Skull Session: Ohio State Should Go All Out for Billy Donovan, LeBron Could Leave Cleveland Again and More

The last thing D.J. said to me before he went frolicking across the Canadian wilderness was, "I will kill you if you do not use the Oxford comma."

But as someone who has the AP Stylebook right next to the Bible in his nightstand, my response? "I'd like to see him try."

In case you are unaware or fell asleep in Mrs. Smith's third grade English class, the Oxford — or serial — comma is used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items. But unless used in instances where it could reduce ambiguity, it's rather pointless.

I get your argument. "I went on a cruise with my parents, Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel" can very easily be misinterpreted as my parents are somehow two of the greatest coaches in college football history. But then again, you could simply rephrase the sentence to say "I went on a cruise with Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel and my parents."

Problem solved.

Now before D.J. comes back to Ohio draped in a bear fur coat and ends my life like he's Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Revenant," let's get started on Friday's Skull Session.

ICYMI:

The latest on the Ohio State basketball program's search for a new head coach
The Buckeyes are guaranteed to score points against Clemson in the B1G-ACC Challenge
So much for WiFi at Ohio Stadium and renovations at the WHAC
Urban Meyer and Tom Herman hang out at a satellite camp in Texas
Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio

Word of the Day: Exsanguination

WE CAN DREAM, CAN'T WE? Though Butler's Chris Holtmann emerged overnight as the frontrunner to replace Thad Matta at Ohio State, some folks are still holding out hope of athletic director Gene Smith opening the vault for Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan.

The local paper of record makes a pretty solid argument.

Prying Donovan from the NBA would be costly. He signed a five-year, $30 million contract with Oklahoma City in 2015. Could Ohio State afford to pay its basketball coach $6 million a season? Of course. The university pays its football coach that much. Would the Buckeyes shell out that much, when Matta only made about $3.5 million? That depends on how seriously the school wants the basketball program to regain the form and status it enjoyed during the bulk of Matta’s 13-season tenure.

I’m betting it does. A top-10 caliber basketball team brings in more money, via attendance and alumni support, than an also-ran program, which for the past two seasons is what the Buckeyes resembled.

It's hard to forget how Donovan's Florida Gators dismantled the Greg Oden and Mike Conley-led Buckeyes to win their second-consecutive national title more than a decade ago. Pair that with the success Urban Meyer — who also laid a beat down on the local team just a few months prior — has found since he arrived in Columbus, and it's only natural to think Ohio State could once again have the nation's best team on the gridiron and the hardwood.

Of course, I can't say I blame Donovan for turning down any overtures from Smith. He's already making $6 million per year, and his best player Russell Westbrook instead of Kam Williams.

SUCH A DAD. While the Ohio State basketball program fell entirely off the map this past winter, the wrestling program took center stage along the banks of the Olentangy. Kyle Snyder became the first Olympic gold medalists to return to college and win an NCAA title, his second overall, while the Buckeyes finished as national runners-up to Penn State.

Head coach Tom Ryan naturally has a lot to be excited about. But let's hope he never busts a move on the wrestling mat after a win.

When the drugs hit... pic.twitter.com/C3mtbIFZKA
— Jake Ryan (@juke_ryan) June 8, 2017

Now Tupac's “California Love” is a classic, and maybe even one of the five best rap songs of all time. But Ryan's dance moves, though... He's about the same age as my dad, so I know for a fact he thought about breaking out The Sprinkler at some point.

ARE YOU PREPARED? Fifteen years ago, I was among the more than 11,000 spectators on hand to watch Virginia basketball powerhouse Oak Hill and senior forward Carmelo Anthony take on Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and junior phenom LeBron James in what was widely billed as the most-anticipated high school basketball game of all time.

James was considered the next Michael Jordan, and showed it by scoring 36 points, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out five assists. But Anthony, who had 34 points and 11 rebounds, led the Warriors to a 72-66 win.

Now I was born and raised in Ohio, but all of the hoopla surrounding LeBron annoyed me to no end. And being quite the contrarian, I decided I was going to be a Melo fan from that day on.

One year later, James would be picked No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers, while Anthony — fresh off leading Syracuse to a national title — went third to the Nuggets. They had numerous battles in their first few years in the league, and it looked like they'd both stake their claim as the best player on the planet.

