Kravitz on Davis

Kravitz pulls on our heart strings... poor Mike.

Sadly, Davis faces no-win situation at IU - indystar.com

On one level, I hope Indiana University basketball coach Mike Davis sticks it to his legions of critics, fields a team that wins 22 games or so, then moves deep into the NCAA Tournament.

Winning 22 games and going deep in the NCAA Tourney is sticking it to his critics? No Bob, doing that, getting a 6 year extension, then missing the NCAA Tourney the next 4 of the next 6 years will be sticking it to us critics.

On a personal level, though, I find myself hoping this is Davis' final year in hoops purgatory, his last season as a human pinata.

Wow... IU... Hoops Purgatory??? Are you kidding me?

Already, I'm hearing the defensiveness. Already, I'm hearing the tired (if accurate) justifications for last year's record. Already.

What do you expect? We've heard the excuses for 5 years now.

What happened to the man who began every news conference by saying, "I want to thank God for this opportunity"?

Last year he was so busy coming up with excuses, he forgot to thank the man upstairs.

He may still say that after every game, but look in his eyes, listen to his voice, and you feel like you're encountering someone nearing the end of his jail term. After five years of sitting in college basketball's hottest seat, he is clearly, and understandably, tired of getting torched.

5 years of making $800K, a $300K bonus and another $900K this year... I'd like that jail term. I'm sure he's tired of counting all the money.

Constant criticism does one of two things to a man. Either it makes him grow a thick skin, or it pokes little holes in his existence. In Davis' case, the latter is true, and it always has been true. Even as he insists otherwise.

Pokes little holes in his existence... huh? Should we start calling Davis 'Cheese'?

"I don't pay attention,'' he said, referring specifically to the chat-room remarks that often make their way to recruits' parents. "But when you have to try and defend yourself all the time . . . Do I care about what people are saying? Yeah. And anybody who says they don't isn't telling the truth. "I just want people to understand, we all want the same thing. I am not the enemy.''

What chat-room remarks??? Are you trying to tell me that comments made on the internet become recruiting discussions? Get real. I think Davis not being able to improve his players, then throwing them under the bus, would be of more concern to a parent than anything said on the Internet.

And if you do, don't share your frustration in a public setting, because while some of us will listen and understand your concerns, the fans will say, "More excuses.''

Here's some news: This isn't the only program in the country whose coach is perpetually under fire. This isn't the only coach who has to deal with rumors and general nastiness on the Internet. There are peegs.coms in every basketball city on the map. The bottom line is, Davis got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in 2000 that doesn't ordinarily come to those with his experience level.

Amen! I'm sorry you have to listen... but then again if you understand... then I don't feel sorry for you.

Does 20 victories sound like a good minimum expectation? It will hurt, losing White and Ratliff early in the season, but the preconference schedule is much more reasonable, with at least seven gotta-wins (Nicholls State, Florida A&M, Western Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Indiana State, Butler and Ball State), one should-win (at Charlotte) and two likely losses (Duke and Kentucky). And if the Hoosiers could win 10 Big Ten games last season with the freshmen contributing nearly half the points and rebounds, it's fair to expect 10 wins or more this time.

With a cupcake city schedule, 20 wins better be the minimum.

"You walk in (to the gym) and see this team in practice, the talent jumps right out at you,'' Davis said. "The pressure is only on you when you're doing something and you know, in your heart, you have no chance to do it.''

What a STUPID comment.

Then he kept going. He just can't help himself.

Yes Bob added that to his column... I couldn't make that up.

"The last two years, it was too hard playing that preconference schedule with the people we had,'' he said. "And with the way it is around here, the way people are around here, it doesn't help. What they don't understand, because they don't want to understand, is I love Indiana basketball. If they want to make a change, so be it. But don't have those negative vibes so strong that it affects the team. If you think I'm a bum, fine. If you think I can't coach, fine. But this isn't the NFL. It isn't the NBA. When you crucify the people, it does nothing but hurt the program. "I feel like we've put together a pretty good team through all the negativity.''

AFLAC!!! Is Mike that dumb, or is he brilliant and is working on getting an AFLAC spokesman role?

Even if that's the gospel truth, it doesn't matter. Because nobody wants to hear it anymore.

Not true Bob... I love hearing it. It gives me an endless supply of Blog material.

I keep hoping he would have figured that out by now. I keep being disappointed.

There you go hoping again. You could save yourself a lot of disappointment by not hoping.

A winning season will make the Hoosier Nation happy. With Davis, though, I'm not sure that he can ever be truly happy. Not here.

Not really Bob. A winning season will lead to whining about a contract extension, then IU giving Mike a highly overpaid contract extension only to have 6 more years of poor play and excuses. The Hoosier Nation will not be happy. But Mike will be happy... Happy all the way to the BANK!