Calipari admits he's a bad coach

[BD80]

Kind of:

http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/john-calipari-says-a-few-of-his-players-should-be-kissing-him-for-playing-time/

"... the reality of it is everybody has a responsibility to the other guy to do what they can do. And if they can't do what's asked of them, they shouldn't be on the court. It's so simple."

And yet:

"A couple of [those] guys should kiss me for playing [them] because[they] shouldn't even get in the game. ... [they] should say, 'Oh, I love this guy. He puts me in games and I know Ishouldn't be getting in.'"

So cal is failing in his responsibility to the guys who ARE doing what is asked of them by playing guys who aren't doing what is asked of them and, by his own admission, shouldn't be on the court.

​

[WWBD]

I know you're being semi-facetious, but that is a monster of a stretch.

[Newton_14]

I'll play Devils Advocate here and then immediately duck and go take a shower as fast as possible to wash the slime off. :) So don't shoot me. I actually think Cal is a much better coach than some give him credit for. The funny thing is, most naysayers state he cares nothing about defense, but in my opinion he is a really good defensive coach, in fact, better at coaching defense than offense. That 2012 team won because of their defense not their offense. I have always believed he is overrated as an offensive coach, especially all the hype & praise for the "Dribble Drive" offense which was no better than the offenses most college coaches employ. When you are getting the best PG in recruiting every single year your chances of having a good offense are pretty darn high. See Dennis Smith just down the road this year.

My two cents. (Ducks, runs, starts the shower water as fast as possible)

[CDu]

I'll play Devils Advocate here and then immediately duck and go take a shower as fast as possible to wash the slime off. :) So don't shoot me. I actually think Cal is a much better coach than some give him credit for. The funny thing is, most naysayers state he cares nothing about defense, but in my opinion he is a really good defensive coach, in fact, better at coaching defense than offense. That 2012 team won because of their defense not their offense. I have always believed he is overrated as an offensive coach, especially all the hype & praise for the "Dribble Drive" offense which was no better than the offenses most college coaches employ. When you are getting the best PG in recruiting every single year your chances of having a good offense are pretty darn high. See Dennis Smith just down the road this year.

My two cents. (Ducks, runs, starts the shower water as fast as possible)

I agree. Calipari's teams have been in the top ten defensively in 6 of the last 10 years and in the top-40 in 9 of the last 10 years. Considering how much roster turnover he has had, that is phenomenal. The guy knows how to coach defense. In this era, he has had better defensive teams than Duke pretty consistently. That he has been able to get young teams to play elite defense so consistently is amazing.

He is a sleaze, but the man can coach.

[gep]

I agree. Calipari's teams have been in the top ten defensively in 6 of the last 10 years and in the top-40 in 9 of the last 10 years. Considering how much roster turnover he has had, that is phenomenal. The guy knows how to coach defense. In this era, he has had better defensive teams than Duke pretty consistently. That he has been able to get young teams to play elite defense so consistently is amazing.

He is a sleaze, but the man can coach.

Could this be a case of "simple" defensive principles instead of complex m2m defense? :confused:

[CDu]

Could this be a case of "simple" defensive principles instead of complex m2m defense? :confused:

Could be, although Calipari also coaches man-to-man defense. Could also be the types of recruits. Could also be the coaching method. Whatever the reason for it, his success at coaching defense to an ever-revolving roster is really impressive.

[Troublemaker]

Could be, although Calipari also coaches man-to-man defense. Could also be the types of recruits. Could also be the coaching method. Whatever the reason for it, his success at coaching defense to an ever-revolving roster is really impressive.

Yep. Probably some combo of (1) Calipari is a better defensive coach and (2) Kentucky generally lands better defensive players than Duke in recruiting, and Duke generally lands better offensive players than Kentucky explains it, with more weight on (2).

[uh_no]

Yep. Probably some combo of (1) Calipari is a better defensive coach and (2) Kentucky generally lands better defensive players than Duke in recruiting, and Duke generally lands better offensive players than Kentucky explains it, with more weight on (2).

(3) the SEC that UK makes a killing on each year is terrible.

[ChillinDuke]

Any truth to (4) UK recruits stud athletes with length at the 4 and 5 that clog lanes and contest shots and make it really hard for lesser teams to score? I feel like it's a different defensive philosophy than ours - similar in style to Louisville and possibly Syracuse to a lesser extent (bc of the zone).

I admit this is completely anecdotal. Maybe block % could help if such a stat exists?

- Chillin

[Troublemaker]

Any truth to (4) UK recruits stud athletes with length at the 4 and 5 that clog lanes and contest shots and make it really hard for lesser teams to score? I feel like it's a different defensive philosophy than ours - similar in style to Louisville and possibly Syracuse to a lesser extent (bc of the zone).

I admit this is completely anecdotal. Maybe block % could help if such a stat exists?

- Chillin

Yeah, that is largely what I was thinking of in my post above. We've not brought in any game-changing rim protectors like Anthony-Towns, Cauley-Stein, Noel, and Anthony Davis in recruiting. I think Marques Bolden might become something approaching that (in part because Kentucky recruited him heavily), but we'll see how it plays out now as he continues his return from injury.

In terms of block %, Duke's best showing since Calipari started at UK was in 2011 when Ryan Kelly was at 6.1% and Mason was at 5.8%. Kentucky routinely has big men who block shots at a higher percentage than that.

2016: Skal 10.3%, Marcus Lee 7.3%
2015: Towns 11.5%, Cauley-Stein 7.1%
2014: Cauley-Stein 12.3%
2013: Noel 13.2%, Cauley-Stein 8.4%
2012: Davis 13.8%
2010: Cousins 7.5%

[JasonEvans]

I think there is something to be said for athleticism being a huge key to being a great defensive player and Cal brings in pure athletes as much as anyone. I recall playing pick-up games in college at Duke. One of the guys I knew was a track athlete brought in by Duke from Africa to run sprints and do long jump. He had never played basketball before but came out with us to try it for the first time. Dude could not put the ball in the hoop to save his life but he was an absolute terror on D. He stole passes with ease (often forgetting to dribble afterwards, resulting in a walk) and blocked at least a half a dozen shots a game (he was only like 5-9, but could easily get his whole hand onto the backboard for a slap.

Look, I recognize that a bunch of us playing pick-up in Card is nothing like D1 college hoops, but my point is that athleticism goes a loooong way toward making a great defender. Cal gets athletes (generally long guys with freakish run/jump ability) and then sets them loose on the court. That's a pretty good starting point from which to build a defensive powerhouse.

-Jason "not saying that Cal does not coach D well, but merely explaining that he is bringing in the kind of kids who are often naturally inclined to be well above average defenders" Evans

[OldPhiKap]

I've gotten on Cal as much as anyone here, but the guy is a really good coach. Certainly better than Huck.

Other than that, though, John Chaney was right.