Team from state with inferior barbecue wins basketball-themed game

[KenTankerous]

I feel like this team had a higher overall character... Cousins, as we've seen, is a headcase.

Hope Cal remembers how heavy the trophy is, because it will likely be taken away in a few years.

I am the furthest from a Calapari fan and acknowledge his past transgression but he is three years into his KY plan and nothing of substance against him has surfaced. And I gotta believe if there was anything even sniffing of impropriety, it would have surfaced by now.

This kind of allegation by past trangression smacks of jealousy and a mis-placed sense of superiority.

The man, the program, the kids just brought home a national championship to the heart and soul of college basketball.

Me thinks you throw aspersions for no better reason than one more NC you gotta catch before Duke catches UK.

Sorry, but UK had a thirty year head start...

[FerryFor50]

I am the furthest from a Calapari fan and acknowledge his past transgression but he is three years into his KY plan and nothing of substance against him has surfaced. And I gotta believe if there was anything even sniffing of impropriety, it would have surfaced by now.

This kind of allegation by past trangression smacks of jealousy and a mis-placed sense of superiority.

The man, the program, the kids just brought home a national championship to the heart and soul of college basketball.

Me thinks you throw aspersions for no better reason than one more NC you gotta catch before Duke catches UK.

Sorry, but UK had a thirty year head start...

So... let's just forget about the dirty laundry he left at UMass and Memphis and feel good because he won a NC with what seems like a good group of kids? Because he hasn't been caught for anything in 3 years?

Please.

He'd need to be clean for 10 years before I gave him any credit.

[moonpie23]

ix-nay ken...there were plenty of unsubstantiated "rumors" and innuendo regarding Cal when they met kansas in the finals in 08...

now, they've vacated that year, it's not unreasonable to think it's probable he's going to repeat...

[uh_no]

Why? Huge Baylor fan? :-P

Honestly, it would take an upset of epic proportions to take down Griner. That or getting her ejected again.

Well, in the past 15 years, uconn has lost exactly 4 times in the final 4....3 of those have been to ND...

you can imagine a duke women's fan hates losing to uconn all the time, that's how uconn fans feel about ND right now.

[FerryFor50]

Well, in the past 15 years, uconn has lost exactly 4 times in the final 4....3 of those have been to ND...

you can imagine a duke women's fan hates losing to uconn all the time, that's how uconn fans feel about ND right now.

I dunno... it's nice not seeing UConn, Tennessee or Stanford in the finals.

I think it was bad for women's basketball to have UConn dominate for so long.

[uh_no]

I dunno... it's nice not seeing UConn, Tennessee or Stanford in the finals.

I think it was bad for women's basketball to have UConn dominate for so long.

I could have dealt with a loss to stanford, or baylor...but it just HAD to be ND AGAIN

yeah i can see how other people might like not seeing uconn...can't say i share the same sentiment...yes i'm bitter...we lost 5 games this year...3 of which were to the same team...

[KenTankerous]

ix-nay ken...there were plenty of unsubstantiated "rumors" and innuendo regarding Cal when they met kansas in the finals in 08...

now, they've vacated that year, it's not unreasonable to think it's probable he's going to repeat...

But that's what I am saying, we aren't hearing any of this anymore. Cal has figured out a plan to stay within the letter of the rules and it is working. It's not like he didn't learn a lesson or two from those vacated final fours. And no one is bling-blind enough to think Cal would ever get a pass for something like he has done in the past or even something as innocuous as say the Corey Maggette thing. So maybe this championship isn't tainted. And maybe we ought to recognize the idea that the rules are such that someone as greasy as Cal can "play within the rules", bring home an NC, and still not graduate a senior every five players and we are all OK with that.

[Bluedog]

The Associated Press recap of the game by Eddie Pells seems to make some underhanded "compliments" to Calipari's one and done strategy. It seems as if Pells is not a fan...While it's certainly not outwardly antagonistic, he majorly emphasis the fact that these players all have the NBA on their minds in the relatively short article. It's pretty funny if you ask me:

Title:

One-and-fun: Kentucky tops Kansas 67-59 for title

First line:

No matter where Anthony Davis and his buddies go to make their millions, their ol’ Kentucky home will long remember this championship season.

