You’re a cheerleader who does not know what they are watching. And that’s ok. Just own it. UK got beat by another bad basketball team. The “stars” didn’t show up....AGAIN. Call it what it is...bad basketball. Anything else is lipstick on a pig. This is UK. There are no moral victories except for cheerleaders like you.
How Can You Possibly Defend Calipari?
- Thread starter ZaytovenCat
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You’re a cheerleader who does not know what they are watching. And that’s ok. Just own it. UK got beat by another bad basketball team. The “stars” didn’t show up....AGAIN. Call it what it is...bad basketball. Anything else is lipstick on a pig. This is UK. There are no moral victories except for cheerleaders like you.
kyjeff1, I could not agree more. My personal thoughts about Calipari and Barbee have been known here for years that I have never believed that Calipari is a good developer of talent or a good in game coach, and I have been the minority and blasted often about it. Calipari has a record of generally only reaching top success with the very best players such as Camby, Rose, Davis, etc.
I have seen this show before with him, and for those that would get their nose broken if Calipari ever took a sharp turn, they are wrong. Calipari is not bigger than Kentucky Basketball, and there would be many great coaches very eager to take the job.
He keeps telling everyone that it's about the kids and their dreams, but 95% of the kids the have gone on to the NBA from UK the last 10 years, were already on the draft boards before they came here. Some of them actually slipped and some were lottery picks before they came here, but Cal likes to take the credit for getting them there.
Now, there are guys like SGA, WCS, Herro, IQ and Richards that were great success stories and Cal's program definitely helped those guys get there (Herro was going first round no matter whete he went, he was just simply underrated).
I really DGAF about the NBA and I wish our coach cared more about UK's success than his NBA draft hard-on.
This sums it up for me. Not one of the choices has done anything close to Calipari in his career vs. their careers. Change for the sake of change is useless. It is being used to satisfy emotion. Not productive for Kentucky Basketball. That and you know half the fan base has lost their minds when they start hashing it out with the likes of Hog fans. Haha!
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The version of Cal we USED to have was the best option for UK. That’s not what we’re getting now, I’m not sure that guy is ever coming back.
How about Cal actually make some changes for the good of the program?
Who claimeda moral victory? I said some aspects of the game improved. You’d have to be eat up with ignorance about basketball not to see that. Oops.
These CLODites are drunk on KY failure these days.
I'll just say a couple of things. In your example you are equating UK basketball to Tennessee and Auburn football in terms of the level they are at. I don't agree with that comparison. I would suggest you look at Indiana for what can potentially happen to a program when they think they have a coach that is not replaceable. Let me be clear. I'm not suggesting we fire Cal tomorrow. I'm suggesting that the idea that someone else can't do as well or better than he has done is a dangerous idea because it eliminates all coaching options for the program except the one we already have.
No no. Not on rafters. The posters on here wield some power ya know. They are gonna swap out the coach. There are so many top flight candidates that we can choose whoever we want too. Just you see.
Ok then I’ll ask you what I ask everyone else. Who ya got? We all know we have a problem. That’s the easy part. But do you have a solution? So far I’ve heard beard, Altman, and Drew. Uh, no thanks. They are more billy-esqe than Pitino-esqe.
So we have Cal or the field. I’ll take Cal every time right now. You’ll take the field because you want change no matter what. You’ll get burned.
What I want to see is Cal do a better job of recruiting the kids we already have. Get them to come back. I’m willing to give him a chance to do that before I’m willing to throw away the winningest coach in the last decade. I suggest you just sit this year out because it’s in the crapper. This won’t happen again. Hell it’s only happened once in 100 years so I’m guarantee it won’t happen again.
When has Cal ever been known for recruiting his guys to return?You really think it will start like magic this season?
Such a lame question.
What was Cal before he got here? What was Pitino? They never won titles before they came here.
Had you ever heard the name "Rick Pitino" before he came here?
I'm not an AD, so I don't have my ear to the ground on who the next coach prospect could be, but there are hundreds of brilliant basketball minds out there that could thrive here, but in order to do that, they need to care about more about UK than the nba first & foremost.
Give me someone that wants to build actual college rosters and wants to win games for UK. They are out there.
If I had my choice, it would be Brad Stevens, which probably wouldn't happen, but I bet there are similar young coaches out there that just need the shot.
