1/29/17 poll - Fire DK?

[Roadtrip]

Nothing is a damn given. I doubt any here know who will do what or when. Kellogg needs to go regardless.

[DoctorJ]

If either Deeky or Brison is unhappy with a coachin change, it is likely both will leave. That is a risk.

I think the recruiting class will disinterate if Derek leaves. Probably one or two when he leaves, probably another one or two after a year with a new coach.

I think we are scapegoating DK. Too bad we don't have a Whalberg guy to blame.

Let's not throw out the chef because the pie hasn't cooked five minutes after goin in the oven.

Yeah I know, Nine Years... Chaz made DK, not the reverse... blah, blah, blah...

All the people crying for an X and Os guy. I don't read a lot about game strategy going into each game. If we know so much, what is the game plan that will work vs. LaSalle? Then what for the next game?

So hard to know. We played Mason better the second time. We will continue to improve, in my opinion, the more these kids play in the conference. I think that is a big reason why Seth and Coleman are sitting so much. DK is focusing on developments. We are gettin better, just not results. But we are not gettin blown out and the team doesn't look like a bunch of quitters.

Fight it out. Stay focused. Work on weaknesses. That is how we get better. Changes horses is a quitters mentality.

He's not going anywhere this year no matter how much you want it. He will get next year and then they will address this dump DK notion. Why don't we focus on the next game? That is what the team is doing...

[Floyd]

I don't know how people can be so sure who will leave. Maybe they like the academic programs they're enrolled in. Maybe they like Amherst, the school, their team mates, the facilities. If they're not winning games, I doubt they'd be happy regardless of who's coach. I would think even if they like DK, if they're not winning or improving, or getting as much pt as they'd like or think they deserve, there's more likely a chance they'd move on. Just because there's a coaching change doesn't mean it'll get worse if the AD does his job

[kd68]

If this season turns out to be a disaster then the quicker we move on with a new coach the better, if we lose players so be it. I would like to see a yong energetic coach come. Hopefully the AD can find the right guy, and can work with him to target the right players to retain.

[Kelz626]

If either Deeky or Brison is unhappy with a coachin change, it is likely both will leave. That is a risk.

I think the recruiting class will disinterate if Derek leaves. Probably one or two when he leaves, probably another one or two after a year with a new coach.

I think we are scapegoating DK. Too bad we don't have a Whalberg guy to blame.

Let's not throw out the chef because the pie hasn't cooked five minutes after goin in the oven.

Yeah I know, Nine Years... Chaz made DK, not the reverse... blah, blah, blah...

All the people crying for an X and Os guy. I don't read a lot about game strategy going into each game. If we know so much, what is the game plan that will work vs. LaSalle? Then what for the next game?

So hard to know. We played Mason better the second time. We will continue to improve, in my opinion, the more these kids play in the conference. I think that is a big reason why Seth and Coleman are sitting so much. DK is focusing on developments. We are gettin better, just not results. But we are not gettin blown out and the team doesn't look like a bunch of quitters.

Fight it out. Stay focused. Work on weaknesses. That is how we get better. Changes horses is a quitters mentality.

He's not going anywhere this year no matter how much you want it. He will get next year and then they will address this dump DK notion. Why don't we focus on the next game? That is what the team is doing...

DK isn't getting scapegoated DK IS the problem with this team. You're a DK fan not a UMass fan and that's primarily the only reason you continue to defend this ridiculous notion that DK will not be let go and if given more time he will figure it out. He's had 9 years and it's always the same: undisciplined, fundamentally unsound basketball with no semblance of an offense that always nose dives at the end of the season. DK has done NOTHING to remedy this and therefore it continues to happen, if he weren't an alum he would have been gone long ago. See Jim Crews at St Louis 2 NCAA appearances, 2 bad seasons he was fired. This is D1 basketball not some sort of nostalgic ride down memory lane where Kellogg can do no wrong because he was a good player. He sucks immensely as a coach and the evidence is very clear at this point

[Scott O]

Let's not throw out the chef because the pie hasn't cooked five minutes after goin in the oven.

What if the pie never makes it in the oven or it gets dropped on the floor? Or it keeps getting stolen by another chef over and over again? Is that the kind of pie you'd like to eat, doctor?

[minutefanjsf]

I wonder if the threat to be fired would be enough to make him work at his craft and figure out how to improve? Seriously, I don’t think he has ever felt any heat from the AD’s up to this point. We don’t know what if anything Bamford has been saying to him. Publicly, Bamford has made it seem like DK is still the guy for the job. Bamford did not publicly say anything about Michelletto for example. Maybe a lack of public comments from the AD at this point is sending the message. Look I want success. I’d love DK to be the to deliver it, I don’t see it happening right now. I also don’t see the buyout happening, which DK might also see. I think DK has some redeeming qualities, but they are being outweighed by his deficiencies.

[NilesGold]

^ After looking at a couple of different articles relating to Kellogg's contract, I believe there's either a buyout clause for $600k if he's terminated after 4/22/17 (or thereabouts) or he can be bought out for $550 (base salary 2x).

If this is true, there's no way $550k-$600k is going to stand in the way of getting Kellogg fired if Bamford thinks Kellogg isn't the man for the job and the president/chancellor and/or major donors don't vehemently oppose it.

