If it's anyone but Saunders, a lot of people will be justifiably mystified as to why, exactly, Maturi didn't hire someone else sooner. For example, if it's going to be Rick Majerus, the guy's not even with another team right now; announce it and get on with building Majerus up.
While Saunders isn't tipping his hand and is genuinely in pursuit of an NBA title with the Pistons, anyone less than Saunders or Majerus is going to be a huge letdown. He cannot pluck another Tim Brewster-style hire out of thin air and have it work, not with the men's basketball hire.
Sure, the Gophers have no tenders available next season, so if he waits until spring, summer, even after the NBA Finals are over (or at least until Detroit is bounced from the playoffs), it's not going to hurt recruiting that much.
But if Maturi does wait until after the NBA Finals and Saunders says no, it's going to be a heartbreaker than most Gophers fans will not tolerate. Indeed, it could lead to Maturi's ouster from the U.
I'm not saying Maturi needs to be fired if he doesn't deliver Saunders. But if it's not going to be Saunders, it had better be announced sooner and it had better be Majerus.
If the Gophers wait until after the NBA Finals only to find out that interim coach Jim Molinari will stay on in a permanent capacity, or some other uninspiring hire is made, it'll be the kiss of death for Maturi. And ought to be.