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Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
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JRsec Offline
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Post: #21
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 12:18 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Most would agree that Calipari is, to be fair, not an elite all-round coach. But he might be a better coach — in terms of in-game strategy, substitution patterns, clock management, etc. — than his detractors either want to admit or realize.

Lots of folks (particularly old-school types) might not like the fact that Cal, a former NBA coach, is strongly focused on getting his players to the NBA. Some of these people (they tend to be what I call "purists") tend to be dismissive of the NBA and, as such, can be overly critical about anything or anyone affiliated with it. They perhaps feel Cal's "pro ball focus" for his players is indirectly disrespectful to the college game.

Maybe I'm wrong.

This time Bill you are wrong. Not about in game management per se, though his are questionable, but you are dead wrong by being right about what Cal seeks to do.

His job as head coach at the University of Kentucky is to win championships, not act as a trainer and agent for the NBA. Who pays his check? Kentucky, Agents of Players, or the NBA? Who knows for sure, maybe all 3 (kind of dark humor, kind of not), but legally it should be only one, Kentucky. By pedigree and performance, he is missing the standards of that school. That's the whole issue of this thread, IMO.
(This post was last modified: 01-08-2023 01:08 PM by JRsec.)
01-08-2023 12:34 PM
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bill dazzle Online
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Post: #22
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 12:34 PM)JRsec Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 12:18 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Most would agree that Calipari is, to be fair, not an elite all-round coach. But he might be a better coach — in terms of in-game strategy, substitution patterns, clock management, etc. — than his detractors either want to admit or realize.

Lots of folks (particularly old-school types) might not like the fact that Cal, a former NBA coach, is strongly focused on getting his players to the NBA. Some of these people (they tend to be what I call "purists") tend to be dismissive of the NBA and, as such, can be overly critical about anything or anyone affiliated with it. They perhaps feel Cal's "pro ball focus" for his players is indirectly disrespectful to the college game.

Maybe I'm wrong.

This time Bill you are wrong. Not about in game management per se, those his are questionable, but you are dead wrong by being right about what Cal seeks to do.

His job as head coach at the University of Kentucky is to win championships, not act as a trainer and agent for the NBA. Who pays his check? Kentucky, Agents of Players, or the NBA? Who knows for sure, maybe all 3 (kind of dark humor, kind of not), but legally it should be only one, Kentucky. By pedigree and performance, he is missing the standards of that school. That's the whole issue of this thread, IMO.

You are correct that his job is, in large part, to win titles, JR. No doubt.

So yes, he is failing in that regard.

But my point remains about how some folks don't care for the level of emphasis Calipari places on getting his players to the NBA. I previously posted that if Cal (hypothetically) could have 10 Kentucky players drafted in the first round — and he knew this would be a record never to be broken by any other college coach ... he might take that accomplishment over winning another title. And I am only half-joking when I note that.

Cal is a different breed. I gather he enjoys watching the NBA, respects the league and likes being indirectly affiliated with it by having lots of players drafted and make pro rosters — more so than most other coaches.
01-08-2023 12:47 PM
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JRsec Offline
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Post: #23
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 12:47 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 12:34 PM)JRsec Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 12:18 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Most would agree that Calipari is, to be fair, not an elite all-round coach. But he might be a better coach — in terms of in-game strategy, substitution patterns, clock management, etc. — than his detractors either want to admit or realize.

Lots of folks (particularly old-school types) might not like the fact that Cal, a former NBA coach, is strongly focused on getting his players to the NBA. Some of these people (they tend to be what I call "purists") tend to be dismissive of the NBA and, as such, can be overly critical about anything or anyone affiliated with it. They perhaps feel Cal's "pro ball focus" for his players is indirectly disrespectful to the college game.

Maybe I'm wrong.

This time Bill you are wrong. Not about in game management per se, those his are questionable, but you are dead wrong by being right about what Cal seeks to do.

His job as head coach at the University of Kentucky is to win championships, not act as a trainer and agent for the NBA. Who pays his check? Kentucky, Agents of Players, or the NBA? Who knows for sure, maybe all 3 (kind of dark humor, kind of not), but legally it should be only one, Kentucky. By pedigree and performance, he is missing the standards of that school. That's the whole issue of this thread, IMO.

