Cal has been very quiet lately

[UKortho]

I keep having flashbacks of his Memphis teams, they looked like the team we had this year. Long and could run but couldn’t make free throws. That kind of make up is just not who wins tourneys. Very good talent obviously but you have to be able to coach make adjustments during the game. He hardly ever does that and just hides behind the “Tweak coming” crap

This might not be popular with very many people on this board, but I don’t think Cal is that sharp. He makes too many bad decisions over and over without learning from them. This team wasn’t well coached. Coaching and teaching is hard as hell. Getting elite talent is what helped him. Give him the sane talent, or slightly better talent, and he gets out coached on a regular basis.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

This might not be popular with very many people on this board, but I don’t think Cal is that sharp. He makes too many bad decisions over and over without learning from them. This team wasn’t well coached. Coaching and teaching is hard as hell. Getting elite talent is what helped him. Give him the sane talent, or slightly better talent, and he gets out coached on a regular basis.

Yep. Just like my old man says, “Cal is constantly getting out coached.” It’s the truth.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

After the year he had.....Cal should be very quiet....very quiet

 

[Seth_C]

If we could stop hating on the man for 5 seconds and give him some small benefit of the doubt (no longer possible here, I know), we would all likely speculate what he's been busy doing. After the worst season in his own history as a coach and UK, he is likely working harder than ever before to correct the debacle that just happened, whatever it may take. Don't let me interrupt the dart throwing here, though. By all means, the intelligence displayed in this thread, and on this board, is truly breathtaking.

The problem with your theory is that Cal hasn’t provided any evidence to suggest he is going to change anything in such a fundamental way that it would fix what is currently broken. I want him to, ultimately I think he is capable of it, but he talks a lot and changes very little. Hey, maybe that will suddenly change. I hope so! It’s just that though, hope, with very little evidence to suggest it will happen.

Also, I would expect a moderator to be above insulting the intelligence of the members of the forum. It looks immature and petty. If you are the example of what you want, I would rather be among the ignorant than the ********.

 

[true-blue1]

Ice cream ain't gonna eat itself...

He sure did take UK and Mitch to the Cleaners, ice cream and all.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

If we could stop hating on the man for 5 seconds and give him some small benefit of the doubt (no longer possible here, I know), we would all likely speculate what he's been busy doing. After the worst season in his own history as a coach and UK, he is likely working harder than ever before to correct the debacle that just happened, whatever it may take. Don't let me interrupt the dart throwing here, though. By all means, the intelligence displayed in this thread, and on this board, is truly breathtaking.

The first thing he can do to right the ship is to simply play the five that give us the best chance to win. Not the guys with the most draft potential.

He’s here to win games at UK, not be a pimp for the NBA. My wife has been saying this for years. I used to take up for Cal, but not anymore. She was right, per usual.

 

[kyjeff1]

This might not be popular with very many people on this board, but I don’t think Cal is that sharp. He makes too many bad decisions over and over without learning from them. This team wasn’t well coached. Coaching and teaching is hard as hell. Getting elite talent is what helped him. Give him the sane talent, or slightly better talent, and he gets out coached on a regular basis.

I won't argue with you. That’s the feeling I have.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

I won't argue with you. That’s the feeling I have.

Any logical person would. People need to take their blinders off. I know I have.

 

[ABlockalypseBrow]

I like this fallback position better than the previous post. I'll just ignore that one. We could all do better, no doubt. There are literally hundreds of posts on here insulting and making sophomoric jokes at the expense of our coach, offering nothing productive and no solution. I don't see you correcting those. If I were insulting Calipari right now, you'd just laugh and agree. You wouldn't say a word about my being a mod or that I should be kinder and gentler than others.

Truth is, you just primarily dislike my comments because they don't agree with your current stance. I have not personally attacked anyone, by the way, and I wouldn't. I have made a general statement regarding the current atmosphere on this message board, and I believe it is accurate. I had a friend who used to say "If you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that yelps is the one you hit." So, if you're not making unhelpful, immature, baseless comments about the coach, then I'm not directing anything toward you. If you are insulted that someone thinks it's bad to insult and demean our coach and call for his firing when it is not reasonable and shouldn't happen right now, I don't know what else to say.

