Buzz Williams, Thunder, OU football: Leftovers from the online chat
When we ended my online chat Thursday, we still had a bunch of questions in the queue. So our man Dane Beavers saved them, sent them to me and I’m ready now to answer:
Larry: Have you heard anything lately regarding Mike Stoops status at Arizona? Do you know if he is under the gun or not?
Yes, I think Mike Stoops is sort of under the gun. He had such a good start last season, 7-1 with the only loss by two points to Oregon State. Then the Wildcats finished with five straight defeats and looked awful in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys rolled 36-10. Stoops’ 7-year record is 40-45. His staff has had quite a bit of rollover. I think 2011 is a huge year for Stoops.
Emerson: I’m excited to see all three Oklahoma schools play each other in football next season. Especially with all three returning their key players and expected to do well. What are your thoughts on the games?
Well, the Sooners should roll over Tulsa in Norman, but the other two games are very interesting for where they’re being played. OSU goes to Tulsa; in the last 47 years, OSU is 4-7 in Tulsa. In the last 25 years, OSU is 2-5 in Tulsa. The Cowboys haven’t been to the former Skelly Stadium since 2000, so TU will be fired up. And Bedlam in Stillwater has become the state’s top sporting event. Guaranteed instant classic. 47-41. 61-41. 27-21. 38-35. 38-28. 12-7. Those are the scores in the 2000s, all OU victories except 38-28 in 2002.
Tlokc: Can OU beat Notre Dame in anything, even women’s basketball?
I think OU can beat Notre Dame in everything, except football. The Irish’s gridiron success against the Sooners is well-documented – though we’re only a year away from resumption of the series; Notre Dame comes to Owen Field in 2012. But as for women’s hoops, what a great series, too. Irish win in overtime in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, OU wins last year in the Sweet 16 on Nyeshia Stevenson’s last-minute 3-pointer. Great game. Great rivalry. I give Notre Dame a slight edge for the game Saturday, but OU could win.
Pat: How much will the loss of Fleming at corner affect the OU defense?
I can’t believe it will be a huge loss, or a loss at all. Else OU would not have moved Aaron Colvin from corner to safety. Sounds like some in Norman believe Fleming will be back, though Bob Stoops was non-committal this week.
Matt: Was Buzz Williams in Oklahoma that long to begin with? Does he feel any sense of Oklahoma being a place he’s called home?
As far as I know, Buzz was in Oklahoma only to attend Oklahoma City U. Whether that’s enough to call a place home, I don’t know. Depends on his college experience. But I’m told he married an Oklahoma girl, which changes the whole dynamic. That definitely makes Oklahoma a place to call home.
Soonerdb1: Hey, Berry, I’m really hoping Buzz Williams is the next head coach at OU, but if he leads OU back to the Sweet 16/Elite Eight, does another search happen? Is OU a stepping-stone job?
Oh, I suppose, on some level. But that’s the least of anyone’s worries. Get back to deep runs in the NCAAs, and who cares if the coach leaves? Billy Tubbs coached OU for 14 years, Kelvin Sampson for 12. The successful coaches have stayed long-term – Billy, Kelvin, Bruce Drake. The guys who have done OK but not great, Dave Bliss and John MacLeod, are the ones who jumped. And Capel of course was fired. But I wouldn’t worry about that kind of thing. If a guy leaves, he leaves. Hire a good coach, give him the tools to win and then don’t play games. Don’t be like Missouri and beg a guy to stay and watch him leave anyway.
Tigerhater: Seems about time Mizzou hired an incompetent or a cheater. When is Kelvin able to get another college job?
If you’re labeling Kelvin a cheater, can’t argue. If you’re labeling Kelvin incompetent, you’re off base. Sampson has another couple of years of personal NCAA probation, that show-cause deal. He might be an NBA head coach by then.
Mike: Would you rank Durant the second or third best small forward in the league? 1. LeBron and then who’s better in your opinion, Melo or KD? I’m talking about right now. Not in the future.
If you polled the 30 coaches, the 30 general managers and the 30 owners, asking them that question, the answer would be 88-2 in Durant’s favor. A couple of owners – the Clips’ Donald Sterling and the Knickerbockers’ James Dolan – are goofballs who don’t know a good ballplayer from a diesel mechanic – would vote for Carmelo. It’s not close. One is someone you can trust to build a franchise around. The other is not.
TW: When should we as Oklahoma City Thunder fans start expecting a championship ring? This year? Next year? Never? Also, Do you know the number of years on average an NBA team is expected to win the big one?
I don’t think this season or even next season. I think the 2013 NBA title is realistic. The Thunder will be mature, experienced and hungry. Here’s the problem – those things are hard to win. In the last 30 years, only eight franchises have won an NBA title: Lakers, Philly, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, Miami. And the Sixers go off that list in two years. Dallas has won at least 50 games 11 straight years and has reached the Finals only once, without a title.
Tlokc: How can fans of the team SWEPT BY TORONTO think about a second-round playoff matchup?
With optimism. It’s a fluke. The Raptors are not a great matchup for the Thunder; no way does OKC lose at home to Toronto, if it still has Jeff Green. But the Thunder got better by trading Green for Perkins. OKC’s playoff hopes are much brighter now than ever before.
Emerson: What do you think of Tulsa’s basketball situation? Is next year it for Wojcik? NCAA or move on?
I don’t know enough to comment. But I know that Tulsa can’t be happy with Wojcik. He seemed like such a good hire back in 2005. But Tulsa has ceded the throne. Ten years ago, TU was where Gonzaga and Butler are now. The nation’s premier mid-major. Now, TU basketball is an afterthought.
Josh: Am I crazy to think that we look better without Perk on the floor? I know he’s a solid body, but we often to seem to flow better with the smaller lineup. Sometimes watching Perk get up and down the floor is like watching women’s basketball.
Yes, you’re crazy. NBA success is not a beauty contest. Lots of teams – the Knicks come to mind – think it is a beauty contest, but it’s not. You can’t win without guys who do the dirty work. Guys who defend and foul and rebound and screen. Durant and Westbrook will make the offense flow enough. Perkins is a huge boost to the Thunder.
Matt Hackler: From my perspective as an Okstate alum, I think Ford better not only make the NCAA tourney next year, but go deeper than the first round….or it’s time for a change!
I think that’s a little severe. The NCAA Tournament, yes. But anything can happen once you get there, including a first-round defeat. So be careful putting too many demands on Ford. His landscape is tougher than what OSU faced 10 years ago. Tougher league, fractured fan base. With that said, the NCAA Tournament is the baseline requirement. You’ve got to keep going. One missed year is no big deal. Two probably would be.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Berry: it’s cool that you took the time to get to the unanswered chat questions. I didn’t have any questions myself but it’s appreciated.