The Wildcats hit the jackpot with their lottery picks Monday night ... The one-and-doners did it...Doron Lamb, a sophomore with first-round-draft-pick possibilities...Davis’ fellow lottery prospect, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist...Davis is the likely first pick in the draft should he choose to come out, and Kidd-Gilchrist won’t be far behind. Another first-round prospect, freshman Marquis Teague

If this guy [Davis] only stays one year and only makes one shot, they’re [UK fans] fine with that. It’s the new normal at Kentucky

[Calipari] goes for the best player, no matter what their long-term goals....Cal has mastered the art of rebuilding on the fly.

He’s the coach who brings in the John Walls, Brandon Knights and Derrick Roses (at Memphis) for cups of coffee, lets them sharpen up their resumes, then happily says goodbye when it becomes obvious there’s nothing left for them to do in school...The Vandy loss might have been, as Calipari put it, just what the doctor ordered for a team that could sometimes border on arrogance.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketb...d=201204020292

I think that if Vandy didn't beat UK in the SEC finals, UK likely would not win the championship. Hard to win that many games in a row - got the monkey off their back a bit and got them refocused. But, in the end, UK was the best team in college basketball this year...Too bad Kansas couldn't complete the comeback.

[Greg_Newton]

I think OSU would have given them fits. Like every other team KU played, UK folded tonight, the lead was just too big. That said, Craft gives Teague fits, and Davis would have had to cover Sullinger straight up and not come over the top like he did on T-Rob. Thomas would have provided the mismatch again but he was in foul trouble vs KU but the game would have probably come down to whether Buford could play like he did against Duke in December.

I've heard this sentiment from a few places, but I couldn't disagree more. OSU goes 6'8-6'7 at the C and PF spots, and is not particularly long. Sullinger had enough trouble shooting over Withey; no way he's effective over Davis. Then you've got Jones, who is basically a stronger, better version of Thomas.

I thought Craft would give Taylor trouble, but it seemed like Taylor actually gave Craft more trouble than vice versa.

Anyway, I actually thought KU matched up pretty well, position-by-position. Withey did a great job neutralizing Davis on offense, but NPOY runner up Robinson simply couldn't win his matchup with Terrance Jones, UK's guards got hot, KU started missing dunks, etc. Pretty much any team would have needed everything to break their way to have a shot in this game, and KU was a travel away from a one possession game in the last minute.

Ah well. Hope Cal stays true to his guiding principles and bolts for the league now.

[Greg_Newton]

ix-nay ken...there were plenty of unsubstantiated "rumors" and innuendo regarding Cal when they met kansas in the finals in 08...

now, they've vacated that year, it's not unreasonable to think it's probable he's going to repeat...

But that's what I am saying, we aren't hearing any of this anymore. Cal has figured out a plan to stay within the letter of the rules and it is working. It's not like he didn't learn a lesson or two from those vacated final fours. And no one is bling-blind enough to think Cal would ever get a pass for something like he has done in the past or even something as innocuous as say the Corey Maggette thing. So maybe this championship isn't tainted. And maybe we ought to recognize the idea that the rules are such that someone as greasy as Cal can "play within the rules", bring home an NC, and still not graduate a senior every five players and we are all OK with that.

Well, there was the whole sources-from-three-schools-claiming-Davis's-father-solicited $125-$150k for a commitment when Davis was down to four schools. Also some other stuff from back channels I'll refrain from mongering.

Cal may well have put himself into a position to dominate without cheating, but the smoke is still there.

That brings up a kind-of interesting point, though. If we assume for the moment that a) Cal is "going clean", b) coaches of other prominent schools still pay players, you wonder if Cal might lose some top-tier recruits to, err, more generous coaches.

It's not like he'd fall from the ranks of the elite, but it would put him out of the running for certain elite prospects, much like Duke and UNC.

