I don't buy the Arkansas rumors after hearing the comments from Anderson post-game (or should I say "debacle"?). But maybe he IS Bobby Petrino.

But if he does go, Gregg Marshall would be No. 1 on my wish list. He did an AWESOME job at Winthrop, and I think the fact he stayed there seven years shows some loyalty. I think he's the type of game who might want to make his own mark (rather than hop to the first traditonally good job that opens).

Marshall is, at worst, Mark Turgeon. But I think he also has Bill Self-high upside. He's a great defensive coach who likes to play up-tempo, pressure defense (less full court, but a lot of trapping and pressure in the half-court) and play a bunch of players.

He would have success with Missouri's players, and I think he would recruit well both locally and in the southeast.

Me thinks you overestimate the amount of talent you actually have

I'm not saying Missouri has amazing talent (though I think it is much better than they have shown down the stretch). I'm just saying Missouri's players would fit the system Marshall runs.

FWIW, I heard from Michael Dixon's dad today that MA is gone. Said he's glad because he was going to be stuck behind Pressey as long as MA was the coach.

Behind Flip? Does Dixon's dad think that any coach in the country wouldn't have the same depth chart?

I bet my casino cash Anderson doesn't leave. Anybody take me up on it?

Ok... I can see you are one of Coach Anderson's supporters, what happens if Arkansas comes calling. Do you tell Coach Anderson "You can talk to them, but you're out of a job here if you do." Or do you let him talk to them and then give him more money?

I'm a supporter of his, yes. I think far too many people fail to see perspective and long-term. If he can recruit, he'll be incredibly successful. If he can't, he won't. That simple. I'm an Anderson supporter up until about 1.6M. That would put him in the top 20, where I think he belongs. Past 2 Million, he would be one of the top 10 highest-paid coaches in the country. At 2.6, which is what I'm hearing Arkansas is considering, he'd be above Bill Self, third to only Calipari and Gillespie. He hasn't shown to be that good as of yet.

I think my stance has to do with reality.

He's shown very little in this regard. Some JUCO success. But he's far too reliant on personal connections (literally his family and friends), and the state of Missouri is a revolving door.

Far be it from me to criticize a coach for using personal connections to lure top-flight talent. He had no personal affiliation with Ratliffe, who was the #1 rated JuCo in the country, and was a necessary addition to quickly replace Ramsey (and whomever else we lost.. I forget). I will be the absolute last to blame Anderson for Tony Mitchell's issues.

That's a four-star, #1 JuCo, and a top-20 five-star forward. He'll get Otto Porter for 2011, who WILL end up a five-star top-25 forward (Eric Bossi all but guaranteed it). In 2012, he's got Jarnell Stokes, Archie Goodwin, Cameron Beidscheid (whom I hear is possibly reconsidering his early commitment to Notre Dame, but I could be wrong), and Obij Aget (who is not highly-ranked, but I expect him to climb dramatically). He has no personal connections to any.

Considering what he took over-- not just Quin, but the abject apathy of the fanbase-- I'd say that's recruiting beyond what you'd expect Missouri to achieve, all things considered.

Answering the question somewhere in there?

No one was getting Mitchell. This was a dream that was never going to be realized, so Anderson should get zero credit for this.

The personal connections are great, but they're simply not sustainable, unless he's out locating new relatives or best friends.

Sorry, I'm a few in, and read about a sentence and replied to that.

I don't have the slightest idea how I'd approach that. My general line of work has no situations in which I'd encounter a decision like that. I did answer what I'd pay for him, and at what point I'd let him walk. But, allow him to talk to them with the caveat of termination depending upon his decision? I think it would be poor business to say anything like that to an employee of that stature. I think you've got to tell him what you can pay, and then do your best to encourage him to maintain his life and career as is. If he wants to talk to Arkansas, he'll talk, regardless of giving my graces.

Maybe the Mitchell thing is correct, in hindsight. At the time, we were hearing about how much he'd done to qualify. By all accounts, he did everything he should've, but then the school he attended in Miami wouldn't mail in his transcripts.

With all due respect, Deez, I just laid out a number of high-profile recruits (some signed, some undecided) who have no personal relationship with him. Mike and Marchietta Anderson charm the pants off recruits mothers, that's their bread and butter. Marchietta and the kid's mom, sitting side by side, Marchietta in her ear talking about family atmosphere, etc. That's what I've come to understand is Anderson's main selling point, not familial affiliations.

The two best players you listed, Stokes and Goodwin, haven't signed. They're "considering" Missouri, along with a host of other schools. Is this enough? It's a start, I suppose, but Anderson needs to deliver.