Bruce Pearl might coach in the D-League next season, but you already knew that. Heck, you've known that since May.
Still, the former Tennessee Volunteers head coach and the Texas Legends are getting considerable play in the media following their whirlwind of a week that saw co-owner Donnie Nelson -- better known as the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks -- offer a reported $500,000 to a coach that was fired due to some surreptitious activity reportedly surrounding his year's as an NCAA head coach.
In my opinion, as well as some of those in the NBA Development League circles I talk to, it seems like this is at least a bit of a ploy to get more media attention -- and Pearl all but admitted that at Thursday's press conference.
"You know what I think it is, Donnie's put together the most aggressive package that has ever been placed before a D-League coach. ... But, what does this do? It brings visibility and credibility to Frisco, to the Legends. I was on PTI yesterday and we were talking about the possibility, so we were talking about the D-League at a time when football's going on right now, the lockout's going on and there's a lot of other places you could be right now, but you're here."
This isn't to say that Pearl isn't seriously considering the offer, because it seems that he is.
Pearl said he had a "great visit" and the Legends were a "tremendous organization" in a text message to ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz, adding that he's "taking a serious look" at accepting the job.
That said, the man is smart (savvy?) enough to know that keeping himself relevant -- he was on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption two days in a row and has had roughly one million stories written about his looking at the Legends this week -- is only going to work out in his advantage whether he takes the Legends job, goes into broadcasting or chooses to go in some other direction not currently being discussed.
Which, in the end, is maybe why this is a match made in heaven: both sides are scheming for the spotlight.