No surprise, John Calipari is on his way to Kentucky, but is Rick Pitino on his way out?  SI’s Seth Davis says no, and he also says that Herb Sendek had interest in the Virginia job.  So, who has interest in the Arizona job?  Davis says Gonzaga’s Mark Few might.  Might Jim Livengood be overrating U of A’s place in the landscape of college basketball.  Where do they rank?

1.    UCLA
2.    North Carolina
3.    Duke
4.    Kansas
5.    Kentucky
6.    Syracuse
7.    UConn
8.    Michigan State
9.    Florida
10.    Louisville
11.    Georgetown
12.    Illinois
13.    Villanova
14.    Texas
15.    Arizona

In the end, the market will determine where UA falls on this list.  Someone like Rick Pitino suggests Top 10.  Someone like Mark Few (the 620 Sportsline’s prediction), and someone like Lon Kruger or Jeff Capel would suggest that job isn’t as illustrious as some may think.  We still think the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and that Few will be their guy.

Where do you rank the Arizona program?

Lesser of Four Evils:

We’re down to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament.  UConn, North Carolina, Michigan State, and Villanova.  1 seed, 1 seed, 2 seed, 3 seed.  Power conference, power conference, power conference, power conference.  Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Jay Wright.

Who among this group is worth the casual college basketball fans vote?  They way we see it…none.  They’re all bad.  Some more than others, but who stands out as they greatest villain in this rogues gallery:

UConn’s Jim Calhoun - powerful, presence, you notice him, intimidating: Kind of like…Darth Vadar.

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo - very smart, have to admire his intellect, but not his eating habits: Kind of like…Hannibal Lector.

North Carolina’s Roy Williams - Seems very nice, well spoken, charming in an awe-shucks sort of way:  Kind of like… Anny Wilkes (Kathy Bates, Misery).

Jay Wright- smart, conniving, lawerish (if that’s a word), good-looking: Gordon Gekko. (Michael Douglas, Wall Street)

So who’s the lesser of the four evils?   You have to vote.  It’s like Election Day when you really don’t like one of the candidates, but you really dislike one more than the other.   As a sports fan, you know you’re going to watch the Final Four, just like as a good American, you know you’re going to vote, no matter the participants.  So, by process of elimination (in a pessimistic sort of way), who’s the lesser of the four evils.  Burnsy says Villanova gets the slight edge.

 

 Lesser of 4 evils [7:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (53)

U of A is shooting for the moon in regards to a head coach  But, even in light of the NY Post report about Rick Pitino, it seems to us that none of the following big names are likely:

Rick Pitino- plays in the premier conference.  Owns the state of Kentucky, with big blue in disarray.  Likes horses and racing from what we’ve heard.  That’s a hobby a little more conducive to the Bluegrass State and not so much the Old Pueblo.  Would cost an arm and a leg, something Arizona can neither afford or have the guts to ask for in this economy.

John Calipari- Doesn’t play in a premier conference, but is one of the premier coaches in the country.  So moreover on the financial angle:  How can they possibly afford him?  They can’t.  They won’t.  Move on.

Tom Izzo- Pac 10 gets the slight edge over the Big 10, if only that’s more exciting and the industrial states (like Michigan) are dying in terms of populous, and heading out West wouldn’t be the worst idea for Izzo.  But, he does still own the state of Michigan, a state more rich in talent than Arizona.  He’ll also demand a lot of money, a common theme or disqualification if you will.

So, it seems to us that none of the above will be in Tucson anytime soon.  Not saying they aren’t candidates.  We’re saying they will not get the job.  This is sort of like in Hollywood, when a director shoots for the moon in regards to casting, but eventually settles for a lesser known actor.  Sometimes it works out.

Example:  Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones?  That almost happened before a scheduling conflict got Harrison Ford the gig.  Per IMDB:

Tom Selleck was originally cast as Indiana Jones, but was not able to take the role because he was committed to “Magnum, P.I.” (1980). “Magnum” did an episode that parodied “Raiders”, complete with hat, whip, booby traps, etc.

This happened again to Harrison Ford in 1982 in “Blade Runner.”  Per IMDB:

Dustin Hoffman was the original choice to play Deckard, although he wondered why he was asked to play a “macho character”. According to Ridley Scott, Hoffman was interested, but wanted to make it a whole different kind of character.

A more recent example is this year’s acclaimed movie “The Wrestler.”  Mickey Rourke’s role was originally slated for Nicholas Cage:

At one point Nicolas Cage was set to star in the movie. He was seen at a Ring of Honor wrestling event in NYC doing research for the part.

