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It’s hot seat time again in the NBA. With the playoff picture set in stone many teams who finished near the bottom of their division will be shopping around for a new head coach. One of those teams will most likely be Oklahoma City and one of the names thrown around to replace Thunder head coach Scott Brooks is Kevin Ollie.
After failing to make the playoffs for the first time in five years, Brooks may be on the chopping block, according to Yahoo Sports. With a possible vacancy in Oklahoma, there are a few factors that might sway Ollie away from coaching his alma matter in 2015-16. A source close to the Thunder told SNY's Adam Zagoria Ollie is "seriously being considered for the job."
Two of Ollie’s former teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook currently play for the Thunder and Ollie finished his NBA career in Oklahoma City in 2010. He is also no stranger to offers from NBA teams. The Hartford Courant reported that Ollie turned down at least one offer from an NBA team after UConn captured its fourth national title and first under Ollie.
Another potential candidate for a vacancy in Oklahoma City is University of Florida coach Billy Donovan. Yahoo Sports reports that Thunder General Manager, Sam Presti has a "longstanding" relationship with Donovan, who also has found success at the collegiate level. Donovan won two national championships with Florida in 2006 and 2007 and has also been rumored to be heading to the NBA before.
While potential coaching jobs may open in the NBA, it will take a lot to lure Ollie away from UConn. In three years he has won a national championship to compliment a 72-32 overall record. Last spring he signed a five-year contract extension that carries a $5 million buyout. This buyout may detour a potential NBA team if there is a more affordable coach on the market. After last year’s early exit from the NIT Tournament, you can bet that Ollie would not to leave his players or the school for that matter without attempting to get the Huskies back to the NCAA Tournament.
Yes, it’s scary to see Ollie’s name come up in rumors as a candidate for a professional team, but at the end of the day these are just rumors. I don’t think Husky fans will have to worry about the Olliewood leaving Storrs, Connecticut anytime soon.