Russ Smith

• According to a source, word was passed down to Lute Olson to stop calling the players and interfering with interim coach Kevin O'Neill in the final weeks of Arizona's season.


I gotta say I find this a bit dubious I seriously doubt anybody with the authority to tell Lute this is going to back KO over Lute?

__________________
“Your expectations always exceed outside expectations. I feel like you just can’t stop working, can’t stop getting better, because I’ll be a failure in my eyes before I’m a failure in someone else’s eyes.” -- Arron Afflalo

green machine

It's all shady, but they really do have a point.

I mean, if I was coaching the team I wouldn't want another coach calling up and talking to my players, maybe telling them to not follow everything I say.

__________________

Archive page for my ArizonaSports.com columns

Follow me on Twitter: @theAdamGreen

Skkorpion

This is more interesting to watch than Obama versus Hillary. Can't wait for the next episode.

Russ Smith

Sure I'm just skeptical that anybody at UA actually told Lute that. I just don't think anybody with any authority over Lute is actually going to back O'Neill over Lute. If UA were in first place and ranked in the top 10 maybe KO would get that sort of backing but I'm pretty sure Lute has enough respect and loyalty from the UA folks that they're going to assume he's not trying to sabotage KO he's just trying to keep in touch with players he recruited and intends to coach again next season?

__________________
“Your expectations always exceed outside expectations. I feel like you just can’t stop working, can’t stop getting better, because I’ll be a failure in my eyes before I’m a failure in someone else’s eyes.” -- Arron Afflalo

MaoTosiFanClub

At the same time, this probably could've been avoided if KO had returned Lute's calls before the Houston trip in which Lute wanted to do a mid-term discussion of the team. Lute built Arizona and was planning on coming back, you don't think he could've at least had somewhat of a say in the operations of the team? KO, Livengood, and Roz are simply trying to backdoor Lute out of the athletic department he essentially built and the latter two's motives have mostly to due with personal spite. Siccing their pathetic lapdog Greg Hansen on Lute this week was the sorriest charade. KO's motive is the money and power that go along with being the head coach at a premiere basketball program. I don't care how much Lute has slipped, he's still better than those three morons and deserves much better.

If I turn off UA athletics (I've already not renewed my football tickets thanks to them foolishly keeping Livengood and Stoops on another year) as I vowed if Lute is cast aside in favor of the buffoons that have ruined the entire athletic department, there's a good chance I'm going to become a very minor contributor to this board. The Cardinals are still a hapless mess, the Suns are joining them, the Dbacks board is so slow that I can pop in a couple times a week. And with the Cats perhaps on the verge of entering an generational abyss similar to the 80's and 90's Oregon State there's really going to be little discussion left. Here's to my salary going up due to more production at work.

MaoTosiFanClub

This isn't true, two of the top people in the AD can't stand Lute. Their names are Jim Livengood and Jim Rosborough. Pretty sad considering Lute carried those two incompetent losers on his back for the better part of the last fifteen years.

green machine

That stuff I didn't know, but it makes the entire situation a giant mess.

__________________

Archive page for my ArizonaSports.com columns

Follow me on Twitter: @theAdamGreen

Russ Smith

Interesting but do they really have authority over Lute? not saying they don't I'm asking because I'm not sure where they rate on an org chart compared to Lute.

Sure sounds like a mess though.

__________________
“Your expectations always exceed outside expectations. I feel like you just can’t stop working, can’t stop getting better, because I’ll be a failure in my eyes before I’m a failure in someone else’s eyes.” -- Arron Afflalo

MaoTosiFanClub

That's not entirely clear. Nobody really knows if it's Shelton (UA's recently apoointed President) or Livengood pulling the strings in this situation. Livengood is of course the athletic director, but it's a bit more complicated than that.

I do know that Livengood was vehemently opposed to the initial hiring of KO yet it went ahead without his approval with Lute and Shelton spearheading that change. So if he wasn't allowed to make major decisions with the hoops program then why would he be allowed to now? He certainly didn't win any favors from his boss when his golden boy Mike Stoops predictably fell on his face and continued to embarrass the university over the last year. I can however say with certainty that if it were up to Livengood, then Lute would be out. Those two do not get along.

The entire AD is a mess right now. The logical scenario would be to get rid of the Livengood who's been nothing short of a disaster and let his replacement sort through it all. Unfortunately the timing doesn't really work out so somebody that is currently in their position has to make the call on the hoops program.

If it were me, Lute would come back with a set timeline and he would have to report to Shelton when it comes to all major decisions regarding the basketball program. Assistants would be chosen carefully and would have strong backgrounds and a time table would be set for Lute's retirement (preferably after the 2008-2009 season) at which point a replacement would be named. I find it very unlikely that occurs though, if I were a betting man I think we're stuck with KO.

Gaddabout

Wow. Is Livengood pulling a Fred Miller? What a nimrod. You need to fire that guy now and stem the blood loss. The AD needs triage ... stat!

__________________
Before I saw him, I could figure things out. He was the first guy I saw close-up and just didn't get what he was doing. Josh Freese on Vinnie Colaiuta

MaoTosiFanClub

I don't think a decision has been ultimately made yet. There's no way the decision-maker (Shelton or Livengood, nobody really knows) would make it through a day in Tucson if he forced out Lute in favor of Kevin O'Neill and the hairless one say loses to Oregon State tonight or misses the Tourney. They'd find both of them in a back alley somewhere in South Tucson by mid-April. At the same time, Livengood/Shelton probably could get rid of Lute in the small chance KO does something in the Tourney with this team and only face 75% the PR backlash that goes along with firing the HOF coach the court is named after.

My stance is clear: if Lute is forced out I'm done until at the very least until this administration is also gone. No merchandise, no tickets, nothing. Hell, I'd even consider pulling my business out of Tucson out of protest. Bring Lute back with a set timeline, cut the dead weight off the assistant coaching staff, name a successor and pay him to be an associate head coach for a year or two and groom him to take over. The players want it, the fans want it. Get it done, next year and the future could be special.

MaoTosiFanClub

Word around Tucson is a decision could come out as soon as tomorrow.

Lefty

Olson will be back.

MaoTosiFanClub

That's the feeling I got as well.

I wonder what the fallout will be. I'm guessing Jay John is back in some capacity with KO along with possibly Miles Simon out. A succession plan must be put in place in my opinion, I wonder if Randy Bennett from St. Mary's is interested in pulling a Matt Painter and sitting next to Lute for the next year or two since KO has bigger fish to fry in his own mind.

Livengood's reign has gotta be coming to an end as well should he lose this power play. I wish I could be a fly on the wall to hear the convresation between that mumbling moron Stoops and the new AD.

Lefty

No way does KO come back if Lute does.