Reliable sources have told me UNLV's athletic director, Charles Cavagnaro, has made a direct coaching offer to Rick Pitino.

Pitino has the opportunity to decide whether he wants to coach the Runnin' Rebels. The former Boston Celtics coach is scheduled to visit UNLV within the next week. The question for Pitino is whether he feels he can win big-time despite the sanctions in place against the UNLV program.

That is the biggest dilemma in Pitino's decision. The financial package is not the deciding factor, sources said. It comes down to whether or not he can win quickly.

Everything has moved in a positive way, according to sources. I'm told Pitino is excited about the program's potential.

Sources close to the situation also told me Pitino would sit down with UNLV's current interim coach, Max Good, to discuss the possibility of staying on the Runnin' Rebels staff.

L.A. story
Pitino's name has been linked with a number of schools. Out in Los Angeles, UCLA athletic director Peter Dalis was quoted saying he had a conversation with Pitino.

My understanding is that Dalis and Pitino had a brief conversation, one initiated by the Bruins AD. Sources said Dalis called Pitino just before a recent Knicks-Celtics game.

Pitino thought the call was a prank and asked Dalis to call back. That gave Pitino time to verify the call, which indeed came from the AD. Dalis said the school wasn't making a coaching change at the moment; he was putting together a preliminary list in case he planned to make a move in the future.

My feeling is, making a list sounds like Santa Claus is coming to town! Checking out who is naughty or nice? Once you make the decision to change coaches, that's when you inquire about availability.

Loyalty is so big, and this is not the way to gain the favor of your coaching staff.

I feel so bad for Steve Lavin and his program. This was going on while the team was preparing for Pac-10 action. It's tough enough getting ready for the likes of USC without a major distraction.

If Lavin has a complaint, it is not with Pitino, but rather with Dalis. I've been told that Pitino spoke to Lavin and told the current Bruins coach he (Pitino) has no interest in the UCLA job.

My understanding is Pitino was hurt by a Los Angeles Times article that gave the impression he was going after the Bruins' job.

I'm told that Lavin and Pitino were talking about X's and O's at the end of their conversation.

Remember, Lavin's team last year was struggling before making a big push and earning a berth into "the Big Dance." With the potential of Dan Gadzuric, Earl Watson and Jason Kapono, UCLA can get things going in a positive way.

Rumors and speculation only serve to create dissension and animosity within a program. Instead of worrying about the Trojans, Lavin had to deal with calls about the future of his job.

I think Lavin needs a conversation with Dalis to determine his status.