Then LeBron took things to another level, while Melo refused to play any defense. Their careers have gone in opposite directions, and now I cling to the hope that my favorite basketball player might one day actually get out of New York and onto a winning team. Maybe even latch onto James' coat tails in Cleveland, though I've despised that franchise for as long as I can remember.

That said, Anthony was nearly traded to the Cavaliers this February. With the team looking up at a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 deficit in The NBA Finals, you have to imagine those trade talks will once again be at the forefront of the association this summer.

It's no secret the Cavaliers have to get better. If they don't, they run the risk of losing LeBron again in 2018.

Multiple league sources I’ve spoken to think the Lakers or Clippers are viable destinations for King James.

The Lakers make sense if LeBron wants to build a sustainable winner with a core blend of veterans and youthful talent like Paul George — if, as NBA gossip suggests, George truly is “hell-bent" on going to L.A. — and Brandon Ingram. The Clippers make sense if LeBron wants to form a Banana Boat Voltron with Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony.

If the Cavs get their doors blown off by the Warriors and are unable to effectively shuffle the deck this summer, their championship forecast for next year won’t look any rosier than it does now. If they fall short of their ultimate goal again, LeBron might look at Cleveland and see little potential for growth compared to other situations.

He delivered on his goal to bring “one trophy back to Northeast Ohio,” but he has others. Namely, to “win as many titles as possible.”

Honestly, I'm down with the Clippers option. I'm selfish, and maybe that's the only way Melo gets a title. But one thing's for certain, the 2019 Western Conference Finals would be lit.

MAKING THE GAME SAFER. If the game of football is going to survive for generations to come, improvements need to be made. New technologies are being introduced every day, including soft-shell helmets intent on limiting concussions.

But even with all the new gear and rule changes at the highest level of competition, perhaps the biggest change in the sport will benefit those just learning to play the game. USA Football announced earlier this week its Rookie Tackle pilot program, which is supposed to bridge the gap between flag football and traditional 11-man tackle with smaller fields and fewer players per team.

This fall, 11 youth leagues in nine different states will pilot Rookie Tackle, which draws from the U.S. Olympic Committee’s American Development Model (ADM) approach to helping young athletes learn —and thrive within—a new sport.

In addition to serving as a way for flag football players to transition to 11-person football, Rookie Tackle will also provide another entry point for those wishing to begin to learn football in a smaller setting with more hands-on instruction.

“This is an exciting step in our sport’s evolution for the good of young athletes,” said Scott Hallenbeck, USA Football CEO. “The 11 youth programs participating in this pilot season will help us evaluate Rookie Tackle and the benefits of a player pathway for athletes, coaches and parents.”

If you played baseball growing up, you didn't just jump from T-ball to fast-pitch. Think of the Rookie Tackle program in the same light. If the goal is to help kids adjust to the speed of the game and tackle properly, among other things, then it'll be a success in my book.

'BOUT THAT ACTION. If you follow me on Twitter, you know I'm all over the place when it comes to my favorite professional sports teams. And in the internet age, where we are no longer limited to watching the local teams on the local networks, I believe we're all free to root for whichever team we choose — and thank God, because fall Sundays in Ohio must be brutal.

Anyway, my favorite professional football team is the Oakland (soon-to-be Las Vegas) Raiders. I honestly can't give you an explanation as to why, other than the fact that my father said he rooted for them in the '70s against my grandpa's Browns and it got passed down.

They've sucked for most of my life, too, which makes their recent resurgence all the more exciting. And then they go and add Marshawn Lynch, who wants to help the Raiders put on one last time for his city... man, this is going to be a fun ride.

“I got the whole town, you feel me though, riding with me,” Lynch said in his first media appearance since being traded from Seattle in late April. “That’s good what they got going on, all that good [expletive] like you said, but I have a whole, new Oakland behind me, and the way we feel just about where we’re from, why we represent where we’re from so hard is because we know what the struggle is, and how we get down.”

There's going to be one hell of a block party in the 510 when the Raiders win the Super Bowl. Let's just hope Jack Del Rio hands the ball off at the 1-yard line so Lynch can run through someone's face. (Warning: NSFW language.)