The General walks off the court without class

It was not supposed to end like this. When you are statistically the greatest of all-time at what you do, the finale of your career should be one of celebration, anticipation, and universal appreciation,Unfortunately for Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight, his 902 wins will not be what immediately springs to mind when his legacy is brought up, and he has brought that all on himself, through bouts of stubbornness and immaturity.

Monday night, Knight shocked the college basketball world by resigning as coach of the Red Raiders, leaving the job to his designated successor, his very own son Pat Knight.

The team is 12-8, and will have to put together a pretty good February to make a strong case to reach the NCAA Tournament, making Knight's decision all the more baffling.

You see, Knight is a coaching icon, and I mean that in regards to his coaching ability, not his chair-throwing ability. Put bluntly, Knight is a living legend.

He has won three national titles, coached the U.S. to an Olympic gold medal, and led the undefeated 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to one of the greatest championship seasons in history.

If any other man with these credentials were to walk away, we would instantaneously celebrate his accomplishments.

But this is not any other man. And sadly, Knight's main remembrance will now be one of utter hypocrisy and inflexibility.

He abused his players, disrespected the media and has now put the final tarnish on his legacy. There is no coach in recent memory with a more "one-way" outlook on running a basketball program than Knight's, and he was never shy about what he thought about people and/or items he deemed unnecessary.

That's where the hypocrisy just oozes. Knight was always in high demand of personal accountability, finishing what one starts, and being ridiculously disciplined.

All of that is great and jolly, but what kind of message do you send when you QUIT in the middle of the season?

How can you preach about being the right kind of man and doing things the Knight way, only to say the hell with it, it's been 42 years, and "I am just tired."

What is most interesting in Knight's resignation is the bigger issue it brings in regards to sports - the significance of winning versus the value of character.

Every fan reading this article right now has some sort of measuring stick in relation to how much weight one puts into being a good person while being a great athlete. Yes, I too think it was more comedy than serious when he chucked the chair across the arena floor against Purdue.

But choking players at practice and grabbing students on campus is anything but humorous.

Take the 2000 season. Knight threw a potted plant at his secretary, threw an assistant coach out of his chair, and was fired from a university that went out of its way to give him additional chances.

This ending feels so shallow, so unfulfilled. A man with over 900 wins should have a proper sending off, not a line of excuses for why he does not want to go on.

Yes, Bob Knight is a historic basketball mind.

He perfected the base of the motion offense, and his no-holds barred man-to-man defensive principals are widely accepted by many other collegiate coaches today.

But at the end of the day, a person cannot be judged pureley by numbers and victories.

Because in the biggest game of all - winning with class and dignity - Bob Knight could not quite get it done.