Your answer to insults is more insults. There’s a word for that: hypocrisy.

You’ve insulted my basketball IQ, and others on here, because they don’t rep BJ Boston to your level, so no, I don’t agree you don’t get personal.

And your asinine dog analogy is another thinly veiled insult, let’s not pretend otherwise, and a nice nail in the coffin for me to stop wasting my time on this conversation.

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

Keep insulting the customer. That's bound to be a good business model.

It isn't the first time , he's doubling down on his double down . Frankly I dont care , I dont agree with it , but the mods here give plenty of leash , I have no problem giving him plenty . I dont agree with him because I don't think Cal is capable of change . Thats the basis of any argument that John Benjamin Calipari should remain as head coach of our beloved Wildcats .. he's going to change . Hes going to go back to hungry Cal , eat the world Cal , etc etc .. guys. he isn't . That would admit failure and Cal isn't going to do that . Has anyone seen anything the past 5 years that leads you to believe he can win big without a major talent advantage ? Are we getting ANY talent advantage these days ?

 

[AFKY_Blue_RedsBengals]

What more can you say after a season like this? Going to work to fix this so we're better next year is the right approach and we don't need a 'Swaggy Cal' beating his chest but one focused on the job.

 

[willievic]

I figured he would be on TV doing analyst work and talking about how hard it is with Covid. Maybe he is back in the lab coming up with something that works.

I can tell him what will work. It's called coaching, because he's had the talent, not excuses.

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

 

[willievic]

IL WILDCAT, I have been following UK basketball probably longer then anyone on here. I don't hate Cal, or anyone else. I love UK, always have, and always will. In life, I've always felt that if you can't get the job done, you should quit or be fired. Let me ask you, "Do you feel Cal has done the job he was hired to do at UK, the last 5 or 6 years? Do you think he should be a players first, or UK first, since we pay him more then any coach in college basketball. Who should he be representing in your opinion, UK or the NBA. One of the problems on here, is if you don't think that Cal is doing a good job, the ones who think he is, bring up the first 6 years, and get pi$$ed when you bring up, that he had the BEST TALENT coming out of high school, and the last 6 years, he hasn't even made the Final Four, and I can recall three times, he was clearly OUT COACHED, in the NCAAT. You don't have to be a mental heavy weight to see that. Some on here would stay with Cal, regardless of what he does, then there are others who want more out of a coach. I'm one of those. I believe excuses are for LOSERS, and WINNERS don't have to make them. I have watched Cal throw players "Under the Bus," this year, and to me, that is unacceptable out of anyone, especially a coach. I try to stick with facts, unless the other person makes it personal. I never forget, it's only a game.

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

 

[revcort]

The first thing he can do to right the ship is to simply play the five that give us the best chance to win. Not the guys with the most draft potential.

He’s here to win games at UK, not be a pimp for the NBA. My wife has been saying this for years. I used to take up for Cal, but not anymore. She was right, per usual.

My wife says the same Dan. Yes, I agree winning games for UK must take priority.

 

[revcort]

Your answer to insults is more insults. There’s a word for that: hypocrisy.

You’ve insulted my basketball IQ, and others on here, because they don’t rep BJ Boston to your level, so no, I don’t agree you don’t get personal.

And your asinine dog analogy is another thinly veiled insult, let’s not pretend otherwise, and a nice nail in the coffin for me to stop wasting my time on this conversation.

It's simple really. You just want to silence me in whatever way you can. I get that. You dislike my point of view. You'd rather I pile on with the rest and say fire Cal right now. Problem is, it's not a realistic point of view. Love him or hate him, he's not leaving right now. That's the entire point I'm making. You can take that as a personal insult if you want. I never named you and never attacked you. You've attacked me right here for all to see. (Edit: by the way, where did "repping BJ Boston" enter this conversation? I haven't even mentioned his name) It's very clear. My original point still remains. Calipari is the coach of this team right now. The only constructive thing to discuss right now is how he can get this thing fixed. That is the immediate future. Can he do it? I hope he can. If he can't, I'll be joining the crowd and calling for him to go. If he can, I will support him in doing so. I've named multiple ways he can start to get this ship righted and I think you could likely agree with me on some of that if you can stop trying to shame me into silence for 5 minutes.

