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Donovan would be a great NBA coach, Rick Pitino says

Jeffrey Greer
jgreer@courier-journal.com
U of L head coach Rick Pitino talks about the Cardinals' upcoming NCAA game against Saint. Louis at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fa.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino had a lengthy day of media obligations on Wednesday, including a stop on ESPN's Mike and Mike radio show in the morning.

Here's the full audio from his appearance. Pitino was on the show to talk about coaching in the NBA and his protege Billy Donovan, whose name has come up quite a bit for some of the head coaching openings in the League.

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When Pitino's Louisville team was in Orlando for the NCAA tournament, Pitino shared the story about Donovan's agreement to leave his job coaching Florida and take over the Orlando Magic. Donovan had an introductory press conference and everything, only to back out the next day and return to the Gators' sideline. Pitino didn't think Donovan should leave his job at Florida, but Donovan's family supported the move.

Pitino's logic at the time, he said, was that he wants Florida to name its court after Donovan, and made the same statement on Wednesday.

"I actually don't (think he takes an NBA job)," Pitino said, explaining that Donovan's family comfort was too important to him. "I think Billy always gets cold feet at the end. More than anyone I've encountered in my 40 years in coaching, Billy has his priorities more in line than any person I've ever met."

He did say that Donovan had the personality type to succeed in the NBA, frequently comparing him to former Butler coach Brad Stephens, who's now coaching the Boston Celtics.

"The NBA is a different coaching animal completely," said Pitino, who coached the Celtics and the New York Knicks in between college coaching gigs.

"When you go from college to the NBA, it's almost a foreign sport. You're managing people who play over 100 games and are not really into practicing as much as college kids. College kids are looking to practice as much as they can to make the NBA. At the pro level, they're trying to stay away from injuries, trying to protect their bodies. Practice becomes a walkthrough, a game-day preparation.

"That's what college coaches don't realize. The pros, it's almost like being a CEO, managing people to get the most out of them emotionally, physically, strategically, whereas in college you're trying to constantly improve the skill of the athletes on a daily basis."

Donovan could handle that change, Pitino said. His former player at Providence College and then assistant at Kentucky in the 1990s would relish the schematic challenge of the NBA.

"Billy has always wanted to try (the NBA)," Pitino said. "He loves strategy. He loves offensive strategy. He loves staying up all night thinking of ways to innovate. He also has the personality to deal with professional athletes, because he's a very humble man."