It's the Root of All Evil, of Strife and Upheaval

No sooner had I recounted the Roy Williams Exodus Experience, than speculation surrounded Kansas' current coach. That's right, kids, it's a second consecutive Kansas post.

Sean Sutton, benefactor of nepotism and undeserving of the post to which he was appointed, stepped down Tuesday, April 1. Naturally, it is rumored that the white folks in charge of Oklahoma State athletics are going to court Kansas head coach and Oklahoma State alumnus, Bill Self. Ordinarily, you could wipe the tears of laughter from your eyes and move along to the next sucker on the Pokes' short list of coaching prospects. There is one reason Bill Self would consider a return to Stillwater, or rather there are 40 million reasons. Oklahoma State's local oil sugar daddy, T. Boone Pickens, is rumored to be willing to place an obscene $40 million ten-year contract under Bill Self's nose in hopes that that alone can lure him to the land of red dirt.

I say "that alone" because the whole "chance to coach the ol' alma mater" line would be complete bullshit. It may be the goal of some coaches to coach their alma mater, but very few would rather do that than win a national championship. Bill Self has made no secret of his desire to win a national championship, yet at no point has he made clear any sort of desire to coach at Oklahoma State. Rightfully so, really, as "hopes of winning a national championship" and "desire to coach the alma mater" certainly don't intersect at Oklahoma State.

Don't think this is anything like the situation in 2003, in which Roy Williams was heavily persuaded to return to North Carolina by his mentor and patriarch of North Carolina basketball, Dean Smith. While longtime OSU coach Eddie Sutton (and father of removed coach, Sean Sutton) could perhaps persuade Self to leave Kansas, it is understood the Sutton family does not have a healthy relationship with sugar daddy, T. Boone Pickens. Would Eddie Sutton actually recommend to Self that he assumes the post that his own son was forced from, just so it pleases the man who removed his son?

Nope. It's just about the money. If, by chance, Bill Self's main goal is not to win a National Championship, but to become a $4-million-a-year coach, let him go. He's not worth it. He's not worth it because no coach is worth it, and there simply isn't an amount of success that can make it worth it, short of winning the National Championship every single year. $4 million a year may be just a drop in the bucket to Pickens, but it doesn't make it good business. Without a doubt, a coach with a skill level comparable to Self's costs roughly half what Pickens is willing to pay. To be perfectly blunt, Self has only coached at Kansas for five years. It just wouldn't take that long to forget about him.

Now make no mistake, I like Bill Self. I think he's a great coach, and I'm pleased with his progress as a coach in each of his five years. In a perfect world, Self would be the head coach at Kansas for the next 25 years, building his own legacy until he chooses to retire. But if he can be bought from the University of Kansas, he doesn't deserve the job in the first place.

The other issue at hand is the timing of Sean Sutton's removal, specifically the fact that he was removed the week before Kansas is to play in the Final Four. For some reason, it doesn't seem like it will be as much of a distraction as Williams' imminent departure was in 2003. Perhaps it's because a healthy number of Kansas players won't be in Lawrence next year, anyway, so it's not really imperative to them that Self returns for the 2008-2009 season. No one knows what Self said to his players, but they seem convinced that Self will be back and adamant that the speculation will not be a distraction. Let's hope so.