Really.. I mean, “been there, done that!!!” Failed.
Rick Pitino Wants to Be NBA Coaching Candidate: 'I Want to Be Part of a Team
TIMOTHY RAPP
OCTOBER 29, 2018
Seth Wenig/Associated Press
Former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has interest in coaching again at the NBA level, as he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:
"I just want to be a part of an organization. I want to develop young players. I want to be part of a team. I miss it terribly. I'm using this time to really study the NBA. If something opens up with a young basketball team, I'd have deep interest in it.
"I think the league is going to get younger and player development will become even more important to every organization. That's my forte. I believe I can help an organization find a pathway to success."
Pitino, 66, has hired Drew Rosenhaus to be his agent as he seeks another NBA job 17 years after he resigned from the Boston Celtics.
Pitino's coaching career has spanned both college and professional basketball. In college, he served as the head honcho for Hawaii, Boston, Providence, Kentucky and Louisville, going 770-221 in his career. He won titles with Kentucky in 1995-96 and Louisville in 2012-13, though the latter has since been vacated.
His time with the Cardinals came to an end in Oct. 2017, however, amidst a federal investigation into the program regarding alleged payments made to the family of recruit Brian Bowen.
Louisville's title was vacated and the school put on probation for four years earlier in 2017, meanwhile, after escort Katina Powell revealed publicly that former Louisville employee Andre McGee paid her and other escorts to strip for incoming recruits on their visits to the school or have sex with them.
Professionally, Pitino worked for the New York Knicks for two seasons (1983-85) before taking over as the team's head coach in the 1987-88 campaign. He lasted two seasons as head honcho, finishing his time there with a 90-74 record and two postseason berths. After returning to the college game, he took over as the Celtics head coach in 1997-98, going 102-146 and failing to reach the playoffs.
As for whether NBA teams would have interest in Pitino as a head coach, Wojnarowski noted that there will be some hurdles to overcome:
"In all likelihood, Pitino has a bigger obstacle to returning to the NBA than NCAA failings: Convincing league executives and owners that his ego would allow him to be a willing partner with a front office. Many GMs say that they'd be hesitant on Pitino based on the belief that he'd be difficult to co-exist with, especially in the turbulence of a rebuild.
"Nevertheless, few question his greatness as a coach, his ability to maximize the talent of young players and organize them into a competitive group on the floor. Among others, Pitino's task will be to convince decision-makers of his sincerity in scaling back his persona and reshaping himself as humbled, determined basketball coach."
As purely a coach, Pitino still has a place in the NBA. But from a personality standpoint and from an optics standpoint, given the nature of his departure at Louisville, a return to the league remains far from certain.
AlohaCat
Rick Pitino Wants to Be NBA Coaching Candidate: 'I Want to Be Part of a Team
TIMOTHY RAPP
OCTOBER 29, 2018
Seth Wenig/Associated Press
Former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has interest in coaching again at the NBA level, as he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:
"I just want to be a part of an organization. I want to develop young players. I want to be part of a team. I miss it terribly. I'm using this time to really study the NBA. If something opens up with a young basketball team, I'd have deep interest in it.
"I think the league is going to get younger and player development will become even more important to every organization. That's my forte. I believe I can help an organization find a pathway to success."
Pitino, 66, has hired Drew Rosenhaus to be his agent as he seeks another NBA job 17 years after he resigned from the Boston Celtics.
Pitino's coaching career has spanned both college and professional basketball. In college, he served as the head honcho for Hawaii, Boston, Providence, Kentucky and Louisville, going 770-221 in his career. He won titles with Kentucky in 1995-96 and Louisville in 2012-13, though the latter has since been vacated.
His time with the Cardinals came to an end in Oct. 2017, however, amidst a federal investigation into the program regarding alleged payments made to the family of recruit Brian Bowen.
Louisville's title was vacated and the school put on probation for four years earlier in 2017, meanwhile, after escort Katina Powell revealed publicly that former Louisville employee Andre McGee paid her and other escorts to strip for incoming recruits on their visits to the school or have sex with them.
Professionally, Pitino worked for the New York Knicks for two seasons (1983-85) before taking over as the team's head coach in the 1987-88 campaign. He lasted two seasons as head honcho, finishing his time there with a 90-74 record and two postseason berths. After returning to the college game, he took over as the Celtics head coach in 1997-98, going 102-146 and failing to reach the playoffs.
As for whether NBA teams would have interest in Pitino as a head coach, Wojnarowski noted that there will be some hurdles to overcome:
"In all likelihood, Pitino has a bigger obstacle to returning to the NBA than NCAA failings: Convincing league executives and owners that his ego would allow him to be a willing partner with a front office. Many GMs say that they'd be hesitant on Pitino based on the belief that he'd be difficult to co-exist with, especially in the turbulence of a rebuild.
"Nevertheless, few question his greatness as a coach, his ability to maximize the talent of young players and organize them into a competitive group on the floor. Among others, Pitino's task will be to convince decision-makers of his sincerity in scaling back his persona and reshaping himself as humbled, determined basketball coach."
As purely a coach, Pitino still has a place in the NBA. But from a personality standpoint and from an optics standpoint, given the nature of his departure at Louisville, a return to the league remains far from certain.
AlohaCat
