A coach left a legendary program only to coach another legendary program. And his career's been hell ever since.
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21 years ago yesterday...
- Thread starter Kentucky fan 1989
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I like it. It dispelled the idea that programs don't matter. Louisville ruined Pitino, and it hurt his name recognition as well even before the issues. Pitino was a coach K type of name at the end of his UK days. He was never seen as that guy again on a national front once he went to louisville.
Looking back on it now, it may have been the best thing yet for Pitino to leave Kentucky. Sooner or later his devious personality was going to explode and I am glad he was not coaching the University of Kentucky when it did.
UL just had to show UK they were relevant by taking our ex-coach after he failed and was run out of Boston. It bit them in the ass.
UL just had to show UK they were relevant by taking our ex-coach after he failed and was run out of Boston. It bit them in the ass.
He wasn't talking about Louisville...
What I still find somewhat surprising is that Pitino legitimately thought he could have UK fans “transition” into being UL fans... wtf ?
I always thought if Pitino had taken another job other than UL he would have been back at UK. We would have run Tubby off sooner if Rick were at UNLV or Michigan.
Likely a common trait in sociopaths.
I think we dodged a bullet. That's who Rick Pitino is. It would have shown itself eventually.
A title, another title game appearance, and the foundation of another championship, then he's gone? We got the good without letting him hang around for the bad.
A title, another title game appearance, and the foundation of another championship, then he's gone? We got the good without letting him hang around for the bad.
Rick Pitino brought this program from the ashes to the top program in the nation in a short period of time, for that I thank him. He brought all his problems on himself, and I thank him again for not doing it at UK, to much success is hard to handle he couldn't handle it.
When he was hired my expectations were he wouldn't be at Uk a very long time so wasn't a surprise when he left after 7 years.
He still thinks the fans will pressure Papa John's off the board for him. Dude is very narcissistic.
Once again I will say this.....
Pitino thought he made Kentucky. In reality, it was the other way around.
Pitino thought he made Kentucky. In reality, it was the other way around.
I get what you're saying I'm just not sure he'd have to do what he did at Lville to be successful at Kentucky. He already had it rolling. I think Cal played a significant role in Rick's third act.
When I was a kid, I was so upset about Pitino leaving. Cheered for the Celtics after that. But thank God it worked out the way it did. I don't know if Pitino would have had to do some of the stuff that he did at Louisville but he's just a terrible person. The Karen Sypher stuff alone should have shown what type of guy he was and that's something I would hate to have Kentucky associated with.
We got three Final Fours and two other Elite Eight finishes while he was here and he left a cupboard that got us a national title and another Elite Eight finish. He was a horrendous GM in Boston and I bet he regrets leaving.
I think he was always going to leave for another NBA job but thank goodness for Boston.
The Sypher stuff is what was one of the worst things about him.
But I can agree that I doubt he has to do that crap with the resources and reputation of UK.
Way before the NCAA rules sent him packing, he'd have been out of Lexington for personal issues.
Imagine Rick Pitino without the humbling of failure in the NBA. Imagine Rick Pitino without having to take a lesser job than the one he left. Imagine Rick Pitino without being second fiddle in his own state.
The narcissism that eventually undid him would have been unstoppable if he hadn't gone through all of those things. Even with them, and the Louisville scandals, he still feels like he's in the right and infallible.
If he stays, we probably still get the 98 title, but who knows where he is mentally after that?
I used to think, like a lot of UK fans, that Pitino leaving denied UK a true dynasty. That if Pitino stayed and really committed to the job in a believable way, UK could have won 3 or more titles over the next decade.
I stopped believing that a while ago, for a couple of reasons. One is that, when Pitino left for the Celtics, recruiting was just starting to make a giant shift because of the increasing amount of players skipping college entirely. Pitino was very much selling the NBA when he was at UK, and the types of players most likely to buy into that were also the players who were bolting straight to the draft. That's a big part of the reason why Pitino took longer to really get things going at UL than most people expected (ditto Cal at Memphis). You saw it at the end of his UK tenure, when UK lost out on Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O'Neal.
The other reason is exactly what you mention. Pitino is a toxic egomaniac, and something would have gone wrong eventually.
UK got him at the peak of his career, and probably for just about the right amount of time.
We got a 2-fer out of Rick. He rebuilt our program to the point that we were in consecutive title games. Later he went to our instate rival and burned their program to the ground making them a national laughing stock in the process.
A
anon_013cn8yrfncx2
Guest
Not going to look for the exact quote when he left but something along the lines of:
There will be a lot of greatness for the man who can restore the Boston Celtics to their former glory.
It was always about him and not the program. A word to the wise.
There will be a lot of greatness for the man who can restore the Boston Celtics to their former glory.
It was always about him and not the program. A word to the wise.
Pitino's last 2 recruiting classes at UK were:
1996 class
Jamal Magloire
1997 class
Myron Anthony
Michael Bradley
Ryan Hogan
1996 class
Jamal Magloire
1997 class
Myron Anthony
Michael Bradley
Ryan Hogan
Love Heshimu. Those last 2 recruiting classes (counting Heshimu) combined for exactly 1 All SEC selection.
Because he was leaving and everyone knew he was leaving. If he weren't, those classes would probably look a lot different.
Unless you're assuming that even in this hypothetical world where he stays at UK forever that he still flirts with the NBA every year.
I know it played a major role in him not landing classes. There is nothing about him that comes off as a commitment, so I have zero doubt there would have always been rumors flying around about him leaving if he continue to be successful for another 5-10 years.
I love what Pitino did for UK. I will always appreciate that. I'm just glad he moved along.
The NBA rumors were constant. I can remember three teams and the "will he or won't he" stuff. It was Pacers, Lakers and Celtics. Can anyone remember more?
Pitino thought he was getting Tim Duncan with the first pick. Instead, he got Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer. Pitino, a horrific GM, traded Billups away after 51 games. Then traded Mercer away after two years of averaging 17 ppg for Danny Fortson, Eric Williams and Eric Washington.
The best move Pitino ever did was get Pierce when he slipped to No. 10.
96 not so much. UK just didn't expect to have any room. No one knew for sure that Walker was leaving until May of 96, Prickett redshirted, Padgett was expected back off academic suspension, and Simmons hadn't transferred yet. So even though UK was losing 3 seniors, there were really only 2 definite open scholarships. Pitino went after Jermaine O'Neal, then Magloire, but not much else. It was a purposely small class.
97, yes. UK was a big favorite for both William Avery and Elton Brand early, but no one believed Pitino was going to be around. And Tracy McGrady, if he had gone to college.
The amazing thing is how no one ever believed that Pitino would stay, going all the way back to around 93, and yet he thrived to the extent that he did.
He did get Kenny Anderson in the Billups deal too. I agree he screwed up trading Billups, but Billups was traded in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and then blew up in Detroit in his 6th year in the league.
His issue as a GM was patience. He traded 14 guys in his 3.5 years in Boston. He wanted a quick fix (as evident by the Billups trade you mentioned so early).
I was sad when Pitino left but it was a silver lining , this guy had to much of a ego , underline evil, things work out for us, wish we would have got Cal sooner..
I believe the OP referred to RP leaving UK for the Celtics. UL was the Hell part.
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