You are correct that his job is, in large part, to win titles, JR. No doubt.

So yes, he is failing in that regard.

But my point remains about how some folks don't care for the level of emphasis Calipari places on getting his players to the NBA. I previously posted that if Cal (hypothetically) could have 10 Kentucky players drafted in the first round — and he knew this would be a record never to be broken by any other college coach ... he might take that accomplishment over winning another title. And I am only half-joking when I note that.

Cal is a different breed. I gather he enjoys watching the NBA, respects the league and likes being indirectly affiliated with it by having lots of players drafted and make pro rosters — more so than most other coaches.

And my very clear point Bill is that if Cal has a conflict of interest between winning for the University and a personal agenda with the NBA and or draftees then he has the priority of his job confused with a personal agenda and needs to be terminated.

If Coca-Cola employed you as a chemist and expected ingredients you used in recipes for their product to remain your priority and only in their product, and you wanted to see other industries outside of, but still connected to the beverage industry, benefit from those ingredients, should you keep your job? Or should you be terminated?

It's a black and white issue over a conflict of interests. The players have their own self-interest at heart or should. It's fine for Cal to encourage his players to do what is best for them, but it is not his job to groom and market them for that purpose. He can do both but only if winning for Kentucky is his first priority. The motive you suggest is dishonest with regard to his employer's reason for hiring him. It's a fine line, and one which may be straddled as long as what is best for UK is first. You assert that essentially it isn't.
(This post was last modified: 01-08-2023 12:59 PM by JRsec.)
01-08-2023 12:54 PM
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Post: #24
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
Cal’s job is to

1) Win national titles

2) Recruit elite blue chip athletes

3) Beat Louisville

UK boosters don’t care about anything else. Period. This is what the job demands. Gillespie and Smith weren’t up to the task and I’m not sure who else the boosters think will get this done that’s better than Cal. The boosters drool over recruiting, they don’t want to wait around for a coach to build a team. This is Kentucky, not Tennessee or Wake Forest.

Anybody questioning his in-game strategy and abilities doesn’t know basketball. Coaching freshmen is a hell of a lot harder than people think, whether they’re blue chip or walk-ons. Essentially Cal is starting from scratch every season and he is well aware of it. But to say the man can’t coach is asinine; look at his records at UMass and Memphis.
01-08-2023 01:05 PM
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Post: #25
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 12:54 PM)JRsec Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 12:47 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 12:34 PM)JRsec Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 12:18 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Most would agree that Calipari is, to be fair, not an elite all-round coach. But he might be a better coach — in terms of in-game strategy, substitution patterns, clock management, etc. — than his detractors either want to admit or realize.

Lots of folks (particularly old-school types) might not like the fact that Cal, a former NBA coach, is strongly focused on getting his players to the NBA. Some of these people (they tend to be what I call "purists") tend to be dismissive of the NBA and, as such, can be overly critical about anything or anyone affiliated with it. They perhaps feel Cal's "pro ball focus" for his players is indirectly disrespectful to the college game.

Maybe I'm wrong.

This time Bill you are wrong. Not about in game management per se, those his are questionable, but you are dead wrong by being right about what Cal seeks to do.

His job as head coach at the University of Kentucky is to win championships, not act as a trainer and agent for the NBA. Who pays his check? Kentucky, Agents of Players, or the NBA? Who knows for sure, maybe all 3 (kind of dark humor, kind of not), but legally it should be only one, Kentucky. By pedigree and performance, he is missing the standards of that school. That's the whole issue of this thread, IMO.

You are correct that his job is, in large part, to win titles, JR. No doubt.

So yes, he is failing in that regard.

But my point remains about how some folks don't care for the level of emphasis Calipari places on getting his players to the NBA. I previously posted that if Cal (hypothetically) could have 10 Kentucky players drafted in the first round — and he knew this would be a record never to be broken by any other college coach ... he might take that accomplishment over winning another title. And I am only half-joking when I note that.

Cal is a different breed. I gather he enjoys watching the NBA, respects the league and likes being indirectly affiliated with it by having lots of players drafted and make pro rosters — more so than most other coaches.

And my very clear point Bill is that if Cal has a conflict of interest between winning for the University and a personal agenda with the NBA and or draftees then he has the priority of his job confused with a personal agenda and needs to be terminated.

