Indiana, Wake Forest or Texas Hiring John Beilein?
Will Indiana, Wake Forest or Texas be hiring John Beilein now that he is done with the Cleveland Cavaliers?
On Tuesday evening, Beilein officially parted ways with the Cavs following a horrific stint with the organization. In 54 total outings, he mustered a 14-40 record.
Despite doing a tremendous job at Michigan and being one of the most respected minds in college basketball, Beilein just could not put it together in Cleveland.
For whatever reason, the 67-year-old repeatedly clashed with both veterans and young players on the team.
Privately, many players suggested that Beilein could not wrap his head around the fact that professional basketball players needed to be treated with more respect than college kids.
Beyond chemistry issues, Beilein also seemed to struggle adapting to NBA-level play. The offensive sets that he was so renowned for back in his days with the Wolverines were quickly deemed ineffective at the next level.
That forced him and his staff to scramble and revert back to old offensive strategies midseason.
With the NBA now officially behind him, the question becomes: will Beilein return to the college game?
If he does, there are a number of interesting opportunities available to him.
Shaka Smart still has three years remaining on his contract at Texas, but his lack of results to date make him an intriguing buyout candidate.
Obviously a $10 million buyout is nothing to sneeze out, but it is also impossible to ignore the fact that he has only made the NCAA Tournament on two occasions and never gone past the first round.
The Longhorns are currently on their way to a fourth consecutive losing season in Big 12 play.
Beilein, theoretically at least, could do for Texas what he did for Michigan.
Indiana could be another interesting destination for Beilein. Thus far, in three seasons with the Hoosiers, Archie Miller has gone 16-15, 19-16 and is now 16-9 through 25 outings this season.
That is not what fans were hoping for when the school originally hired him to take over the basketball program.
Finally, don’t sleep on Wake Forest as a possible suitor for Beilein. Currently, the team is 11-14 through 25 games and is heading towards another disappointing finish.
Danny Manning has been underwhelming as head coach, and even a half-interested Beilein would likely be able to get better results.
Ultimately it all boils down to just how scarred Beilein is by what has transpired over the past six months in Cleveland.
If he is ready to get back on the horse, there are plenty of collegiate opportunities available to him. If not – then he may need to sit out a year to get his head straight before jumping back into the swing of things.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
