Flashback: On this day 28 years ago: Pitino agreed to leave Kentucky for the Celtics.

[KMKAT]

The only video I found once Pitino gave an interview after being named the Celtics new coach/President.

Something interesting there:

Both Rick and CM Newton said Tubby is the only one they considered, since he plays the same style of basketball.
Nothing was further from the truth.

What could have been since Rick has it cooking when he left. Where was Pitino the day before he decided to leave Kentucky?
He was in Atlanta promoting his book and not making any commitments.

Pitino Expected to Take Over the Celtics

Rick Pitino appears ready to take over the Boston Celtics, a job he called "the greatest opportunity ever afforded a coach."

www.latimes.com

 

[NociHTTP]

The title confuses me. He agreed to join leave?

 

[gbl97]

Some of you younger folks won't remember, but the season before that, Pitino had been offered the Nets job. He said no and they took Cal instead.

 

[Fox2monk]

Rick will always be the greatest what could have been in UK history for coaches IMO.

 

[ReedsMustache]

Rick thought he'd get either the 1st or 2nd pick that year, meaning Duncan or Van Horn. Unfortunately for him he missed.

 

[Catsfan7612]

Some of you younger folks won't remember, but the season before that, Pitino had been offered the Nets job. He said no and they took Cal instead.

Could be wrong, but I believe Pitino recommended Calipari for the job when he turned them down. He recommended Cal for UMass so I may be getting the 2 situations mixed up. But Calipari had UMass rolling pretty good too when he left for the Nets. Almost like Pitino wanted to get him out of the college game.

 

[M.Freeman]

Can still hear my dad saying “ just leave already I’m sick of hearing this every year”.

We didn’t want him to, he was one of my childhood sports heros. I’ll forever be a Pitino guy because of it. If you weren’t there, you can’t understand.

Pitino was the hottest name in basketball during that time and that’s how I remember him. Will never understand him taking UL, a CUSA school without the national rep. His brand took a massive hit and it really never recovered.

 

[rick64]

He admitted several years later he should've never left KY. No telling what he would've accomplished had he stayed. I know lots of fans were getting tired of the NBA rumors every year, but he was a hot commodity in the 90s. We were begging NBA teams to take CCC off our hands not too long ago. Fortunately Arkansas did us a favor.

 

[runt#69]

Sad memory of him leaving. I'm glad my father passed away with the 96' team as his final one to go out on. I can only hope to be so lucky and fortunate. Dad went back from the beginning of Rupp's time. Dad said Pitino would have caught UCLA had he stayed. I think he was right, Pitino would have.

Sometimes the best decisions in life is not following a (money) "lifestyle upgrading opportunity." I know it was much more than simply that for Pitino, but making a decision like that when you clearly have a great thing going .... I just never got it.

I wonder how much regret Pitino has over that decision..... I'd be eaten up with it, but then again, I would have never left in the first place.

 

[Kentucky fan 1989]

I wish I could see the espn coverage of it.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Could be wrong, but I believe Pitino recommended Calipari for the job when he turned them down. He recommended Cal for UMass so I may be getting the 2 situations mixed up. But Calipari had UMass rolling pretty good too when he left for the Nets. Almost like Pitino wanted to get him out of the college game.

Pitino lobbied hard for Ralph Willard to succeed him.

CM only considered Tubby and there was no discussion about it.

 

[TopCatCal]

The only video I found once Pitino gave an interview after being named the Celtics new coach/President.

Something interesting there:

View embedded media

Both Rick and CM Newton said Tubby is the only one they considered, since he plays the same style of basketball.
Nothing was further from the truth.

What could have been since Rick has it cooking when he left. Where was Pitino the day before he decided to leave Kentucky?
He was in Atlanta promoting his book and not making any commitments.

Pitino Expected to Take Over the Celtics

Rick Pitino appears ready to take over the Boston Celtics, a job he called "the greatest opportunity ever afforded a coach."

www.latimes.com

Rick will always be the greatest what could have been in UK history for coaches IMO.

One of the saddest days in the history of BBN & looking back on it, probably the most regrettable day in Rick Pitino's career.

 

[drcats2013]

We’ve won 2 since then… hard to imagine we wouldn’t have won 4-5 had he stayed. What ifs get you no where though. Is what it is.

 

[kats23]

Can still hear my dad saying “ just leave already I’m sick of hearing this every year”.

We didn’t want him to, he was one of my childhood sports heros. I’ll forever be a Pitino guy because of it. If you weren’t there, you can’t understand.

Pitino was the hottest name in basketball during that time and that’s how I remember him. Will never understand him taking UL, a CUSA school without the national rep. His brand took a massive hit and it really never recovered.

He thought UK fans would follow him to UL. Much like Cal, Pitino began to think he was bigger than UK. While Pitino has always been a lying dirtbag, I do believe him when he said he was shocked at the reception he received from UK fans when he took the UL job. It just showed me how little he understood the fan base and why it was so easy for him to walk away from Camelot. He never fully had a grasp on how special UK was. That was until he went to UL, and everything he did got overshadowed by Kentucky and Cal.

I think that's when he finally woke up to what a huge mistake he made. He lost his mind trying to one-up Cal and UK. Cheated and ousted to end up at St. John's.

What a dumbass

 

[SemperFiCat]

I don't blame him for taking that job, but it still stings. Zero doubt in my mind we would've passed UCLA.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Should have bought out Tubby when Pitino left Boston and brought Ricky P back.