Lastly, everyone wants to compare the next coach to what Cal did from 2009 through 2015. Well, they conveniently forget the loss to WVA with a roster filled with elite NBA talent, they forget the 2013 NIT and they don't want to talk about the very simple fact that Cal, in the last 5 years, isn't even close to the standard that you guys are telling me that the next coach has to live up to.
I think you can pick just about any assistant coach at any power 5 school and that assistant could equal what Cal has done the last 5 years. This is UK, only one school has more resources than UK and that's just because Cal pissed Phil Knight off.
Y'all need to stop acting like we're some damn 3rd tier program. A good coach can come in here and do better than what Cal is doing.
I'm sorry you don't realize that this is UK and this is not acceptable, especially when this man makes 10 million a year to win games for UK. That is 3 million more than UK and 4 million more than RW.
Lets not also forget that it's Cal's NBA culture that put us in this mess. Hagans, Quickly, Whitney, Richards, EJ, Baker and Juzang should still be on this roster. Don't say they shouldn't, because we're the only program that loses guys like that so early.
Cal created this and it is not okay. If you think it's acceptable, well then go cheer for Indiana.
I’m not comparing us to tenn football. I just used them as an example of a botched coaching search. My whole point is there are no replacement options that are an upgrade in my opinion. I’m pretty confident in that opinion and I think it’s shared by the people in charge. So at this point we all just need to chill on the faaar Cal talk because it’s all being yelled out of pure emotion
What did Cal used to do that he isn’t doing now? I’m pretty sure the formula is the same as it was. It’s high risk and high reward. Eventually we would get burned by a bad batch. That’s what we are seeing.
At one point did I say it’s acceptable? Your last paragraph about the guys who should have retuned is spot on. I feel the exact same way. I’d like to see him change that and I’ve posted as such. We need him to recruit sophomores as much as we need him to recruit blue chip players.
Here is where we disagree. You would have us fire the winningest coach of the last decade because it satisfies your emotions right now and I would have us stick with Cal because he’s earned the right to fix it. We gave him a lifetime contract for a reason. This season will be an outlier. I’ll say it again, you better be careful dumping the prom queen.
You did when you said “there were improvements”. And that’s not the case. 34% shooting, 29 from 3 and still throwing it all over the gym. The “best players” still suck and the truth is our best player is a dude who couldn’t start at Creighton. You’re a sunshine pumper out here on an island defending the indefensible. 200 people talking reality on here and you and one other dude are like “it’s not that bad”.
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Some of these dudes on here are like the guy in high school who would ignore the fact his girlfriend was cheating because they were afraid they couldn’t get another girl.
Kentucky made Cal, Cal didn’t make Kentucky.
You did when you said “there were improvements”. And that’s not the case. 34% shooting, 29 from 3 and still throwing it all over the gym. The “best players” still suck and the truth is our best player is a dude who couldn’t start at Creighton. You’re a sunshine pumper out here on an island defending the indefensible. 200 people talk king reality on here and you and one other dude are like “it’s not that bad”.
Yes, I know you have no knowledge of basketball. There was no need to embarrass yourself. You just demonstrated that by spouting toddler stats. Come back when you learn a little about the game. Seriously, you got nothing.
Let's see. Rick Pitino had taken Providence College to a Final Four and was the head coach of the New York Knicks when he was hired. Pretty sure his "name" was out there.
Let's see. John Calipari took UMass to a Final Four and would have won the title that year if not for UK having an all-time great team. He then was one shot away from a title at Memphis. Pretty sure this qualifies him as one of the elite coaches prior to being graced to be in the presence of the Kentucky fan base.
Let's see. John Calipari took UMass to a Final Four and would have won the title that year if not for UK having an all-time great team. He then was one shot away from a title at Memphis. Pretty sure this qualifies him as one of the elite coaches prior to being graced to be in the presence of the Kentucky fan base.
Haha. “Toddler stats”. Those are facts little dude. Straight from the box score. But as long as YOU see improvement...
Pitino hadn't done anything great before coming to UK. His recrd at Boston U and Providence was pedestrian at best. He did catch lightning in a bottle at Providence one year. Joe B was a coach at some small school before getting the UK job. Was an assistant at UK also.
Cal's record before UK was a little better but not earth shattering.
You seem to think a coach has to win multiple titles at some mid major before they are worthy to be at UK.
Haha. “Toddler stats”. Those are facts little dude. Straight from the box score. But as long as YOU see improvement...
Exactly. Just high level stats. You won’t see improvements in passing spacing, interference in passing lanes, improved foot work in those numbers.
