 4 year deal when the details come out. Yeah, five-years my bad. You heard anything about the Colts being interested in Crumpler? I don't know if that was just pre-Clark signing scuttlebutt, but another TE could be useful. I've heard of the interest. I definitely think another TE could be useful, especially if Harrison misses any other time. I just don't know if Crumpler will demand too much money, and I'm worried about his drops in the Colts offense stalling drives more than his playmaking ability helping them. Obviously, the Colts rarely enter the free agent market. I honestly don't know how much money Crumpler will demand. If he doesn't command too much, I could see the Colts pursuing him. TE is a key position in the offense and Polian values it as such. I like Clark a lot, but he does have a tendency to take big hits. I'm ecstatic about signing Clark, but would still like another TE.

Lilja's is a 5 year deal (20 million). Clark has reportedly received a 6 year, 36 million dollar deal. There is no word yet on if those deals are backloaded, but my guess is they are. Lilja's will probably be essentially a 3 year deal and Clark a 4 year deal when the details come out. Yeah, five-years my bad. You heard anything about the Colts being interested in Crumpler? I don't know if that was just pre-Clark signing scuttlebutt, but another TE could be useful.

After hearing a little more about how little Greenspan had to do with the Sampson hiring, I no longer support his firing. I don't believe his level of responsibility comes anywhere close to being fired. I do wonder if they are pushing Meyer out of the door. It would be very hypocritical if they didn't. If an athletic director is either too incompetent to stat his case or too weak to put his foot down, he shouldn't be an AD at Indiana. Greenspan wanted Davis fired in 2005 but Herbert vetoed it; it sounds more and more like Greenspan didn't want Sampson but Herbert did. Great. So he's not incompetent, just impotent. Meyer should be gone too. What can you do if your boss overrules you like that? He could quit, but it would be bad for him personally (quitting like that would make it hard for him to get another job at a big university) and it also wouldn't help Indiana out, because Herbert would just overrule the next guy. I don't think Greenspan had many options, and the choosing to wait it out until Herbert left was probably the best one. Well, I honestly don't know who has final veto power, the President or the Board of Trustees. But I know a couple Trustees that definitely didn't want Davis back that last year. Greenspan certainly could've appealed to them for that, which would've made them more likely to side with him re: Sampson. A big part of an AD's job is convincing other people that his decision is the correct one, it's pretty clear Greenspan hasn't been able to do this.

Colts franchised Dallas Clark, then signed him to a six-year deal. They also resigned OG Ryan Lilja to a five-year deal. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/SPORTS03/80220065

After hearing a little more about how little Greenspan had to do with the Sampson hiring, I no longer support his firing. I don't believe his level of responsibility comes anywhere close to being fired. I do wonder if they are pushing Meyer out of the door. It would be very hypocritical if they didn't. If an athletic director is either too incompetent to stat his case or too weak to put his foot down, he shouldn't be an AD at Indiana. Greenspan wanted Davis fired in 2005 but Herbert vetoed it; it sounds more and more like Greenspan didn't want Sampson but Herbert did. Great. So he's not incompetent, just impotent. Meyer should be gone too.

PLEASE.

Permanent plz. Dakich would by no means by my top choice. However, I wouldn't be completely irate -- assuming there's a search. He could do well at IU; his success would likely hinge on getting assistants who can recruit. His coaching is good, his recruiting isn't.