When you make a big decision, do you base it on knowledge, or do you base it on hope? I'm sure Mike bases any decision he makes on knowledge. So, he must know, at this point, what/who his options are if he lets Dan go. I can't believe he'd fire Dan and "hope" he can find a great replacement. So, I'd think that he or his agents have done some "market research" to get a good idea of who, if anyone, is interested.