Was it the buyout , or you think Admin was actually not that motivated to can him ?

[catfan220]

It sounds like Mitch was caught off guard by the interest in firing Cal and wasn’t necessarily ready in terms of lining up a replacement. But I still think if the buyout was $3.3mil and not $33mil Cal would be gone.

 

[catfan220]

There's no clear cut guy and there isn't going to be. Same group of guys will be available next season. Right now, I'd take any of those mentioned names and their new voice over what Cal has made this place. I'd take an Eric Musselman or any of the bigger names instead of watching NBA picks underperform against bad teams.

In regards to the question, Mitch wants status quo and the money to flow in. He's also attached to this contract Cal has. He would be admitting that the payout is his fault.

I think Oats did himself a lot of favors making a FF this season. That was really the main knock on him, lack of March success. First ever final four in Alabama history ain't nothin.

 

[Darkmyst00]

I think it is that you AD is basically incompetent and disconnected from reality and was unprepared and does not have that short list of potential next coaches in his desk drawer that every AD should have at all times.

Cal was always a bit of an arrogant prick when he was here at Memphis but he was no where near as arrogant, aloof and out right disdainful to the fans as he has been the last few years to you guys.

 

[catfan220]

Coach K lost in the tournament to Lehigh and Mercer, roughly equivalent to losing to St. Peter's and Oakland. Then he stole Calipari's methods, re-invented himself as a the OAD King, and won another title and Final Four AFTER HE WAS OLDER THAN CAL IS NOW.

So, is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? Probably not. The game has changed remarkably fast. But is Calipari better than the other options out there for next year? More than likely, that's true, even without factoring in the buy-out.

I would dispute that he's "more than likely" better than the other options out there. I might downgrade that to "more than likely better than our 3rd option hire," and there's always a very real possibility that's who you end up with, or worse, during a coaching search.

With that said, I agree with you that it's not a given he's unredeemable as a coach. He certainly COULD change his approach to recruiting, program building, game prep, in-game coaching, and how he interacts with the fans, media, administration, and boosters. I'm not betting on it, but he could.

I was ready to move on after St. Peters, but I understood the arguments for staying the course (beyond just the buyout problems)--especially coming into this season with the heralded recruiting class we had lined up. Now, I don't really see any compelling reasons to keep him, except for the outrageous sticker price on the buyout. And that's what makes it hard to muster any excitement for whatever's next...