I think that people use this 3 million dollar buyout term too loosely. As stated it is really a guaranteed contract with 3 more years at 1 million a year. If you look at the economics of it though, it may not be as bad as it sounds. The 1 mil a year is already budgeted in to the athletic departments budget so really the cost increase is simply the cost of paying a new coach. I believe the assistants all have one year contracts so they will not factor in this. Lets assume we hire a Bruce Pearl, John Pelphrey type from a mid major school we could probably pay them around 500,000 to 700,000 a year. If Gottfried takes another job making say 250,000 a year that would reduce the number by that amount each year. Now you are looking at between 250 and 400 thousand dollars a year. Joe Kines departure to A&M also freed up some money for next year as he still had another year on his contract. I don't know the exact amount, but it should at least cover next years needs. This only leaves us with 250 to 400 thou in years 2 and 3 to pay for a change. I am no expert, and don't have hard figures. This is a hypothetical only, so feel free to research this if you like. There is also the possibility of negotiating a "lump sum" buyout, usually at a discount. My main point is that "3 million dollar buyout" has a lot of shock value, but in reality making a coaching change wouldn't be as painful as many people would have you believe.
