Patton replacement the talk around town

You love Mark Kiszla, I love Mark Kiszla.

O.K., maybe you don't love Kiszla.

Like him?

Tolerate him?

Don't hate him?

lol

O.K., I hear you, amigos.

Do you have to scream it at me?

Nonetheless, the man provokes thought and is not the "hater" many see him to be about CU athletics. He's not paid to write "nice," you know? He's not the school's media relations' director. You know Dave Plati, right? That's his job.

Today, maybe the most-hated columnist in Denver for Buff fans writes a column about the man on the train out of town, one Ricardo "Pissed" Patton, the man who was never loved, which by the way, used to be my crown.

There were some key Kiszla points that caught my eye.

First, he asked athletic director Mike Bohn if the epitome of vagabond, Larry Brown might be a candidate when Patton leaves.

"If Larry Brown really has a passion for teaching basketball at the college level, he'sll give us a call," Bohn said.

Translated: We're not wasting our time, energy or money chasing a flake like Brown. If he's seriously interested, he knows our number.

Kiszla then asks a valid question. Why couldn't see CU maintain what was going on when Chauncey Billups and the Buffs' had it going years ago?

Well, Mark, besides him LEAVING school two years early, no small story, CU didn't replace his talent.

Kiszla states his side of the question this way.

"It's a chump-change attitude," he writes. "This is not a job for any old Tom, Joe or Ricardo."

And that's the key, right there. This job requires special experience and a long track record of getting it done. It also mandates cajones of steel. Or big onions, as broadcaster Scott Hastings likes to say.

CU cannot afford to take chances now. It needs an established winner, even if he is only the bridge to a new coach for a couple of years. The school needs someone who can inspire financial commitment, get recruits immediately like Kansas State renegade Bob Huggins and can coach a team to 20-wins in his sleep.

Someone with that ability will be available and interested. It is up to Bohn to hire him.