It would have been a PR nightmare, but it would have been what was best for the program.

And eff those shortsighted fans who argue that "Smith just won a title two years before."

You do what's best for the program, not what's best to appease the potential media firestorm.

 

[M.Freeman]

Should have bought out Tubby when Pitino left Boston and brought Ricky P back.

It would have been a PR nightmare, but it would have been what was best for the program.

And eff those shortsighted fans who argue that "Smith just won a title two years before."

You do what's best for the program, not what's best to appease the potential media firestorm.

The older I’ve gotten the angrier I get that we didn’t buy him and and bring him back. What always been told by my father through the years is they were afraid he’d just leave again and tubby just won the title. I was a teenager then so I don’t remember anything else about it. But looking back that’s the single biggest blunder this program has made. Not bringing Pitino back and allowing tubby to continue. It hurt our legacy, our standing historically, and our image department with who should be our modern goat.

 

[Fantom8888]

One of my worst days

 

[ukfan041]

Should have bought out Tubby when Pitino left Boston and brought Ricky P back.

It would have been a PR nightmare, but it would have been what was best for the program.

And eff those shortsighted fans who argue that "Smith just won a title two years before."

You do what's best for the program, not what's best to appease the potential media firestorm.

I agree completely and wanted that in the worst way! Tubby was unhappy with fishbowl of UK and wanted out (he flirted with UVA a bunch back then supposedly). It’s too bad we didn’t make that happen. Rick took the UL job about the same time I went into boot camp and it was a shot in the gut. Thankfully we owned him during that time so🤷‍♂️

 

[Fox2monk]

Sad memory of him leaving. I'm glad my father passed away with the 96' team as his final one to go out on. I can only hope to be so lucky and fortunate. Dad went back from the beginning of Rupp's time. Dad said Pitino would have caught UCLA had he stayed. I think he was right, Pitino would have.

Sometimes the best decisions in life is not following a (money) "lifestyle upgrading opportunity." I know it was much more than simply that for Pitino, but making a decision like that when you clearly have a great thing going .... I just never got it.

I wonder how much regret Pitino has over that decision..... I'd be eaten up with it, but then again, I would have never left in the first place.

Like anything else in life. The Celtics and Lakers job used to rarely come up. It has many times lately, more with the Lakers, but that’s bad management more than anything. Guys at the top level are extremely driven and want the best positions in the game. I wish he would have waited till Tubby faded a bit and came back afterward but it wasn’t meant to be.

 

[Dead Cat Bounce]

I was a huge fan, but I didn't blame Pitino for leaving UK. The chance to do for the Celtics what he did for Kentucky? He would have been the all-time undisputed GOAT of basketball coaching. It didn't hurt that I was living in Boston at the time, and he filled his staff and roster with UK guys. For a season or two (or maybe more, the memories fade), Boston felt like UK North.

I definitely blamed Pitino for taking the Louisville job. it was as if he never cared about or understood what it meant to coach at Kentucky. And I blamed Pitino for the low-rent stuff he did after that. Dragged his own reputation through the dirt. Violated his trust to the players and their families. I don't know that I'll ever root for him again.

 

[WildcatsAndBourbon]

Can anyone give a rundown of what happened with his NBA career? I’ve never paid the least bit of attention to the NBA so don’t know a thing about how that played out.

 

[simnalecho]

When Pitino left for Boston, they had 2 lottery picks, and that turned into Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer instead of Tim Duncan. He then traded Rick Fox (ultimate glue guy/locker room leader) to the lakers. Red Auerbach later said that RP did not know how to construct a roster. Red's book is a good read.

 

[Ugoff]

Worst decision since '41.

 

[Someguywhodoesntlikeyou]

Like anything else in life. The Celtics and Lakers job used to rarely come up. It has many times lately, more with the Lakers, but that’s bad management more than anything. Guys at the top level are extremely driven and want the best positions in the game. I wish he would have waited till Tubby faded a bit and came back afterward but it wasn’t meant to be.

He tried.

Larry Ivey met with Pitino and was trying to force Tubby out. Tubby was miserable because Ivey is just a horrible human being and a grifter imho. Tubby at the last minute decided against leaving for South Carolina.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

He tried.

Larry Ivey met with Pitino and was trying to force Tubby out. Tubby was miserable because Ivey is just a horrible human being and a grifter imho. Tubby at the last minute decided against leaving for South Carolina.

There were certainly strong rumors to that effect.

Also Tubby to the 76’ers.

I never believed that one but it had some smoke.

 

[kywildcatsfannumber1]

Sad day. What could have been if Pitino stayed in Lexington.

 

[Rockfly78]

If I remember correctly the news broke in the late afternoon. I was playing high school baseball and we had a road game. The bus stopped at a little gas station in Pulaski. The news popped up on the little tv behind the counter and none of us could believe it. But in those days I really only cared about chasing tail and fly balls so I had stopped caring by the time I’d payed for my Mountain Dew and honeybun.

But man what a pivotal moment in our programs history

 

[TopCatCal]

Rick will always be the greatest what could have been in UK history for coaches IMO.

Sad day. What could have been if Pitino stayed in Lexington.

A while back on the Paul Finebaum show, Finebaum was talking about coaches that made the worst career decisions by leaving one job for another. The first coach he named was Howard Schnellenberger for leaving Miami. The other one he named was Rick Pitino for leaving Kentucky. Finebaum said it's hard to imagine how many championships that Pitino would have if he had stayed at Kentucky.