It’s not a great time to hire a coach, but it doesn’t mean a coach wouldn’t leave his school to come here. Similar timing didn’t stop Florida from hiring Michael White. Keeping the team and recruiting class together is important but not as important as getting the right guy. Maybe that’s Kellen. I don’t know. Based on prior “continuity” hires I’m less sold on that route.
Geez I hope CKS doesn’t leave.
He built a tough, smart and special team last season. Hope he stays…
Pez no-commented JD tonight. Not a good sign.
Anyone else getting a Herman to Texas vibe in the list of reasons provided here as to why Sampson would turn down stupid NBA money to stay at UH? I hope he stays but …
Why can’t they just hire Dwane Casey. Smh
That type of response would also come during a contact renegotiation.
Just look for a CKS eye twitch during interviews. If you see it, then it’s time to go coach shopping.
Really up to CKS at this point. The money will be ridiculous, Vogel was making $5.5M as the coach of the Magic and I’m not sure even Fertitta would match that as that would put him among the Top 4 highest paid coaches in all of college basketball. Marshall at Wichita State makes just north of $3M so we’d probably have to come with something more than that to have a chance. If we do offer that, we’d basically be doubling his salary.
If he does leave, I won’t say a bad word about him. I also think Kellen is the best coach for the job at this moment and am ready to roll with him.
The Magic’s potential interest in Sampson was first reported by a SiriusXM NBA Radio host.
When asked by the Orlando Sentinel if the Magic have interviewed Sampson, Weltman declined to comment. But Weltman also didn’t comment on previous occasions when he was asked about other potential candidates.
Asked if he plans to conduct more interviews, Weltman would not comment.
“The process has been, I think, deliberate and thorough,” Weltman said, “and we’re very pleased with some of the guys that we’ve interviewed, and we continue to move forward.”
Weltman fired Frank Vogel on April 12, setting in motion a coaching search led by Weltman.
The search has confounded many NBA executives and industry insiders. Weltman has kept his hiring process as hush-hush as possible. The identities of only three interviewees previously become public: former Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka and Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool. Fizdale was subsequently hired by the New York Knicks.
But there have been plenty of incorrect rumors, too.
At one stage, the Magic were said to have interest in Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts if Stotts became available.
And even before Vogel was fired, the Magic were rumored to have significant interest in Toronto Raptors G-League coach Jerry Stackhouse and Raptors assistant coach Nick Nurse. The rumors seemed to make logical sense. Weltman, after all, had worked within the Raptors’ front office prior to his arrival in Orlando. But Stackhouse has not been interviewed by Orlando, sources said. Neither has Nurse.
LOL.
I’m a huge Kellen succession fan, but I’ve said it before I am concerned CKS would take Kellen with him as his top NBA assistant. The Sampson family is very close-knit, especially with the new grandson. This may be a family decision.
there was a contract extension/raise offered before the season was over and it didn’t get signed - something about testing market value, but indication was we would match up to our limit (much like with Herman) - this doesn’t concern me
Not a knock on CKS, but why are the Magic making him the top candidate? There are so many assistant coaches with NBA head coaching experience that would be a better fit. I don’t think this will happen… but who knows, we are UH and constantly get screwed when we have nice things.
If Kelvin had stayed in the NBA with the Rockets, I think he would have been their head coach when McHale got fired. He has a great, deserved reputation in all hoops circles. Outside of the $$$ the Magic job is not a good one. They have a capped out roster that isn’t particularly good IMO. Frank Vogel is a pretty good coach and he wasn’t able to do anything with that roster. They haven’t made the playoffs in 6 years.
This is at least somewhat encouraging. JD wrote a piece this morning that hints that this is part of the contract negotiation dance. From the piece:
“Sampson, 62, has not returned phone calls, although two people close to his camp said this week they would be “stunned” if he was elsewhere next season.”
“Will Sampson be around for any of it? If I’m a betting man (and legalized gambling is on the way) I’d say the odds are high that Sampson stays put.”
Behind the paywall:
I mean…Orlando? If he went, it would have to be a total cash grab for CKS. That franchise is Siberia for talent…anyone decent wants to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. CKS would be fired in 3-4 years, I guess at 5mil +/- a year, that would be a good retirement nest egg. If he wants to go to the NBA, there’s gotta be better options or wait one more year to see what opens up.
Kellen, at the very least, deserves a shot as the interim next fall if indeed CKS leaves. You really just don’t generally hire coaches at this point in the year.
He is not going anywhere. He will retired as the coach at UH. Now if he was 20 years younger it would be a different story.
While some sections of the Fertitta Center are sold out or nearly so, the Club is currently less than half sold. Same for Tier 1/Tier 2.
Perhaps if our fan base supported basketball, Sampson might want to retire here.
Get off your butts people, and make a commitment.
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