John Calipari has already conquered the college basketball world, and is in the process of proving his preeminence again. Might the Kentucky Wildcats coach be ready for a new challenge? Those in the know seem to think so.
An anonymous executive told Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com that Calipari is itching to coach in the NBA again, 16 years after being fired from his first professional gig.
“He desperately wants it,” the front office official said. “He won’t say it out loud. The NBA is the only place he’s ever failed and it drives him nuts. He’s not the same guy he was then. He came to the NBA and he wasn’t ready. He’s ready now.”
The 56 year-old Calipari took over as coach of the New Jersey Nets in 1996. He guided the team to a 26-56 record in his first season on the sidelines, then led New Jersey to the playoffs the following year where they were swept in the first round. Calipari was fired just 20 games into his third campaign with New Jersey after the Nets began the 1998-1999 a dismal 3-17. He took over as coach at the University of Memphis after one season as an assistant under Larry Brown for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Calipari has been linked to multiple high-profile NBA openings over the past several years, but hasn’t left the NCAA for the next level. It’s reasonable to conclude that another championship with the undefeated Wildcats would make him more receptive to the move. In that case, the question would become just what jobs might be available.
Popper’s article suggests the Nets as Calipari’s most likely NBA destination, but it’s pure conjecture. Lionel Hollins just took over in Brooklyn last summer, and the Nets’ uncertain ownership future – let alone underwhelming roster and salary cap clutter – doesn’t make the team’s job very attractive anyway.
Calipari would likely have his pick of coaching vacancies, though. Despite his unsuccessful tenure in New Jersey, the NBA holds him in very high esteem – as LeBron James recently indicated.
LeBron James on what he admires about his friend, @UKCoachCalipari: pic.twitter.com/lrjiNJGtE9
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 25, 2015
Kentucky seems destined to cut down nets at the Final Four come early next month, and will face an exodus of talent to the professional ranks shortly thereafter. While most assume that the Wildcats’ biggest losses for next season will be Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein, there exists the possibility UK will have far bigger shoes to fill.
If Calipari really does want to coach in the NBA, we’ll surely see him on the sidelines in 2015-2016. Stay tuned.
