SIAP: MJ says it’s all on Mitch concerning Cal’s future
- Thread starter bbncal02
- Start date
There just NO way this shyster can stay in place. It’s either he is done or Uk is. What does any other storied program do with this record:
Kentucky is 2-8 in their last 10 postseason games (counting SEC tourney games), and UK was favored in every single one of them.
2019 vs. Auburn: 0-1
2021 vs. Mississippi State: 0-2
2022 vs. Vanderbilt: 1-2
2022: vs. Tennessee: 1-3
2022 vs. St. Peter's: 1-4
2023: vs. Vanderbilt: 1-5
2023: vs. Providence: 2-5
2023: vs. Kansas State: 2-6
2024: vs. Texas A&M: 2-7
2024: vs. Oakland: 2-8
Altman is about to be 66 and Pearl is 64 with baggage (losing to Yale yesterday didn’t help either). While I think Pearl would be a good fit for UK (especially from a personality standpoint), not a viable option imo. Like the remaining 2 outside of Shaka.
That's not true. I don't want Calipari back, but what he said is that he won't stop recruiting Freshman altogether-he wouldn't just build a team of Portal guys. Nobody wants that either. What they want is the best roster you can put together. Nobody argued with Reed/Rob playing at all this year-in fact everyone wanted them to START--hell we wanted Big Z to start too--so that would be 3 Freshman-but who argued that Reeves shouldn't start? Nobody.
What is needed is the best players you can land. To hear the junk that Bradshaw was pulling you had a talent like Kel'el Ware available and if you added what he brought IU this year--you have a dominant force inside. Could've had Knecht--but you landed Edwards. Didn't know he'd crap bed like he did-but what UK fans would like--Reeves AND Knecht being on same roster.
Another thing I'd bring up-when Calipari used to get elite guards--he'd win. When is the last elite PG Kentucky has had? SGA?
Wall
Knight
No Pg worth dick (NIT)
Harrison
Harrison/Ulis
Ulis
Fox
SGA
Hagans
Askew
Wheeler/TyTy was better but played off the ball-when he did play PG broke school all time record for assists in a game
Wheeler--when he quit, Wallace finally moved to PG and team played it's best all year but he was treated like a CG
This year--improved guard play but Reed/Rob were placed behind DJ Wagner who wasn't even a PG on his HS team in Camden-that was Cian Medley.
Have Boogie Fland signed up who is a true PG and if DJ returns--we know how this is going to play out. I'd rather see DJ Wagner transfer and get St. Joe's Guard with Boogie than DJ blocking Fland who is more natural as a PG/lead guard. He knows when to distribute and when to shoot the ball. He runs a team/manages a game.
So you have a guy who ignores formulas of success and the one thing we're being told is he may have guys return to help him keep his job. Well they need to return with notion that all positions are open and no guarantees in that scenario. This is where fans are fed up as well. We KNOW that isn't going to happen if it's DJ.
I think Scott Drew would surprise people here. People forget how bad of a program Baylor used to be..
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No matter who the new coach might be, the same people on this board bitching about Cal, will be bitching about the choice. If it's coach A, then the choice should have been either B or C. If it's B, it should have been A or C & if it's C, well, it should have been A or B.......
These statements come out after every bad loss to assuage the anger of the fanbase.
Mitch will do nothing with Cal unless Cal asks him to work out a package to leave.
I think people forget how moving up and coaching at a major program can help coaches improve because of the resources they gain. It can also go the opposite direction if someone can’t handle the pressure of the job.
He said he was going to sprinke in a older guy or two on top of the freshman. He's already doing that, so he basically said he's going to do nothing different. Go back and listen beause "that's not true" is wrong.
That’s bs. Some would but I think most would be happy with having someone new.
That’s definitely the risk. There are some intriguing candidates but no 100% guarantees. But what’s currently going on can not continue.
And this is a major problem that not enough are worried about. I don't think anyone wants Cal to return. I do think there's a discussion to be had for what would put the program in a worse spot, a few more years of Cal or getting the hire wrong and needing to give that coach a third or fourth year because we can't afford to pay Cal's buyout, the new coach's buyout, plus the salary for a third coach.
That is a scenario that is possible and we've seen it at both Louisville and Indiana the past few years. We worry about becoming Indiana, but that is how you really become Indiana. If any of their last three coaching hires were slam dunks they'd be up there with Purdue at the top of the Big 10. But because they often need to pay two buyouts at once they can't afford to fire an underperforming coach when he needs to be fired.
Of course this can all be avoided if Cal gets another job that offsets the buyout to a large degree. But if he doesn't or goes to a smaller school and takes a lower salary it does set up a potential doomsday scenario if the next guy is the wrong guy.
A boss once told me: bring me a solution along with the problem.
You can’t want Cal gone and then say there’s nobody worthy to replace him.
