Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tuesday 11/10 Quickie: Wishful Thinking,
Steelers, LJ, LeBron, Weis, Boeheim, Isiah

So I was inspired this morning by two bits of wishful thinking:

First, that LeBron might -- just might -- play for your contender, even if you don't have Knicks-like money to throw at him.

If winning -- not just winning, but winning epically -- matters so much to LeBron, then the obvious answer is for him to play a series of one-year, league-minimum deals with a new contender each year, racking up titles and turning himself into the living embodiment of Championship. It sounds far-fetched, but anyone with billion-dollar-global-brand aspirations like James needs to think that way. (And it would be insanely good for the NBA -- the one exception to the "wouldn't it be nice if all players stayed with one team their entire careers" blue-sky thinking.)

Second, that Notre Dame might -- just might -- hire Urban Meyer away from Florida. This won't happen, because ND won't think big enough. They think that if they offer him $6 million, he'd leave. (a) That's not enough of a difference from what he makes now (and Florida would give him a raise anyway), and (b) Meyer has more talent in the next three years on his roster than he's had in the past three years.

I have a very simple way the Irish can ensure this will happen: Offer him $100 million -- $10 million a year for 10 years. That's more than double the highest-paid coach (Pete Carroll) and unprecedented security, worthy of the best college football coach... dare I say: Of all time?

It seems like a ludicrous number until you realize how much impact a great coach has on a college football program. Now imagine the greatest coach at the historically greatest college football program. They'll make back that $100 mil on the next TV deal, alone. He's worth it.

(Not that Cincy's Brian Kelly is a bad runner-up: In two years, Kelly could have ND competing for BCS championships... at $3 million a year.)

Lots more today:
*Larry Johnson!
*Jim Boeheim!
*Isiah Thomas!
*Deonte Thompson and Ed Davis!
*SEC officiating!
*Manu!
*Kareem!

See the whole column here. More later.

-- D.S.

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