Go have fun with your PlayStation. You clearly aren’t prepared for a discussion about basketball.
Is saying that people don’t know basketball the best you can do? You can’t even defend this. Quit resorting to personal attacks and actually talk basketball. By the way, the numbers he was referring to are still important. 34% shooting is still not good. 29% from 3 is still terrible. 1-6 with 6 straight losses is still bad.
Ok Dr. Naismith. Let’s have it. “Interference in passing lanes”.
“improved footwork”. Enlighten us on how that manifests itself in basketball game. Improved footwork would typically mean better shooting or being better on the defensive end. Neither of those are true. I assume by “interference in passing lanes” you mean denying the wings or getting deflections and steals. That is not true either. You sir are an idiot. . Or perhaps a really committed cheerleader.
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Exactly.. go back and watch the replay. Sarr was the best available option..
Cal has failed managing his roster. That's his biggest failure. His coaching in the game was fine.. the players didn't execute.. period. You have to make shots.. We should have Hagans, Montgomery, Zuzang and Brooks on this team. That's were Cal is failing. If he doesn't fix the roster turnover he's finished at Ky.. The notion that Cal cant coach is ludicrous..
He made 2 fatal errors this season and that's his scheduling and the Culture he's created that's causing the roster turnover..
I'm not taking up for Cal.. I'm livid at the job he's done.. it's not his coaching as much as it is his management which is his job to get right..
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Calipari was at a final four and a Championship game at 2 nothing programs, along with mad recruiting success. Pitino was a NBA coach with the Knicks, hungry and convinced CM. It turned out well. Frankly, there was some luck in the result from the hire. Hall was the assistant to one of the greatest to ever coach the game. Hiring some mid-major up and comer or a guy who hasn’t really done anything at the high D1 level is not a good move for a top program like Kentucky. Kentucky is either the greatest program, one of the greatest or it’s neither. Great programs don’t hire up and comers. They hire proven coaches who have another gear and can take it to another level at a place like Kentucky. The current landscape of high D1 basketball just isn’t in a great place to find those proven coaches. Maybe in another couple years......
You seem to forget we went to the final 4 the following year. I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t fire the coach huh?
Once again, people rattling their traps when they can't follow the most basic of trends. There are dozens of coaches who can recruit better at UK than they can at their current school who have had as much or more success than Cal over the past 5 years. Get off his nuts and take your first deep breath in a decade.
Hey....look Wildcat fans.....another emotional basket case who can’t manage basic conversation, differing opinions and discussion.
This. Also, the lane is clogged and there’s no shooters to space the floor for guys like Clarke. Now, Boston, he’s a different deal altogether. He just can’t hit shots and has terrible shot selection. Couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat!
Cal did good things for Umass and Memphis but he completely went away from building rosters like he did at both of those school’s. That’s his problem right there, IMO. Way to much emphasis on the NBA and this one and done system. The environment he has created has completely went away from what he did the majority of his career and that matters. No excuse for going 1-6 at the University of Kentucky with the resources and budget he has to work with.
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I thot the defense looked a little better as well. But let’s be honest, U6 is not exactly an offensive juggernaut. So it’s not clear if there was REAL improvement.
Or maybe...just maybe... he’s tired of hearing people make excuses for a dude making 10 million a year
I'm not here to defend Cal. in fact I think he is a poor coach. Mintz probably should have been the choice, that in itself say's a lot about this team. nobody on this team is worthy of taking a game winning shot.
Maybe you misread or skipped all but what your wanted to see in the post. Let me bring you back In..... D1 basketball is a different landscape today than it was 40,50, 60, 70 years ago in the examples you used. Not only is D1 sports and entirely different animal today than when those guys were hired, Kentucky is 10 times the size and a machine that didn’t exist half a century ago.
For 1, Cal can't be fired. 2, it's a 60 million dollar buyout, that ain't gonna happen and 3, Cal ain't changing squat. No way, no how. So all we can do, is hate the guy.
Also, it's not about what I am feeling "right now". I'm not freaking 12 years old. I fell off that John Calipari band wagon 2 years ago when I could no longer deny that he cares more about the draft than UK and that he is going to continue to do that at least until he takes UK to rock bottom. Are you ready for that?
Just because we can't fire him, doesn't mean I have to like him. He will never sniff a final four again until he stops the massive roster turnover. That talent ain't coming here any longer.
Lets not forget, his offense is something else that needs to change… .but it won't.