As for feeling heat, the guy should be doing his job regardless of how much heat he's getting. And if he didn't feel any heat after 2014-15, or after 2015-16, then either shame on the AD at the time, or shame on Kellogg for being oblivious to the fact that that kind of performance isn't acceptable.

[Refuse2Lose83]

^^If that's what it takes for DK to get better then he's in the wrong profession. He should be driven to get better everyday for the sake of his players. If DK hasn't gotten it by now then he just doesn't have what it takes.

[xlgman]

DK's contract extension that he received in November of 2014 extended his contract through the end of the 2018-2019 season with a base salary of $225,500 as of January 1, 2015 and $769,000 in "other compensation" for a total of $994,500 per year.

HOWEVER, there was a clause that would make the contract automatically extend further than that based on performance reviews:

Kellogg will receive performance reviews after 2014-15 and if he receives a grade of satisfactory or higher, he’ll have a year added to the contract at the same salary terms. There will be another review after 2015-16 with the same potential benefit.

So... it's possible that he might have gotten a good enough review after the last two seasons that his contract may go all the way through the 2020-2021 season.

We also do not know if the buyout is only for his base salary. If it is and he's been extended through 2020-2021, we'd still owe him for 4 years @ $225,500 = $902,000.

Source: http://www.gazettenet.com/Archives/2014 ... -hg-102514

[DoctorJ]

So... it's possible that he might have gotten a good enough review after the last two seasons that his contract may go all the way through the 2020-2021 season.

I am probably the only one, but I hope he did get extended. Now that I have said that, I can never reveal my identity at a game or you guys will hang me from the rafters at rafters. Lol - and no, I am not related to DK.

We were pretty decent in 14-15, and without Chaz, but last year we were terrible. If we had beaten Richmond in that close game at the end of the year, we would have gone to the NIT. The A10 was really good that year. VCU won 26 games in the A10 that year and were 4th in the A10. We lost to them by only 6 points on the road. Just losing 6 out of 7 games at the end of the year made it obvious the team was burnt out. At least that is how I remember it.

If we need a coaching change for next year, I hope they bring in another assistant and give one of the existing assistants the option of switching to something administrative.

[Kelz626]

^at this point it's clear you're either related to DK or trolling. No one can look at this program objectively and say they hope DK is here longer. You're not a UMass basketball fan that much is clear you clearly only seem to be a fan of the lame duck head coach who used to be a good point guard during the glory days

[NilesGold]

I am probably the only one, but I hope he did get extended.

You're either trolling us, you have zero objectivity, or you think it's totally acceptable for UMass to be at the bottom of the A10. I don't know which one is worst.

[UMass87]

DoctorJ - for you: what, articulate fully, are your expectations? From my perspective, DK has been an abject failure over 8+ seasons. My perspective is simple: a UMass coach must compete for the regular season title EVERY year. What are your expectations?

[DoctorJ]

No, not trolling. I have no personal connection to DK. I think I have spoken with him casually about a half dozen times in my life, less than a minute each time.

Just playing devil's advocate. I guess if someone disagrees with the lynch mob he is a troll. Call me what you want. I actually was glad when they gave Lappas another chance his last year and didn't want to see Ford leave. So, whatever. I get used to a coach, I guess. We've done better under DK than we did.

FYI, I remember when McLaughlin was HC at UMass - I was a kid, but I remember him. I don't cheer for people to lose their jobs. I think Bobby Valentine and Don Zimmer might be the exceptions.

I read up on the assistants. Allison is referred to as an "in-game tactician" - I found that interesting.

Anyway, I think we are all pounding sand with all this fire-the-coach talk. It isn't going to happen. So maybe we should enjoy what we can of the season.

87, when the hell have we regularly contended for A10 championship every year? Other than Calipari, we haven't.

I don't have expectations every year. I expect periods where the team will have a down year, maybe two in a row. I like to see us have a winning record every year. I like a chance for a post-season tournament. I would like to see us go to the tournament, hopefully once every 4 or 5 years. In my lifetime, we have only exceeded that under Calipari.

I was still watchin cartoons when Skinner and Dr. J played here. I was first aware of UMass when Jack got fired but I didn't follow closely at all. I don't remember Wilson, but McLaughlin and Gerlufsen were in my consciousness and I liked college hoop back then and followed how UMass did. Under Calipari, I got into UMass basketball and have followed every game since.

But if we can't give DK credit for Chaz, and judge his abilities without considering the Chaz years, then we can't judge UMass basketball basing expectations on the Calipari years -- to do so would be hypocritical. So I guess that makes Ford or Bruiser our best coach??? No, I credit DK for Chaz and see his as a guy who gave us teams as good as Ford's. The team is at least watchable. I remember the Lappas years and things were brutal. Most of his recruits were total disapointments.

So what are we supposed to base expectations on? Wishful thinking? That is a recipe for a revolving door. If you want that, fine. Maybe it will work and the next Calipari walks through that door. I hope so, if we do. But I fear a return to Lappas quality more than I see a return to Calipari quality. We can agree to disagree. It's just a discussion board. Have fun with it. Don't take it too seriously.