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IF Mitch had a re-do would he still hire Cal?

NC’s are so rare I would have to say yes I think. It will be Mitch’s only major championship on his watch (Volleyball, Rifle, and Cheer withstanding). But you have to wonder with all the recent drama, lifetime contract fiasco, and the last 5 years of fan frustration is it?

But he will probably wish he had let him go to UCLA if that was truly on the table.
Barney really didn’t hire Cal. But yes, he would be hired again. He’s hired every year.

He will be hired again for next season.

No one at UK has given even one thought about not rehiring Cal.
 
1 in hand is better than 2 in the bush. If you have the choice between 1 NC in 15 years or ? NCs in 15 years then you take the sure thing. In that regard he hires him again.
 
He hasn’t done a great job of getting guys in the league recently, so outside of the current all stars, I’m not sure who’d be next up. Maybe Sharpe, but I can’t count him as a former Cat.

He does look beat down. My gf, who doesn’t watch college bball, saw him doing an interview and said he doesn’t look well. I showed her a pic of Cal with Wall, from 2010, and she didn’t believe it was the same guy. I have a hard time believing it’s the same guy myself.
Fox and Murray are the next 2 (probably shouldve been on it this year) and then Herro and Quickley. Those last 2 are a stretch imo. I don’t see Washington or Richards ever making it to that level.
 
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Mitch didn’t have much of a choice in Cals hire. Promise you that. He did what he was told to do. If he had his say, he wouldn’t have hired him firs time.
I was just about to post the same thing. The story I heard (not sure if it’s true or not) is that Mike Pratt was responsible for going after and pushing Calipari on the University. Then Barnhart had his hands tied and had no choice. Never did hear who Barnhart was targeting. At the time it looked like a good hire.
 
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Cal was the right guy

Cal should have stuck to his prediction that this program wears a man out in 10 years.

Cal is too greedy to walk away
 
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I seriously doubt Calipari will ever coach at another SEC school in which he would have to regularly face the music from the BBN at Rupp as an opposing coach like Pitino did. He will run just like he does from his press conferences. If he thinks it is bad now and the boos he got after the Gonzaga loss, just think about that scenario as an opposing coach. Will never happen. He belongs in a smaller conference like he was in the A10 & C-USA to regularly beat up on small teams and pad his win record.
 
Would his recruiting style work with the academic standards there?
Doubt it would happen, but I'm spit balling to let he/Ellen be near 2 of the kids and he can coach in peace and with 0 expectations since everyone here is so "crazy".
 
If I were him then yes I would still hire him. That contract would get major changes added to it though. When 2019 comes, I give him a new contract that is incentive based where he can make millions more over his current contract (already at $8 million I believe) with high level results. He can hit the door if he isn't happy with it.

Get $500k for an SEC Conference Title. Get another $500k for an SEC Tournament Title. Get $500k for an Elite 8. A million for a Final 4/Title game. Maybe $2 million for an NCAA Title. So that's like $3 million a year bonus possible. He could make up to $11 million with incentives. Maybe throw in some bonus money for player retention so he is less likely to push players out the door. A bonus for total wins to make all games more important (30 wins?).

I'd keep his contract at like 4 years with an added year each season with certain objectives met. That way he is always at 4 years at most and has incentives to do better. Make it a 4 year buyout at 50% of pay If fired without cause. That's still $16 million he could make. If he leaves on his own then he owes a million a year left on his contract. With $3 million + on the table a year to go with his $8 million, I think that is very generous. He might worry less about generational poverty and more about success here.
 
I had a buddy in UK athletic department when Cal was hired. He told me Mitch NEVER wanted to hire him. Some Big Booster money wanted him hired and the University President made the call. I for one believe it. It's the underlying reason for Cals animosity toward him from day 1
 
Then I refuse to watch next season, or any season while Cal coaches
he's just trying to troll you.

I can promise you for the past 3 years at least people at UK have been evaluating whether firing Calipari is possible. Financially they can't figure it out. To what degree they are serious about it is the question, not whether its been discussed or not.
 
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If I’m Mitch, I ABSOLUTELY hire Calipari again, but I never give him that last contract, and definitely terminate him after the 9-16 season, CONvid-19 be damned!
 
Speaking of re-dos, I wonder if Cal had known how the 2015 season would have ended (not to mention almost making the Final Four 2017 and 2019, plus the disappointments of recent tournaments), would he have accepted the Cavaliers’ offer in 2014? I can only imagine how the 2015 and 2017 heartbreaks (coupled with officiating issues) would affect a coach. I know how it affected me as a fan. I wonder: if he could, would he go back in time?
 
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Wait. Yall cried and said his hand was forced, now your crying and asking why he did it. You were mad at him when you thought cal might leave for places like ucla, now your mad he kept him here. Insane ppl.

The last 4 years are more than open to criticism...but there isn't a program in the country, not one, elite, blue blood, any...that wouldn't take 2009-2019
 
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