OMG, you are exactly the audience the Strib is writing for. smh. This is just hack journalism. The editors at the Strib (one of whom is a Wisconsin alum) are pushing an agenda and if you don't see that, nobody can help you.
Pitino's control of his players is obviously a huge issue, and there's reason to doubt he's the right man for the job here. He'll probably be gone if he doesn't win this year. However, with respect to jet travel and the like, this staff spends a lot less than many of their competitors and they typically have to travel further (not just for in home visits, but to go to all of these AAU tournaments). If they're having to spend triple the budget, and it's still a lot less than Indiana, etc. spent, that tells me the "budget" wasn't high enough to begin with. And Pitino's recruiting results have been good. [Fact that two of the recruits are from MN helps, but he still has to fly all over the country for their tourneys]. The story should've been "Pitino does more with less" or "Teague negligent in budget oversight."
That crap about not refilling the rental car, etc. is downright laughable. Have you never rented a car and had a bunch of business meetings you were trying to get to? Refilling the d*mn gas tank is the least of your worries when you're trying to close a big deal, and are taking multiple flights in a week.