SI.com Calipari Slight...what a joke...

[SoCalDukeFan]

These guys could have gone to any school with a Div I basketball program, played one year, and still be NBA draft picks.

If they did not have the one and done rule most or all of these guys would not have gone to KY and still would have been NBA draft picks out of high school.

My respect for Calipari which was at zero is now at less than zero.

SoCal

[diveonthefloor]

Proof in the words of Derek Rose:

‎"If anything he is a motivational speaker and he really has humor when he talks," said Rose on ESPN Radio. "If anything you are going to listen to him because he is going to be a legend, a Hall of Famer I mean in this game. For him to be coaching me is wonderful. Too bad I didn't go to Duke, but it's great even just be...ing here with him and his staff is great and I am lucky to be on this bus headed to the gym."

~Derek Rose on USA Head Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski

Too bad you can't be accepted to Duke with forged SAT scores...

(Gosh I'm sorry that sounded rude, didn't it?)

[MCFinARL]

So, following the logic of Coach Cal's quote, maybe he should follow the lead of the FSU women's soccer coach and hold his best players out of the NCAA tournament so they will be well rested and uninjured for their future NBA careers.

[Poincaré]

Question: would Eric Bledsoe be a millionaire today if it weren't for John Calipari's willingness to break NCAA rules? Isn't it good that Bledsoe is earning millions of dollars, and generating millions more, rather than working in some menial job in Alabama?

One might say that Bledsoe took money that might otherwise have gone to a kid who played by the rules. If we put things that way, why does Bledsoe deserve this money more than the next kid? Let's not forget that the supply of jobs in Bledsoe's field is limited.

I'm not saying Bledsoe doesn't deserve the money, but he doesn't deserve it any more than the next kid. Bledsoe getting to the NBA just transfers potential wealth from one kid to another. It does not create new wealth. Hence Cal really isn't improving society by putting Bledsoe in the NBA. He's helping himself.

[CEF1959]

Cal is so transparent and so slimy. And I miss John Chaney.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6jUpHClybQ

OK, maybe not. But Cal is still a complete and utter sleaze.

[-jk]

Too bad you can't be accepted to Duke with forged SAT scores...

(Gosh I'm sorry that sounded rude, didn't it?)

No. We just admit forged Rothschilds.

-jk

[killerleft]

Possible Duke jab aside, the real joke here is Calipari's insinuation that he is responsible for getting those 5 guys drafted. I get a little tired of the assertion that certain programs produce NBA players. No program or coach "produces" NBA players. But I do believe that certain programs focus on having a kid equipped for life more than others.

I was patiently waiting for someone to get the funny joke Calipari made. Those five players could have gone anywhere and been drafted high. If they'd come to Duke I have to believe they would have gotten a national championship, seeing how Coach K and the guys got one without any of them on the team.

J.C. Superstar! He wins when he loses. Dos Equis, anyone?

Edit: Apologies to those who beat me to my point. I thought the thread was much shorter than it was.

[quota]

I hate Calipari as much as anyone, but I think he does have a point here, unfortunately.

What point? That life is all about money? That you're only successful if you make millions of dollars? That graduating players and winning championships at the same time is less desirable than making sure kids "GET PAID"?

What a bunch of poppycock. Calipari cares about money. He cares about making money at virtually any cost.

That doesn't mean we need to teach college kids to be that way, too.

[AZLA]

So, following the logic of Coach Cal's quote, maybe he should follow the lead of the FSU women's soccer coach and hold his best players out of the NCAA tournament so they will be well rested and uninjured for their future NBA careers.

Was just thinking the same correlation to the FSU coach. Good point. I was glad Coach K addressed that as an ambassador for the ACC.

Taking credit for creating new millionaires is the crux of Cal's position.

It's actually crafty on his part to differentiate his brand -- which IMO -- stinks.

But from a value proposition standpoint, it certainly calls more attention to itself by contrasting Duke.

It's entertaining to watch this guy, paid to "coach" and be "successful," cut off his nose to spite his face by saying he's a poor coach by design! As if he's serving a higher calling -- helming a millionaire social development program. To have John Wall and all those top NBA drafts and not even get into Final Four is almost as embarrassing as him devaluing the purpose of playing in the league altogether.

I would say that I hope that's his approach to coaching every year, except that this type of rational is hurting college basketball all around.

UK fans and players should continue to enjoy working for their pimp daddy who will earn $3.4 million in University Broadcasting and Endorsement payments in 2011 alone.

Someone mentioned graduation rates earlier. Here's a telling statistic.

Calipari missed out on an extra $375,000 through his philanthropic endeavors with his blue chip players by NOT winning the National Championship.

Guess how much he would have earned if he achieved a 75 percent graduation rate or earned a .950 Academic Progress Rate?

Only $50,000.

That's the incentive priority.

[Kfanarmy]

Cal effectively "launders" the academic records of players who would otherwise be shut out of the draft because they couldn't get into college.

Question: would Eric Bledsoe be a millionaire today if it weren't for John Calipari's willingness to break NCAA rules? Isn't it good that Bledsoe is earning millions of dollars, and generating millions more, rather than working in some menial job in Alabama?

NO...