Why Did JB Go To Cleveland?
Wow. You people just
keep bringing it….
Look, I’m no NCAA Expert.
I’m also not on John Beilein’s single digit speed dial on his I-phone…
No, I don’t know what he was thinking…I only think JB knew
what he was thinking…
And in short, that thought process was, “Hey, I’ve been to
2 NC’s in the NCAA with the University of Michigan. I’ve got a shot at coaching an up and coming
team in the NBA. For guaranteed money. I’m 66.
I’m going to have time off in the summer time. To spend with family and friends and not
chasing teen-age dreamers who all have NBA aspirations but cannot all possibly
end up in the NBA. Sure, I’ll develop them
and help them, but at the end of the day, they have to produce. But I’m going to get to enjoy some of
whatever is left. After a near fatal
plane crash and double by-pass surgery.
Enjoying what’s left is pretty important to me…”
Anyone “blaming” Beilein for leaving that reads this blog
can stop reading now. He might have 5-10
really good years left. You start
thinking about that…I get where he’s coming from. Shit like that changes you and your outlook
on life. It makes you think and evaluate
what’s important.
JB accomplished more at Michigan than any other coach in
the same time span in the NCAA. More 1st
round picks of non-5 Star candidates than any other active NCAA coach. That’s saying something…And he did it.
If you watched any of the NBA lottery show (and I
watched more than I should have) and you saw the JB interview, you saw
a man who was excited to be taking the next step. You could see the renewed enthusiasm. The hope of entering into something fresh and
unknown.
You
didn’t see the guy 45 days ago when Brazdeikis, Poole and Matthews all declared
for the NBA draft. If you watched
Beilein on that day, you could see how defeated he
looked and obviously felt. Yeah, he put
on a strong face and the obligatory, “We’re Michigan! We’ll be fine!” But you could tell what he was feeling.
More recruiting. More
reaching out to grad transfers. More
Transfer Portal searching.
All
the same ole’ crap….
Don’t blame the guy for looking for something else. He didn’t give up on Michigan. The players he recruited gave up on
Michigan. You’ll never convince
me otherwise.
Players are getting really lousy advice from family or
family friends about what an individual’s value is really worth at the next
level. And in some cases, it’s not worth
anything.
That’s why JB left.
He was tired of annually re-building the Michigan brand. The last season was ample evidence of
that. Poor shooting, questionable
offense. There’s not one player on the
Michigan team that should have been thinking, “I’m ready for the NBA”. They all
needed WAY MORE DEVELOPMENT!
They all should have been thinking, “I need another year
with this guy. Look how far he took us
with raw talent. Another year or two
with his tutelage might get me into the first round of the NBA draft.”
That’s what they all should have been thinking. But they’re weren’t. And that’s why JB left.
What
In The Actual Hell #2…
And
Because Men Are Still Men (That are roughly my Age) and Women Used To Be Able
to Admire Another Woman Without it Being a Problem…
This fan has seen a lot in my 50 plus years of watching
“stuff”. But I never thought I’d
see a day where a Burka Clad woman would grace the pages of Sports Illustrated’s
swimsuit issue. I mean, what in the hell
is the point of THAT? And I never
thought I would actually read that Bruce (Caitlyn) Jenner would pose nude for
the cover of the women’s swimsuit issue…
The transformation act on Jenner’s part a couple of years
ago and this new “News” has given me night sweats. I’ve thrown up in my mouth thinking about it…I
kind of worshipped Jenner as an 11-year old kid when he won the Gold Medal in
the Decathlon in 1976 and set a record for total points in said event. Jenner was cool. He was a man.
Every chick wanted him… He made running and track and field cool…So
I ran track and field…
Now
– I can’t even have my memories…
So, in celebration of being a man (and/or a woman), here’s some
pics and a link to all the SI Swimsuit Issue Cover Girls going back to the 60’s
for a nice stroll down memory lane. Granted,
this Blog didn’t start with this type of thing, but during the “Dark Years” of
Michigan Football, we all for damn sure needed a distraction. And Jenner had made revisiting those days
with this link and a few memorable photos a requirement to make us remember
what it was to be boys and girls! And
feel good about that fact…
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