As with every fan I've interacted with here, I'm sure we have much more in common than we have differences. I'm sure we both want what is best for this program, first and foremost. Make no mistake, I am loyal to UK first, not to any coach. We had it before Cal, we've had it with him, and we'll still have it when he's gone. I do think Calipari can still get it done, though. He's going to have to make some changes, though. We'll see. Blessings to you ABlockalypse. I have no ill will toward you.

 

[revcort]

IL WILDCAT, I have been following UK basketball probably longer then anyone on here. I don't hate Cal, or anyone else. I love UK, always have, and always will. In life, I've always felt that if you can't get the job done, you should quit or be fired. Let me ask you, "Do you feel Cal has done the job he was hired to do at UK, the last 5 or 6 years? Do you think he should be a players first, or UK first, since we pay him more then any coach in college basketball. Who should he be representing in your opinion, UK or the NBA. One of the problems on here, is if you don't think that Cal is doing a good job, the ones who think he is, bring up the first 6 years, and get pi$$ed when you bring up, that he had the BEST TALENT coming out of high school, and the last 6 years, he hasn't even made the Final Four, and I can recall three times, he was clearly OUT COACHED, in the NCAAT. You don't have to be a mental heavy weight to see that. Some on here would stay with Cal, regardless of what he does, then there are others who want more out of a coach. I'm one of those. I believe excuses are for LOSERS, and WINNERS don't have to make them. I have watched Cal throw players "Under the Bus," this year, and to me, that is unacceptable out of anyone, especially a coach. I try to stick with facts, unless the other person makes it personal. I never forget, it's only a game.

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

This deserves an answer. Thanks for the respectful tone. I appreciate that. Glad to hear you don't hate Cal or anyone else. I feel the same.

Do I think he's done the job the last 5 or 6 years? I think it's a mixed bag in those years. He has had 2 Elite 8 finishes in the last 5 years. He had a 2nd round exit. He also had a Sweet 16. Last season we'll never know how he would have finished. And this season he clearly didn't get the job done.

Do I think it should be players first or UK first? It should be UK first. He's the coach of our program. Now, it should be able to work for all involved. Problem is, we have been getting the short end of that stick the last few years. The game is changing. Recruiting only one and dones isn't working and won't work now that the best players can go straight to the NBA.

I'm not going to get angry about your emphasis on the last 5 or 6 seasons. I get that. That is more recent. But you also can't ignore the first 5 or 6 years, either. They do exist.

No, he hasn't made a final four since 2015 and there's no denying that. I don't accept excuses, either. It is what it is. I would have loved to see how last season's team would have fared. Covid-19 hasn't been a friend to our program at all. That's not an excuse, just another fact to consider.

I think some of the "throwing players under the bus" is legitimate and some of it is a matter of perspective. I do think Dontaie Allen is a lightning rod for the fanbase right now. I think it's very telling that he's coming back. I'm thrilled he's coming back. It tells me that some of fans perceive to be Cal throwing him under the bus wasn't as bad as some thought. Allen would be gone if that were the case.

I completely understand your frustration and the frustration of other fans. Don't mistake my acceptance that Cal is the coach for now as satisfaction with where we are. This season was a disaster. There is no excuse for it. Changes must come. I do believe Cal can get it done, though. I think we're about to see a laser focused John Calipari and a dramatically improved product on the floor. And as I've said here several times, if changes don't happen, beginning with retaining players and ending with winning a bunch more games, his days are numbered.

I appreciate the conversation.

 

[natchezrule]

the grammatical error says it all.

Unbelievable. Your ridiculous.