There is no perfect hire. Some of who would be considered perfect are not available or willing
If you think that Cal should stay because of no perfect l hires available then no disrespect but you’re an idiot
I made a post yesterday that didn't get much traction, but it was looking at player efficiency ratings. EvanMiya was an old data guy from 538's sport division that does his own Kenpom type thing now for college basketball and has a player efficiency metric. It's not perfect, no advanced metric is, but it's a good quick way to evaluate players big picture.
The only two players we had in the top 100 were Rob and Reed. I don't think any of our other freshmen were even in the top 150. DJ was like 966th or something. UConn had 6 in the top 100, Houston has like 5 in the top 60. Almost every top 4 seed has at least four in the top 100. We had two.
Point is, these five star highly regarded recruits just aren't good college players. They may be good in two or three years, and they may be first round draft picks, but they aren't good now. Our players might be more athletic or better shooters, but there are juniors and seniors that are more experienced, smarter, and just better overall players.
We get guys like Dillingham who looks electric and will have a few games where he fills up the stat sheet, but a senior like Shead at Houston is going to be a lot more valuable come tournament time. He averaged 10 minutes and 3.3 points per game as a freshman and now that he's a senior he's a first team All American. Those are the types of guys that win come March.
So we have to count on Barney to make two decisions? One to fire cal and one who to hire? I’ll take a hard pass and just fire the clown who gave the contract
And you can't keep Cal here, and continue to bleed out either. It's Mitch Barnhart's job to figure it out.
I like that idea. The offense improved with Welch here this season. Then hire someone who is a defensive specialist to take his place.
Lol because if raftards says it, it must be true. Brad Stevens is currently the president of basketball operations for the Celtics. Yeah, he's obviously an option.
He hired cal didn’t he. Also BCG but many on here thot that would be good. Even I thot BCG, Altho a risk, a good risk. So Mich and many of us were wrong.
Don’t think MB makes the new coach decision in a vacuum.
The response he had was "I'm not going to quit recruiting HS players/Freshman". Question was will you change how you build a team and he contemplated and then mentioned how he'd built this team with Antonio and Tre, etc....but he was referring to just going older like everyone else and he couldn't envision himself doing just that. Nobody wants that.
What they want is to build the best roster PERIOD. There isn't any set way to do it. UConn had Clinigan last yr who was a key piece. They have Castle this year. Other teams have had key Freshmen as well. But just building through 1 and done guys--you better be getting AD/Wall level guys. Hell Cal's best team prior to '12 was '08 Memphis and it was like a Houston Cougar roster with Derrick Rose added to it. That should be his or any model--get talented, experienced CBB players and then sprinkle in an elite guy if you can from HS. A true program changing player.
Kentucky's starting 5 should look more like
Kel'el Ware--Center
Keshad Johnson--Forward
Dalton Knecht
Antonio Reeves
Rob Dillingham or Reed Sheppard
If you are doing this correctly.
Maybe seemed like a shot at you but wasn’t. Theresa lot of folks on here who unnecessarily worry about the next coach and was directed toward that sentiment
Cal must go now regardless
I agree. I’m ok with who people are saying he wants. I think Scott Drew would be a fine coach
IIRC Cal didn’t recruit Reeves back,the team did. At least that was the report.
And I easily believe it. Cal was imo willing to go with mainly just the frosh.
And also, imo, Cal has never tried to put together a team with the requisite parts, rather focused on 5 stars whether they fit together or not; or in some cases whether they could even play or not.
Cal is NOT going to put in the work the job requires no matter what he says
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He's got it backwards. It needs to be a freshman or two sprinkled on top of a lineup of mostly older players.
Give me viable options. I'm not interested in living on fantasy island, dreaming of picks like a prime coach K, prime Phil Jackson, or a young Billy Donovan.
I get the feeling we're moving on from Cal. Didn't think so yesterday but even Matt is tweeting about the Gold Standard in a mocking tone as if it's a pre-emptive strike against the Seth Greenberg's of the world who will be ready to condemn UK for the move. I was also surprised by the talking heads who skipped over "what's up with Kentucky lately?" to "Is it time to move on from Calipari?" Feels like folks have gotten a memo that a decision is coming.
I'm just saying, this thing can go wrong if you fire Cal and hire a turd. It can also go wrong if you keep Cal. And no, I don't trust Mitch Barnhart to make the right decision.
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IDK man if Drew turns it down. He is the only obvious choice to me. I like the offense the guy from Iowa St runs, Fred Hoiberg is respectable.
Too early for a guy like Golden.
Barney I'm sure will hire a consultant (s) as he should
I'm not sold on Drew. Would have been a perfect fit right after his title run, but I just don't think he's elite at anything. Cal came in as an elite recruiter, and probably the best coach in college basketball with young PG's. Again, Drew doesn't do it for me. Then again, neither does anyone else.
The least painful way would be for Cal to invoke that “ambassador” clause in the contract. That leaves UK the most financial flexibility and freedom to bring in the next coach and his staff.
However I’m not confident that CCC will do that based on his stubbornness.
However I’m not confident that CCC will do that based on his stubbornness.
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