If Coca-Cola employed you as a chemist and expected ingredients you used in recipes for their product to remain your priority and only in their product, and you wanted to see other industries outside of, but still connected to the beverage industry, benefit from those ingredients, should you keep your job? Or should you be terminated?

It's a black and white issue over a conflict of interests. The players have their own self-interest at heart or should. It's fine for Cal to encourage his players to do what is best for them, but it is not his job to groom and market them for that purpose. He can do both but only if winning for Kentucky is his first priority. The motive you suggest is dishonest with regard to his employer's reason for hiring him. It's a fine line, and one which may be straddled as long as what is best for UK is first. You assert that essentially it isn't.

Agree fully.
01-08-2023 01:51 PM
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Post: #26
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 01:05 PM)esayem Wrote:  Cal’s job is to

1) Win national titles

2) Recruit elite blue chip athletes

3) Beat Louisville

UK boosters don’t care about anything else. Period. This is what the job demands. Gillespie and Smith weren’t up to the task and I’m not sure who else the boosters think will get this done that’s better than Cal. The boosters drool over recruiting, they don’t want to wait around for a coach to build a team. This is Kentucky, not Tennessee or Wake Forest.

Anybody questioning his in-game strategy and abilities doesn’t know basketball. Coaching freshmen is a hell of a lot harder than people think, whether they’re blue chip or walk-ons. Essentially Cal is starting from scratch every season and he is well aware of it. But to say the man can’t coach is asinine; look at his records at UMass and Memphis.

I might transpose Nos. 2 and 3. 02-13-banana
01-08-2023 01:52 PM
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Post: #27
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
His results are very up and down recently, with more down than up, but in the decade prior to that he won a title and went to 2 other final 4's. Perhaps the 1 and done model is done, perhaps he's lost his fastball...who knows? I wouldn't say that he's on the hot seat right now, but give him another year of 2 of 26 point losses to Alabama and Oates could be taking Calipari's job.
01-08-2023 04:30 PM
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Post: #28
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
Look at the roster. 5 of 6 top scorers are seniors. So that class and the current freshman class were failures. Seniors would be in nba if successful. Most of the juniors and sophomores are gone so they misses or are in nba. He almost always has a top ranked team but one and dones aren’t great for the tourney.
(This post was last modified: 01-08-2023 09:42 PM by bullet.)
01-08-2023 09:41 PM
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Post: #29
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
They are 10-5 this year, the 5 losses are to Michigan State (Champions Classic), at Gonzaga, UCLA (CBS Sports Classic), at Missouri, and at Alabama. All but MSU are top 25 AP/USAT teams and Gonzaga, UCLA, and Alabama are top 10 teams. It is Kentucky and expectations are high and they have no really eye opening wins but there isn't the bad loss that other schools have. Arizona lost at home to Wazzu yesterday. Indiana lost at home to Northwestern yesterday. Baylor is 0-3 in the Big 12 with two home losses. Kentucky hasn't lost one game in Rupp Arena this year. If Kentucky is in trouble, they have company.
01-08-2023 10:48 PM
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Post: #30
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 01:05 PM)esayem Wrote:  Cal’s job is to

1) Win national titles

2) Recruit elite blue chip athletes

3) Beat Louisville

UK boosters don’t care about anything else. Period. This is what the job demands. Gillespie and Smith weren’t up to the task and I’m not sure who else the boosters think will get this done that’s better than Cal. The boosters drool over recruiting, they don’t want to wait around for a coach to build a team. This is Kentucky, not Tennessee or Wake Forest.

Anybody questioning his in-game strategy and abilities doesn’t know basketball. Coaching freshmen is a hell of a lot harder than people think, whether they’re blue chip or walk-ons. Essentially Cal is starting from scratch every season and he is well aware of it. But to say the man can’t coach is asinine; look at his records at UMass and Memphis.