PS I spelled a word wrong so you would feel good about yourself

 

[ABlockalypseBrow]

It's simple really. You just want to silence me in whatever way you can. I get that. You dislike my point of view. You'd rather I pile on with the rest and say fire Cal right now. Problem is, it's not a realistic point of view. Love him or hate him, he's not leaving right now. That's the entire point I'm making. You can take that as a personal insult if you want. I never named you and never attacked you. You've attacked me right here for all to see. (Edit: by the way, where did "repping BJ Boston" enter this conversation? I haven't even mentioned his name) It's very clear. My original point still remains. Calipari is the coach of this team right now. The only constructive thing to discuss right now is how he can get this thing fixed. That is the immediate future. Can he do it? I hope he can. If he can't, I'll be joining the crowd and calling for him to go. If he can, I will support him in doing so. I've named multiple ways he can start to get this ship righted and I think you could likely agree with me on some of that if you can stop trying to shame me into silence for 5 minutes.

As with every fan I've interacted with here, I'm sure we have much more in common than we have differences. I'm sure we both want what is best for this program, first and foremost. Make no mistake, I am loyal to UK first, not to any coach. We had it before Cal, we've had it with him, and we'll still have it when he's gone. I do think Calipari can still get it done, though. He's going to have to make some changes, though. We'll see. Blessings to you ABlockalypse. I have no ill will toward you.

Your mind reading skills aren’t what you might think they are, I have not tried to silence you but have only tried to get you to stop bringing insults and other personal baggage into it. It doesn’t make for a healthy discussion, so it’s no surprise to me you’ve had very few positive discussions in this thread with Cal critics. You may see that as a reflection on them and the board, but consider it could be in both directions.

I find it a bit hilarious you say I’ve attacked you (how and when) yet you won’t admit to the reverse. But then again you say those who throw rocks at Cal deserve them thrown back, and you’ve admitted to throwing rocks, so why and how play the victim now? You can’t be victim and aggressor both, perhaps lay your rocks down before you try to accuse me of attacking or silencing.

All that aside, I believe there are certain core counterproductive tenets to how Cal does things that will never change, some because he can’t and others because he won’t. For those reasons I have my doubts that it’s within Cal’s ability to right this ship to the UK fanbase’s satisfaction (i.e. final fours and preferably titles), outside of God or pure chance. So it’s certainly time to pray for the program imo.

I have no ill will towards you either, or any sincere UK fan. God bless!

 

[Panthur]

By all means, the intelligence displayed in this thread, and on this board, is truly breathtaking.

Always nice to have someone jump in midthread and call us all idiots. Preesh. Now back to reading the thread.....

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

I may be in the minority , I may be in the far end of the minority on this topic of how fans should act/ respond / state things about Coach Cal , but here goes . I. feel fan heat is the ONLY thing that will force Coach to step aside . He has the buyout , he has the contract , he has UK and BBN by the short hairs. So we have 2 choices , come up with 52 mil' OR make him so uncomfortable and disliked he decides the broadcast booth looks pretty appealing . I have no problem saying I'm in camp 2 .
If they ever open up Rupp Arena you will see the dislike for the way Cal has trashed BBN. Until then fans stating their disapproval of his performance ( its been posted a 1000 times ) his record vs our rivals. , his record vs ranked opponents , his lack of recruiting success , and his dismal , horrific job did all of this past season , his insulting fans on a consistent basis , his incoherent press conferences and post game shows , it adds up to he is no longer fit to lead our program. And raising hell is a better option than 52 million that can used to get a guy truly , 100% invested in UK being # 1 again. Cals ship has sailed , It had some great trips . I guess there is a third option , blindly swallow all his cheap rhetoric and hope for the best . Pray for transfers ?? Thats where we are . I guess if he fired the entire staff that might show he's serious about winning .

 

[sluggercatfan]

Charles cucked him hard yesterday. Probably needed some Ellen brownies after that on-air spanking.

????

 

[KYCAT78]

I figured he would be on TV doing analyst work and talking about how hard it is with Covid. Maybe he is back in the lab coming up with something that works.

Should be in prison for stealing 10 million dollars.

