They had 3 #1 picks in four years.
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I feel for JB but the fact that heās walking away from that contract pretty much tells me that this was 100% his call. I think he came to U of M with the thought that heād be able to compete for a championship and while he got close a few times I think the rumors of the reasons for leaving give an impression of a guy that realized it wasnāt an even playing field even at a powerhouse like Michigan so why not try the next level? It went the way most of us guessed.
But now, I could really see him wanting to get back to a level where the goals are a bit different. Close enough to be in the tournament and compete to win league titles but more equitable on a level of recruiting and players sticking around. I could see him also looking for an option to bring Pat onto his staff to use his clout to pull Pat back into being a desirable candidate for a HC position.
So my crazy projection - JB sits out the year. He begins to put feelers out for schools that meet certain criteria and have a head coach who is either currently on the hot seat or maybe has never really done enough with their opportunity that a progressive school would have to keep them.
So I predict JB will end up the head coach of St. Louis University.
- Travis Ford is adequate (not a bad year this year) but not really knocking anyones socks off when it comes to a choice between he and JB.
- Small school with some decent potential. Making the tournament and winning some games would make him a hero there if done consistently enough.
- Fertile enough recruiting grounds to be able to bring in some talent if heās looking for the 3 star guys who will stick around and master the system.
- Quality coaches have come through there already (Majerus).
- Heād be able to pick his staff - hello Patrick
- His brother lives in town
and last but not least - Season tickets to his beloved St. Louis Cardinals.
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As bizarre as it was to watch JB on the sidelines of an NBA game with a jacket on, it will be more jarring to see him back on a college sideline somewhere other than UM. This isnāt a shocking ending to his NBA try-out, but I still feel for him,the guy is pretty much my hero. So, I hope he lands somewhere in college and has a last hurrah run at a title. St. Louis would be cool for the reasons you mention, but I kind of hope he finds a program a bit closer to the Final Four (holding out hope for Texas since I live here 
).
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Itās been said a bunch, but I think it will be tough for him to land a top job in college. He made it clear by leaving Michigan he was tired of coaching in college and the grind. Not succeeding as an NBA coach would be fine, but the way he flamed out raises too many red flags. Texas is not hiring a guy who wanted out of college and and other schools they recruit against can point to the many articles by NBA guys saying how quickly they were fed up with him as a coach.
I would bet he just retires. A college title wasnāt enough for him to stay at Michigan. The NBA clearly wasnāt a fit. And he doesnāt care about money since he walked away from $12M. I guess if he really wants to teach basketball he could go to a small school, but why?
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Has Beilein said this anywhere? Maybe I just missed it, but most of the pieces saying this that I can remember werenāt attributed to him directly.
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I think heāll probably retire too, but I also think there are plenty of schools (Indiana, Texas) who would immediately improve a lot by hiring him.
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I strongly disagree about colleges not wanting him. Any college struggling this year will be taking a hard look/offer to JB. I do think his window is narrowing though - resuscitating a dying program or fixing a broken program takes time. Especially because JB does it his way (recruiting his type of players, developing rather than getting the 5*s, focus on DETAILS), which can lead to transfers/instability in the first several years. But, he will almost assuredly leave a program in better shape then he gets it.
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JBās been able to do it in 2 or 3 years at his previous stops. I figure heās got 4-5 years left. After all he signed a 5 year contract with the Cavs that I assume was supposed to take him through the end of his career. But I agree with you heāll be HIGHLY in demand. Not often a coach of his caliber becomes a total FA for losing a job. Might be completely unprecedented.
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No, he was never quoted directly saying why he went to the NBA. I just find it plausible that it played a part because of the roster turnover and different issues involved with recruiting.
Because he loves teaching and coaching! It really is who he is. Heās a teacher and a coach. But I have no idea what heāll do. Iāve made cases both ways. And I agree with Sane, Kathleen will have something to say about it. By the way, I love the St. Louis idea, and I got a chuckle out of kje22kjeās point number 7. But itās true! 
Edit: But I also know how much he loves northern Michigan, too!
Edit 2: I think Calvin University is looking for a coach!
Whaaaat
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Part of the buyout I presume?
Probably, but giving a make-work job to a guy doesnāt mean you donāt have to pay him the salary. I doubt he has much desire to stay, or much utility in staying.
In an alternate universe Beilein becomes the Cavs GM and promptly ships out the guys who wanted him gone to the Timberwolves (canāt think of anywhere worse than Cleveland so thatās the next best spot).
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One word: Knicks. New York is obviously a better city, but there was a hilarious article recently about how the Knicks players couldnāt even go out and enjoy the city because they were scared of getting shat on by random people.
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Here are Beileinās words:
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If Iām parsing that, I would say that part of his buyout was saying the stuff about Bickerstaff.
Second, that saying ācoming monthsā instead of ācoming yearsā means the door is wide open in his own mind about coaching again.
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I canāt imagine Coach B being a fan of Tupac or Young Thug under any circumstances. This sucks a big one. Another reason to root against everything Ohio.
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With the wording in that release I hope there isnāt some underlying health issues driving this. Wish you the best John.
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