Why the swipe at TN? Very strong performances recently and in 2022 underseeded at 3 and lost to another underseeded team in Michigan.
01-08-2023 11:16 PM
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Post: #31
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 10:48 PM)schmolik Wrote:  They are 10-5 this year, the 5 losses are to Michigan State (Champions Classic), at Gonzaga, UCLA (CBS Sports Classic), at Missouri, and at Alabama. All but MSU are top 25 AP/USAT teams and Gonzaga, UCLA, and Alabama are top 10 teams. It is Kentucky and expectations are high and they have no really eye opening wins but there isn't the bad loss that other schools have. Arizona lost at home to Wazzu yesterday. Indiana lost at home to Northwestern yesterday. Baylor is 0-3 in the Big 12 with two home losses. Kentucky hasn't lost one game in Rupp Arena this year. If Kentucky is in trouble, they have company.

Yep, +3
01-09-2023 12:39 AM
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JRsec Offline
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Post: #32
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 10:48 PM)schmolik Wrote:  They are 10-5 this year, the 5 losses are to Michigan State (Champions Classic), at Gonzaga, UCLA (CBS Sports Classic), at Missouri, and at Alabama. All but MSU are top 25 AP/USAT teams and Gonzaga, UCLA, and Alabama are top 10 teams. It is Kentucky and expectations are high and they have no really eye opening wins but there isn't the bad loss that other schools have. Arizona lost at home to Wazzu yesterday. Indiana lost at home to Northwestern yesterday. Baylor is 0-3 in the Big 12 with two home losses. Kentucky hasn't lost one game in Rupp Arena this year. If Kentucky is in trouble, they have company.

I don't mean to make you queasy, but you know you sound a lot like Quo Vadis justifying Alabama's potential inclusion in the CFP because there were no bad losses. It's Kentucky. If they have played 5 top schools, they should have won 2 in a bad year and at least 3 in a good year, instead they lost 5. Just saying.
(This post was last modified: 01-09-2023 12:54 AM by JRsec.)
01-09-2023 12:53 AM
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WhoseHouse? Offline
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Post: #33
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 11:09 AM)esayem Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 09:16 AM)WhoseHouse? Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 09:08 AM)esayem Wrote:  And Mark Few has 0 titles and plays a schedule softer than bathroom tissue (the good kind).

People are judging Cal with their personal biases. I would reckon it’s a hell of a lot harder to coach a brand new team of freshmen every season to the success he’s achieved. If there’s a downfall, it’s his recruiting practices. But if he stopped that approach then the fanbase would cry.

Once again, his UMass teams were not loaded with NBA talent, but I distinctly remember them beating the defending champion Tar Heels and whipping powerhouse Arkansas as well. Anybody saying he can’t coach should stick to football commentary.

Not sure why you're taking a swipe at Gonzaga. Since Kentucky's last final four (2015) Kentucky has 3 S16s and 2 E8s. Gonzaga on the other hand has been to the S16 in all 6 seasons, 3 E8's, and finished runner up twice. So they've kind of been the better of the two programsas of late.

The whole premise is Calipari does't win enough titles. Few has never won one, but nobody is calling for his head.

Cal won a title over a decade ago at the sports most premier program. Can’t keep reading off that forever. As for the Few-Cal comp, really? They’re at two completely different programs with entirely different standards/expectations. Kentuckys got a championship pedigree that literally predates Gonzagas program. Gonzaga on the other hand had two NCAAT appearances prior to Few and 3 total tournament wins. They’ve made 22 straight tournament appearances and won 38 tournament games since Fews arrival. He is Gonzaga basketball. Completely different dynamic with Cal and Kentucky. Cal had it going on at the beginning of his Kentucky run. From 2011-2015 he made the final four 4 times and won the tourney in 2012. I think where his fortune began to turn was the 2015 run. His failure to win the tourney with the most talented team ever assembled kind of ensured that he’d never be viewed as a member of the uppermost echelon of the coaching ranks. He followed that run up with four more solid years, never missing the tourney but also never making it past the E8. 2020 was a lost year. But he followed that up in 2021 with Kentucky’s first losing season in 30+ years and then their worst tournament upset in the first round of last years tourney. Now he’s 10-5 in the “redeem team” year with another team that doesn’t look like it has the horses to make a deep run.