 

[KyFaninNC]

I may be in the minority , I may be in the far end of the minority on this topic of how fans should act/ respond / state things about Coach Cal , but here goes . I. feel fan heat is the ONLY thing that will force Coach to step aside . He has the buyout , he has the contract , he has UK and BBN by the short hairs. So we have 2 choices , come up with 52 mil' OR make him so uncomfortable and disliked he decides the broadcast booth looks pretty appealing . I have no problem saying I'm in camp 2 .
If they ever open up Rupp Arena you will see the dislike for the way Cal has trashed BBN. Until then fans stating their disapproval of his performance ( its been posted a 1000 times ) his record vs our rivals. , his record vs ranked opponents , his lack of recruiting success , and his dismal , horrific job did all of this past season , his insulting fans on a consistent basis , his incoherent press conferences and post game shows , it adds up to he is no longer fit to lead our program. And raising hell is a better option than 52 million that can used to get a guy truly , 100% invested in UK being # 1 again. Cals ship has sailed , It had some great trips . I guess there is a third option , blindly swallow all his cheap rhetoric and hope for the best . Pray for transfers ?? Thats where we are . I guess if he fired the entire staff that might show he's serious about winning .

1000% spot on!

 

[sluggercatfan]

It isn't the first time , he's doubling down on his double down . Frankly I dont care , I dont agree with it , but the mods here give plenty of leash , I have no problem giving him plenty . I dont agree with him because I don't think Cal is capable of change . Thats the basis of any argument that John Benjamin Calipari should remain as head coach of our beloved Wildcats .. he's going to change . Hes going to go back to hungry Cal , eat the world Cal , etc etc .. guys. he isn't . That would admit failure and Cal isn't going to do that . Has anyone seen anything the past 5 years that leads you to believe he can win big without a major talent advantage ? Are we getting ANY talent advantage these days ?

Have said this for 5+ years... if he dosent have the best of the best he's not winning squat.

 

[willievic]

This deserves an answer. Thanks for the respectful tone. I appreciate that. Glad to hear you don't hate Cal or anyone else. I feel the same.

Do I think he's done the job the last 5 or 6 years? I think it's a mixed bag in those years. He has had 2 Elite 8 finishes in the last 5 years. He had a 2nd round exit. He also had a Sweet 16. Last season we'll never know how he would have finished. And this season he clearly didn't get the job done.

Do I think it should be players first or UK first? It should be UK first. He's the coach of our program. Now, it should be able to work for all involved. Problem is, we have been getting the short end of that stick the last few years. The game is changing. Recruiting only one and dones isn't working and won't work now that the best players can go straight to the NBA.

I'm not going to get angry about your emphasis on the last 5 or 6 seasons. I get that. That is more recent. But you also can't ignore the first 5 or 6 years, either. They do exist.

No, he hasn't made a final four since 2015 and there's no denying that. I don't accept excuses, either. It is what it is. I would have loved to see how last season's team would have fared. Covid-19 hasn't been a friend to our program at all. That's not an excuse, just another fact to consider.

I think some of the "throwing players under the bus" is legitimate and some of it is a matter of perspective. I do think Dontaie Allen is a lightning rod for the fanbase right now. I think it's very telling that he's coming back. I'm thrilled he's coming back. It tells me that some of fans perceive to be Cal throwing him under the bus wasn't as bad as some thought. Allen would be gone if that were the case.

I completely understand your frustration and the frustration of other fans. Don't mistake my acceptance that Cal is the coach for now as satisfaction with where we are. This season was a disaster. There is no excuse for it. Changes must come. I do believe Cal can get it done, though. I think we're about to see a laser focused John Calipari and a dramatically improved product on the floor. And as I've said here several times, if changes don't happen, beginning with retaining players and ending with winning a bunch more games, his days are numbered.

I appreciate the conversation.

IL, thanks for the reply. You and I prove that two people, with somewhat different opinions, can agree to disagree, on some things, in a sensible way. The one thing we both agree on is, we both LOVE UK, and always will. If Cal can do the job, I want him there for the rest of my life, which is probably not to long at 81. I'm in good health, and just take it a day at a time, but thankful for every day. God has been very good to this old Eastern Kentucky Hill Billy. Best of luck to you in the future.

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

 

[UK till Death]

the grammatical error says it all.