How about the role of Neo in 1999’s “The Matrix” Keanu Reeves may have been the 6th choice for that role:

•    Ewan McGregor was offered, but turned down, the part of Neo to work on Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). Leonardo DiCaprio was also considered for the role of Neo.
•    Nicolas Cage turned down the part of Neo because of family commitments.
•    Tom Cruise was also considered for the role of Neo.
•    Will Smith was approached to play Neo but turned it down. He later admitted in an interview with Wired magazine that, at the time, he “wasn’t smart enough as an actor”.

John Travolta in 1994’s Pulp Fiction:
Got the role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction (1994) primarily because Michael Madsen, the actor whom the part was written for, was unavailable due to a prior film commitment. Vincent was the brother of Michael Madsen’s character Vic Vega (AKA: Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs (1992)) and the role jump-started his career after a long slump.
Long story short, getting a lesser known coach such as Xavier’s Sean Miller could end up working out.
——-
According to John Hollinger’s playoff index, the Suns have a 21.4% chance of making the playoffs.  As the last team out of the playoffs, the Suns have .05% chance of getting the top pick in the lottery.  In short, both are extreme long shots, but an extreme makeover for this roster is certainly not.  Let’s handicap the chances of departure and retention for some the Suns heading into what will be a busy summer:

Trading Shaquille O’Neal (makes a lot of money, is old, and actually has some trade value after a nice comeback season) – 90.0%

Retaining Alvin Gentry (this probably depends on Steve Kerr.  If he’s had enough of being public enemy #1 in town, then Gentry will probably go with him.  If he’s committed to rebuilding the Suns and his reputation, Gentry will likely stay) – 88%

Trading Amare Stoudemire (immature, injury prone, doesn’t play defense and never will) – 85.0%

Trading Steve Nash (face of the franchise, albeit an unhappy one this year.  Will he be any happier when the Suns start to rebuild? Probably not.) – 75.0%
Trading Jason Richardson (gunner, off the court and on). Makes a lot of money; probably more than he’s worth, especially on a limited payroll.  Still, he’s relatively young, and will be one of the few stars left if any or all of the above are dealt) – 40%

Re-signing Matt Barnes (Had a solid year. Solid enough to get himself a big free-agent contract?  We’re betting not, but a mid-level type deal could be more than what the Suns will willing or able to offer) – 30%

Re-signing Grant Hill (He probably has one year left in the league, so why would he want to spend it here?  Well, who knows, but who better to mentor the Suns young players than Hill?) – 25%

Making the playoffs – 21.4%

Trading Leandro Barbosa (Has value, but probably more to the Suns than anyone else.  Can score, and will undoubtedly have more scoring chances next year, and he is reasonable priced) – 11%

Winning the draft lottery - .05%

The commissioner is here to referee the Sports 620 KTAR Bracket Beatdown between Doug & Wolf and Gambo & Ash. Check the brackets, scores and pathetic outfits the losers will be wearing in three short weeks.

Sports 620 KTAR Bracket Beatdown

It’s over.  We know it is.  The Suns know it is.  Steve Kerr has to know it is, even though he’s not admitting it…yet.
So if we’re not writing the obituary yet, it’s certainly in the draft stages.  And in that spirit what should go on the obituary for the Phoenix Suns of the past five years.  Obituaries, after all, accentuate the positive, and there have been more than a few great moments over the last few years.  Here are the nominees:

- May 2nd , 2006 - Raja Bell close-line on Kobe in 1st Round of NBA Playoffs

- May 4th, 2006 - Tim Thomas HUGE 3 vs. Lakers in  1st Round of NBA Playoffs

- May 16th, 2006- Raja Bell HUGE 3 vs. Clippers in 2nd Round of NBA Playoffs

- December 7th, 2006 - Suns 161-157 2OT win in New Jersey

- March 27th, 2007 - Snapping the Mavs 23-game home winning streak

- May 2nd, 2007 - Knocking a dejected Kobe out of the playoffs again

- May 6th-18th, 2007 - Nearly knocking the Spurs out in 2007, in one of the most memorable playoff series in recent years

Burnsy goes with “Other.”  His vote is the Suns initial, unexpected, playoff run- one that opened endless possibilities in the years to come.  Unfortunately the Suns didn’t quite realize that potential but, as evidenced, they have had many great moments in trying to get there.