The momentum behind the idea of Kenny Payne becoming the next Louisville Cardinals men's basketball head coach only seems to be growing.
Payne's current boss, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, endorsed the idea of the second-year Knicks assistant becoming head man at Payne's college alma mater.
"He's interested and I think he'd be a great fit," Thibodeau told the media in New York. "(Payne is) strong on both sides of the ball, he's strong with individual development. And he's been around. He brings a lot of experience to any situation he goes to."
Meanwhile, a guy who knows something about the concept of a former UK coach choosing to work for U of L — Rick Pitino — has also come out in favor of Payne.
"I'm hoping Kenny Payne gets it because he can unite all factions of Louisville," Pitino told basketball blogger Adam Zagoria. "... (Payne is) a great guy, a great recruiter and he's a terrific coach."
Given the level of turmoil that has engulfed U of L men's basketball the past five years, it seems doubtful that anyone can fully unite a fan base now beset by factions.
But hiring Payne would seem an olive branch to a group of former Louisville players who have become alienated from the school over various matters, including its history on coaching hires.
Even with the 10 years he spent with John Calipari on the Kentucky coaching staff, Payne's playing past as a reserve on Louisville's 1986 NCAA championship team and a 1,083-points career scorer (1985-89) for Denny Crum would satisfy those Cardinals backers demanding "a U of L man" in the most-visible coaching job on campus.
Meanwhile, if Louisville fans believe their hiring Payne would strike a psychic blow against Kentucky fans, that would likely make it even more attractive. At least one thread on a Louisville message board exulted that UK backers "were nothing but scared" of the thought of Payne at U of L.
Is that actually true?
Many Kentucky supporters were terrified when ex-Cats head coach Pitino signed on with Louisville in 2001.
Their trepidation was that Pitino would replicate the magic he had worked for the Wildcats program — including his 6-2 rivalry domination of Louisville as Kentucky coach — at The Ville.
Instead, Pitino went 6-12 against UK as U of L head man.
After that, it's going to be hard for Louisville to scare Kentucky fans with a coaching hire.
While I have not conducted a scientific survey among the Big Blue Nation on the prospect that Payne may become Louisville's next men's hoops coach, I do interact with a fair number of Kentucky fans.
Mixed emotions, not abject fear, are what I hear from UK backers about the idea of Payne at U of L.
Some Cats fans do worry that Payne's hiring could hurt Kentucky's standing with some recruits, especially coveted class of 2023 guard DJ Wagner — whose grandfather, Milt Wagner, was a college teammate of Payne at Louisville.
Among those Kentucky backers who chafed at seeing Pitino's former UK players showing up around the U of L program during Ricky P.'s red phase (2001 through 2017), there is dread at a possible rerun of that dynamic with ex-Cats that Payne coached.
Mostly, what I have heard from Cats fans in regard to the idea of Payne going to Louisville is that they are left conflicted by feeling compelled by the rules of rivalry to root against someone they like.
If it can ever stop the seemingly unceasing basketball scandals of the past five years, U of L is a top 10 coaching job in men's college hoops.
Nevertheless, the fact that Payne has never been a head coach should not be a deal breaker. What Louisville does need to get from Payne, 55, is an indication that he truly wants to be a head coach.
If that desire is there, Payne could be for U of L what Mike Woodson, another former New York Knicks assistant, is becoming for Indiana.
Woodson, 63, also seemed quite deep into his career to be getting his first college hoops head coaching position when IU hired him to replace Archie Miller last offseason.
NBA coaching experience was also a Woodson selling point, albeit, unlike Payne, with head-coaching stints with the Hawks, Knicks and Clippers included.
Like Payne at Louisville, Woodson was a popular former Indiana player who brought ties to better days from the school's basketball past.
The ultimate jury is still way out on Woodson's tenure at Indiana, of course, but he has the Hoosiers off to a 16-5 start in his first season.
Woodson's coaching maturity and NBA background seem to be serving Indiana well.
If you are Louisville, that's what you could get from hiring Kenny Payne — with far more prior experience as a college recruiter included.