[Starter]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...a-coaching-job

This strikes me as something that can change within an hour.

[SupaDave]

This strikes me as something that can change within an hour.

Billy Donovan...

[UrinalCake]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...a-coaching-job

The quotes from Calipari sound like the kind of thing you'd say if you were staying in order to clear the air and stop all of the rumors. However, they also sound like the kind of thing you'd say if you were in fact planning on taking an NBA job and didn't want to hurt your school and/or come off as looking like a jerk in the meantime.

If Shabazz, Noel, Bennett, and company all commit to Kentucky, then in June Calipari announces he's leaving, it seems probable that the players would stay put since they're all in it together. But if Calipari comes out this week and says he's leaving, then most likely the players never make it there in the first place. So it makes sense to me that he'd claim he's staying no matter what.

[Starter]

Billy Donovan...

Exactly.

Translation: Knicks have to show me the money and give me a lot of years for security purposes in order for me to leave "my dream job".

Money is nothing to the Knicks. Dolan once thought nothing of losing a $12 million judgment after Isiah sexually harassed Anucha Browne Sanders. If I recall, the only thing he was upset about was that he still believed Zeke was innocent. It was egregious. Regardless, if they want Calipari badly enough, they'll make him the highest-paid coach in the history of the game without thinking twice about it. It'd probably be a disaster, but the whole franchise is a disaster anyway. But I could see this happening too: Woodson back-doors them into the playoffs, they get swept into oblivion by the Bulls -- but they did make the playoffs, so they'll give Woodson another crack at it. Remember, Woodson played with Isiah at Indiana. And they once extended Isiah for "eminent progress" solely because they were at that time in the No. 8 spot; they ended up missing the playoffs.

Anyway, Calipari stays at UK to do a victory lap and coach up what will probably be his usual crop of studs. Then Woodson misses the playoffs next year since his team is Amar'e with a bad back, Carmelo playing defense when he feels like it, a fragile Lin, Tyson Chandler and nothing else. The Knicks offer Cal the moon. Sound plausible?

[Dukehky]

Exactly.



Money is nothing to the Knicks. Dolan once thought nothing of losing a $12 million judgment after Isiah sexually harassed Anucha Browne Sanders. If I recall, the only thing he was upset about was that he still believed Zeke was innocent. It was egregious. Regardless, if they want Calipari badly enough, they'll make him the highest-paid coach in the history of the game without thinking twice about it. It'd probably be a disaster, but the whole franchise is a disaster anyway. But I could see this happening too: Woodson back-doors them into the playoffs, they get swept into oblivion by the Bulls -- but they did make the playoffs, so they'll give Woodson another crack at it. Remember, Woodson played with Isiah at Indiana. And they once extended Isiah for "eminent progress" solely because they were at that time in the No. 8 spot; they ended up missing the playoffs.

Anyway, Calipari stays at UK to do a victory lap and coach up what will probably be his usual crop of studs. Then Woodson misses the playoffs next year since his team is Amar'e with a bad back, Carmelo playing defense when he feels like it, a fragile Lin, Tyson Chandler and nothing else. The Knicks offer Cal the moon. Sound plausible?

You are forgetting that there is a very distinct possibility that one of the top 3 best coaches in the history of sports is likely in the running for this job once it opens up. I highly doubt that Mr. Phil Jackson is going to have to worry about John Calipari taking the Knicks job if he wants it. In my opinion, if it's offered for the right price, the Zen Master is coming out of retirement.

[MCFinARL]

Exactly.



Money is nothing to the Knicks. Dolan once thought nothing of losing a $12 million judgment after Isiah sexually harassed Anucha Browne Sanders. If I recall, the only thing he was upset about was that he still believed Zeke was innocent. It was egregious. Regardless, if they want Calipari badly enough, they'll make him the highest-paid coach in the history of the game without thinking twice about it. It'd probably be a disaster, but the whole franchise is a disaster anyway. But I could see this happening too: Woodson back-doors them into the playoffs, they get swept into oblivion by the Bulls -- but they did make the playoffs, so they'll give Woodson another crack at it. Remember, Woodson played with Isiah at Indiana. And they once extended Isiah for "eminent progress" solely because they were at that time in the No. 8 spot; they ended up missing the playoffs.