Tbc, Cal is a good coach. At 95%+ of programs this level of success would get him a statue built but he’s not at one of those programs. He’s at the program. And the downward trajectory of his teams over the last 7-8 seasons seems to indicate that he’s peaked. Don’t cry too hard if he gets fired though, Cals made a hell of a lot of money coaching at Kentucky. For of us will ever have the good luck to be as unfortunate as him.
(This post was last modified: 01-09-2023 02:27 AM by WhoseHouse?.)
01-09-2023 02:25 AM
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Post: #34
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-09-2023 12:53 AM)JRsec Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 10:48 PM)schmolik Wrote:  They are 10-5 this year, the 5 losses are to Michigan State (Champions Classic), at Gonzaga, UCLA (CBS Sports Classic), at Missouri, and at Alabama. All but MSU are top 25 AP/USAT teams and Gonzaga, UCLA, and Alabama are top 10 teams. It is Kentucky and expectations are high and they have no really eye opening wins but there isn't the bad loss that other schools have. Arizona lost at home to Wazzu yesterday. Indiana lost at home to Northwestern yesterday. Baylor is 0-3 in the Big 12 with two home losses. Kentucky hasn't lost one game in Rupp Arena this year. If Kentucky is in trouble, they have company.

I don't mean to make you queasy, but you know you sound a lot like Quo Vadis justifying Alabama's potential inclusion in the CFP because there were no bad losses. It's Kentucky. If they have played 5 top schools, they should have won 2 in a bad year and at least 3 in a good year, instead they lost 5. Just saying.

You're comparing me to Quo Vadis now??? 03-banghead

I never said they were a CFP level team (so Final Four for the men's basketball equivalent). I was saying, in the words of Aaron Rodgers, people need to relax. OK, bad analogy after last night. There's a difference between not Final Four level and "What is going on?"
01-09-2023 06:57 AM
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Post: #35
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 10:48 PM)schmolik Wrote:  They are 10-5 this year, the 5 losses are to Michigan State (Champions Classic), at Gonzaga, UCLA (CBS Sports Classic), at Missouri, and at Alabama. All but MSU are top 25 AP/USAT teams and Gonzaga, UCLA, and Alabama are top 10 teams. It is Kentucky and expectations are high and they have no really eye opening wins but there isn't the bad loss that other schools have. Arizona lost at home to Wazzu yesterday. Indiana lost at home to Northwestern yesterday. Baylor is 0-3 in the Big 12 with two home losses. Kentucky hasn't lost one game in Rupp Arena this year. If Kentucky is in trouble, they have company.

Did you say, "Duke"? "North Carolina"? Yeah, those programs are in trouble. 04-cheers
01-09-2023 07:36 AM
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Post: #36
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 11:16 PM)Soobahk40050 Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 01:05 PM)esayem Wrote:  Cal’s job is to

1) Win national titles

2) Recruit elite blue chip athletes

3) Beat Louisville

UK boosters don’t care about anything else. Period. This is what the job demands. Gillespie and Smith weren’t up to the task and I’m not sure who else the boosters think will get this done that’s better than Cal. The boosters drool over recruiting, they don’t want to wait around for a coach to build a team. This is Kentucky, not Tennessee or Wake Forest.

Anybody questioning his in-game strategy and abilities doesn’t know basketball. Coaching freshmen is a hell of a lot harder than people think, whether they’re blue chip or walk-ons. Essentially Cal is starting from scratch every season and he is well aware of it. But to say the man can’t coach is asinine; look at his records at UMass and Memphis.

Why the swipe at TN? Very strong performances recently and in 2022 underseeded at 3 and lost to another underseeded team in Michigan.

It was the opposite of a swipe. Those are good programs without insane UK level expectations.
01-09-2023 07:52 AM
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esayem Offline
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Post: #37
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-09-2023 02:25 AM)WhoseHouse? Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 11:09 AM)esayem Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 09:16 AM)WhoseHouse? Wrote:  
(01-08-2023 09:08 AM)esayem Wrote:  And Mark Few has 0 titles and plays a schedule softer than bathroom tissue (the good kind).

People are judging Cal with their personal biases. I would reckon it’s a hell of a lot harder to coach a brand new team of freshmen every season to the success he’s achieved. If there’s a downfall, it’s his recruiting practices. But if he stopped that approach then the fanbase would cry.

Once again, his UMass teams were not loaded with NBA talent, but I distinctly remember them beating the defending champion Tar Heels and whipping powerhouse Arkansas as well. Anybody saying he can’t coach should stick to football commentary.