Yor cheeting skumbag teem and cooch juust loste bye thirdy pointes and yor ovur hear playeng gramer kop two skore politikal pointes.

LOOSER!!

 

[revcort]

IL, thanks for the reply. You and I prove that two people, with somewhat different opinions, can agree to disagree, on some things, in a sensible way. The one thing we both agree on is, we both LOVE UK, and always will. If Cal can do the job, I want him there for the rest of my life, which is probably not to long at 81. I'm in good health, and just take it a day at a time, but thankful for every day. God has been very good to this old Eastern Kentucky Hill Billy. Best of luck to you in the future.

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

Hey my friend, may God bless you with many, many more years.
And one way or another, I hope UK can get back to its winning ways. Losing stinks!

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

Have said this for 5+ years... if he dosent have the best of the best he's not winning squat.

yep , and having the balls / hoops knowledge to point it out gets you laughed at by the true Benny's here .

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

Hey my friend, may God bless you with many, many more years.
And one way or another, I hope UK can get back to its winning ways. Losing stinks!

You are true blue , and the earth is large enough for both our opinions on Cal . Thanks for being a good Mod .

 

[revcort]

You are true blue , and the earth is large enough for both our opinions on Cal . Thanks for being a good Mod .

Thanks ManitouDan. I appreciate that more than you know.

 

[UKNothinButNet]

Spin away, spin away all you like, but a HOF coach just got paid $1 million dollars per win at UK, with supposedly 3-5 future pros on his roster!

$9+ million to turn in the worst season in school history! There’s no amount of sugar to coat that fact!

"BALL DON'T LIE!"

 

[Yardeth]

So, let’s say Cal puts together a good team for next year and we go to the Final Four and then return players that need to return for the next season. How many will still want Cal gone? Even if he seems to have changed.

 

[wildcat111]

I figured he would be on TV doing analyst work and talking about how hard it is with Covid. Maybe he is back in the lab coming up with something that works.

Probably just sitting at home counting the $$$ millions he got paid for the 9 wins. No need to do anything with a lifetime contract.

 

[KyFaninNC]

So, let’s say Cal puts together a good team for next year and we go to the Final Four and then return players that need to return for the next season. How many will still want Cal gone? Even if he seems to have changed.

So, let’s say we lose 2/3 more from this team, which makes 6/7, and struggle next year against cup cakes, win a few more games, say a record of 15/15, miss the tourney again. How many more will want him gone?

 

[TortElvisII]

The one thing that I hope Cal does as he says-mentioned he was going to watch his "friends" coach-well I hope that means Mark Few, Nate Oats, I hope he's somehow friendly with Dana Altman too, because the speed/style of offense is enjoyable to watch. That is where Kentucky must improve, defensively they were good enough to be in games, they just had lousy offensive execution and guard play aside from Mintz hot streak down stretch.

Now here's what scares me, Cal's "good friends" we know are Mark Turgeon and Rick Barnes. Nothing about either I'd watch and emulate unless it was to try and get some much needed sleep.

I hope Cal didn't watch Iowa for defensive tips.

They ought to be recruiting matadors.

 

[Pickle_Rick]

Cal is responsible for the worst season in UK history. Do you expect him to be shouting about it from the roof tops?

He is probably hunkered down with Ellen in a bunker beneath his house.

I expect him to come out, and grovel to the fans for producing the worst season in the history of UK basketball despite being the highest paid coach in the game. Assure us that this will never happen again under his watch, and the steps he is undertaking to make sure that it DOES not ever happen again. That would buy him a cease fire. Until he breaks his word, which i figure would take 5 months, 3 of which he will be on vacation.

Then, he can apologize for being a smartass to the people that pay his enormous salary.

That would be a good start. Wins and loses will take care of themselves if the team plays hard, and with purpose. Be done with being a NBA develooment team. Be for UK. And tell the kids, if you play for you, you are going to be on the bench. Then sit them there!

But otherwise, this is fine.

 

[Yardeth]

Where is Waldo, I mean Cal? This guy has fell off the map, nothing about him flying anywhere or being seen in public. Is he hiding in his house sucking his thumb and watching Lifetime?