Anyway, Calipari stays at UK to do a victory lap and coach up what will probably be his usual crop of studs. Then Woodson misses the playoffs next year since his team is Amar'e with a bad back, Carmelo playing defense when he feels like it, a fragile Lin, Tyson Chandler and nothing else. The Knicks offer Cal the moon. Sound plausible?

Maybe so, but would Calipari really want to go to the NBA at this point? At Kentucky, he gets pretty close to his choice of the very best players playing at the college level, so his team is going to have superior talent (and often vastly superior talent) to almost every other team they face. And most of these kids are still coachable (maybe not DeMarcus Cousins) and come in respecting the coach and believing they have something to learn from him. At the college level, the coach of a successful major program is a superstar who gets most of the credit and often some lucrative endorsement or other money-making opportunities, and he is truly in charge of the program. At the NBA level, the coach is more often a potential fall guy, a ping pong ball between a demanding front office and a highly paid roster who often see themselves as more important than the coach and may or may not be interested in adapting to the coach's system or methods, the guy who gets little of the credit when things go well and almost all when they go badly (maybe not Phil Jackson--there's always an exception).

Even on the money--you'd have to pay someone a heck of a lot more to even approach in NY the lifestyle he could have in Lexington, KY on $3 million a year (IIRC that's about what Calipari makes). The taxes are horrific (federal, state, and city taxes) and the cost of living is worse. Maybe if Calipari loves going to the opera or art museums, NYC would be better, but when would he have time?

Plus I don't think Calipari enjoyed his last stint in the NBA all that much. On average, sure, being a coach in the NBA is a better and more prestigious job than being a coach in college. But better than being the guy who brought Kentucky its most recent championship? Better than being, just for another example, Coach K? I don't think so--too many hassles, not enough authority.

[MCFinARL]

Being an NBA coach may not be all that more prestigious, but bringing the NY Knicks their first NBA championship in 40+ years would go waaaay beyond that. That said, I don't think World Wide Wes would want Calipari competing directly against Jay-Z's Brooklyn Nets for the NY market.

Agreed--But I don't think Calipari would have nearly the power to draw the best talent to the Knicks that he does to Kentucky--too many variables. So it would be mighty hard to get that championship.

They don't need to graduate; they just need to be in good academic standing when they leave.

Don't remember all of the details of APR calculation, though I think having a certain number of athletes stay in school has some impact. Even if it is only leaving in good academic standing, though, that might raise some questions about Kentucky. Pretty sure, based on what was reported at the time, that one or two of the players who left Kentucky in 2010 would not have been in "good academic standing" going forward. Question: Is there a loophole allowing one-and-done players to withdraw from spring semester classes after the season ends, so that they could, essentially, quit school after one semester, having played during the second semester, and still be considered "in good academic standing"?

[Des Esseintes]

You are forgetting that there is a very distinct possibility that one of the top 3 best coaches in the history of sports is likely in the running for this job once it opens up. I highly doubt that Mr. Phil Jackson is going to have to worry about John Calipari taking the Knicks job if he wants it. In my opinion, if it's offered for the right price, the Zen Master is coming out of retirement.

Phil Jackson is not taking that job. The only reason it's even being talked about is wishful thinking by the Dolans. Jackson cannot win a championship with that management. The guy has never coached a season without one of the top five players in basketball, and he usually had two of those. In New York he wouldn't have a top ten player, maybe not even a top 15 or 20 player. What he would have is Isaiah working the strings in the background. Not happening.

[TruBlu]

Agreed--But I don't think Calipari would have nearly the power to draw the best talent to the Knicks that he does to Kentucky--too many variables. So it would be mighty hard to get that championship.

True. There is probably a team salary cap with the Knicks.

[Duke 4 Life]

I agree, and probably not as high as the one he has now. lol