Not sure why you're taking a swipe at Gonzaga. Since Kentucky's last final four (2015) Kentucky has 3 S16s and 2 E8s. Gonzaga on the other hand has been to the S16 in all 6 seasons, 3 E8's, and finished runner up twice. So they've kind of been the better of the two programsas of late.

The whole premise is Calipari does't win enough titles. Few has never won one, but nobody is calling for his head.

Cal won a title over a decade ago at the sports most premier program. Can’t keep reading off that forever. As for the Few-Cal comp, really? They’re at two completely different programs with entirely different standards/expectations. Kentuckys got a championship pedigree that literally predates Gonzagas program. Gonzaga on the other hand had two NCAAT appearances prior to Few and 3 total tournament wins. They’ve made 22 straight tournament appearances and won 38 tournament games since Fews arrival. He is Gonzaga basketball. Completely different dynamic with Cal and Kentucky. Cal had it going on at the beginning of his Kentucky run. From 2011-2015 he made the final four 4 times and won the tourney in 2012. I think where his fortune began to turn was the 2015 run. His failure to win the tourney with the most talented team ever assembled kind of ensured that he’d never be viewed as a member of the uppermost echelon of the coaching ranks. He followed that run up with four more solid years, never missing the tourney but also never making it past the E8. 2020 was a lost year. But he followed that up in 2021 with Kentucky’s first losing season in 30+ years and then their worst tournament upset in the first round of last years tourney. Now he’s 10-5 in the “redeem team” year with another team that doesn’t look like it has the horses to make a deep run.

Tbc, Cal is a good coach. At 95%+ of programs this level of success would get him a statue built but he’s not at one of those programs. He’s at the program. And the downward trajectory of his teams over the last 7-8 seasons seems to indicate that he’s peaked. Don’t cry too hard if he gets fired though, Cals made a hell of a lot of money coaching at Kentucky. For of us will ever have the good luck to be as unfortunate as him.

I feel like you’re agreeing with me that this is a unique Kentucky situation.

Gonzaga is the equivalent of starting a marathon in the last leg. They can basically coast for two months to gear up for the tournament.
01-09-2023 07:55 AM
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Post: #38
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-08-2023 10:48 PM)schmolik Wrote:  If Kentucky is in trouble, they have company.

it was Coach Cal that said, about the SEC tournament, "we don't hang 3 letter banners at Kentucky."

they're not paying him that money to have company.

He's at Kentucky, getting Nick Saban money. So he's expected to produce Nick Saban results.

Is that realistic? Probably not. But that's the job he took, for the money he gets
(This post was last modified: 01-09-2023 09:06 AM by johnbragg.)
01-09-2023 08:50 AM
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Claw Offline
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Post: #39
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
I saw a lot of Cal when he was at Memphis. I think you are all partially right, but one factor has not been discussed.

Cal has one coaching method for every player. Just one. If a player doesn't respond to Cal's coaching, tough. Cal doesn't tailor his coaching approach to each kid. If a player rebels against Cal's coaching, he probably won't see the floor.

But Cal has two problems. Some of these kids are so good he CAN'T bench them like he normally would without being lynched by his fans. The other problem is sometimes an entire team can rebel against his coaching style. I think you are seeing that this year. At some point he essentially says to hell with them and just turns them loose to play. That's happened this season. Unless the team comes back to him on their own, they won't change the rest of the season.
01-09-2023 09:25 AM
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Post: #40
RE: Kentucky basketball (Calipari)- What is going on?
(01-07-2023 03:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  
(01-07-2023 02:39 PM)chess Wrote:  Mike Krzyzewski retires from Duke.
Roy Williams retires from North Carolina.

This should be a golden age for the University of Kentucky and John Calipari. What is going on? They should be dominating recruiting and be the best team.

Does anyone have any insights?

What's new? He can recruit like hell, but he couldn't coach his wife through labor in the delivery room surrounded by medical professionals. He is, and has been, way, way overrated as a coach. Kentucky is 5 studs running wild with precious little coordination.

LOL - you hit the nail on the head with that one! Definitely the epitome of an amazing recruiter than then just rolls the ball out there when it comes time to playing the games.
01-09-2023 09:55 AM
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