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The answer is a farewell tour

SemperFiCat

SemperFiCat

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I wonder if they aren't going to set up a farewell tour type thing. On the surface, it may sound ridiculous, but they could easily pull it off given Cal's entire legacy and revitalizing Kentucky basketball. But, most importantly, and the main reason, it would allow both sides to save face and make it appear they are parting amicably. UK doesn't look like they are firing a HOFer, and Cal doesn't look like he's being fired for underachieving. It's a win win for everyone (except the fans stomaching being stuck with a lame duck coach for one more season). Plus, it also saves money. It also gives Kentucky a full year for a calm, thorough coaching search. Kentucky also gets a year to decide if they keep Mitch going forward. This scenario is a win all the way around when you think about it.
 
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SemperFiCat said:
I wonder if they aren't going to set up a farewell tour type thing. On the surface, it may sound ridiculous, but they could easily pull it off given Cal's entire legacy and revitalizing Kentucky basketball. But, most importantly, and the main reason, it would allow both sides to save face and make it appear they are parting amicably. UK doesn't look like they are firing a HOFer, and Cal doesn't look like he's being fired for underachieving. It's a win win for everyone (except the fans stomaching being stuck with a lame duck coach for one more season). Plus, it also saves money. It also gives Kentucky a full year for a calm, thorough coaching search. Kentucky also gets a year to decide if they keep Mitch going forward. This scenario is a win all the way around when you think about it.
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The best option is for Cal to gracefully step down, but if he's unwilling to do that, and UK admin stay spineless in this process, I agree with you. A farewell tour would be the way to go.

But do you actually see Calipari doing that?
 
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I think it's the best possible resolution, but it really only works if Calipari is ready to retire, which there has never really been any indication of. Maybe that's changed? I dunno
 
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I don't think it goes over well.

We'll have another middling season punctuated by a 2nd round loss. Fans are already outraged over the results. Mitch has to be feeling some pressure.

The whole "give us plenty of time to do a coaching search," I fully believe Mitch is constantly doing a coaching search. I think there's always a short list of names that we have our eye on. Cal is 65. He's of retirement age. We've seen multiple seasons where he could have ridden off into the sunset. If Cal won the tournament this year, I think he's going out on top. Mitch doesn't always do things to our liking, but he isn't a complete idiot.
 
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We just can’t as a program handle another season of Calipari. I mean another season comes and another season goes of no post season success next year. I still don’t see him winning any games next year in any post season either and I see more losses piling up in the regular season. It could probably get to the point of where we lose enough to where we don’t make the postseason. He has got to go now so we can get started on the rebuilding process with our new coach.
 
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I sort of agree with the OP's opinion; makes sense for all parties.
Where I differ on when/how to change coaches is in the timing. UK Basketball for all sense and purposes is a business. It generates money for the university.

Any business unless faced with something totally unexpected like something criminal in nature has a plan in place before they start replacing the top management positions.
For Coach Cal to be let go anytime soon is a far reach for me unless UK has been quietly working behind the scenes to hire someone.

Coaching at UK is like playing for UK; it is not for everyone.
With UK just starting to get deeply involved in the NIL, they are slightly behind already as most teams have embraced the NIL and transfer portal.

I just do not see a change made without someone already in the fold. Just don't see it.
 
The way I took Matt Jones’s interview last night (if he even knows more than we do) was that Cal will be a given a chance to make drastic changes while being very much under tight surveillance. If he won’t or isn’t willing to budge, he’s gone right away. That’s just me though.

I normally have a hunch about this type of stuff but I have no idea what’s gonna happen here.
 
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SemperFiCat said:
I wonder if they aren't going to set up a farewell tour type thing. On the surface, it may sound ridiculous, but they could easily pull it off given Cal's entire legacy and revitalizing Kentucky basketball. But, most importantly, and the main reason, it would allow both sides to save face and make it appear they are parting amicably. UK doesn't look like they are firing a HOFer, and Cal doesn't look like he's being fired for underachieving. It's a win win for everyone (except the fans stomaching being stuck with a lame duck coach for one more season). Plus, it also saves money. It also gives Kentucky a full year for a calm, thorough coaching search. Kentucky also gets a year to decide if they keep Mitch going forward. This scenario is a win all the way around when you think about it.
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Son_Of_Saul said:
But do you actually see Calipari doing that?
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Yeah I have a hard time picturing Cal maintaining the Going Out Gracefully act for a solid year even if he could do it at all. Especially given he's always going to win one or two games he's not expected to in a given down season, I'll give him that. And he's probably also going to go on three-plus game winning streaks here and there. Can you imagine how much it would divide the fanbase for him to go on a five-game winning streak that included some upsets, as he did towards the end of this season, with it already set in stone that he would have to step down afterwards regardless? I guess it would be great Jerry Springer material.
 
This may be the way to do it, but I have gotten hardly any joy from watching UKBBall the last few years.

For every positive we offset it was some ridiculously frustrating thing. Amazing, generational type offensive performance, can't guard a tree. Generational rebounder, can't figure out how to guard a pick and roll. Recruiting classes with several top 10 players, and they all end up being 'busts'. And I say busts in the sense that since we'll only have em one year, if they don't perform at a high level it just doesn't matter for us.

I try to stay positive, but it's just been a slow descent into frustration, to the point my wife asks why I watch anymore since I don't seem to enjoy it. And it's not just sour grapes, I can handle losing when I feel like we were just outplayed and didn't completely shoot ourself in the foot via roster construction or poor game planning or having players that just seem woefully underprepared.

So if we have to stomach another year of Cal, I think it'll be the first season for me since '96 I haven't watched and followed the cats to at least some degree. Perhaps the only thing that could pull me back would be if Reed returns, but it will simply be to enjoy a legacy kid who has a chance to be one of our best in state kids ever.
 
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BigBlue1992 said:
The way I took Matt Jones’s interview last night (if he even knows more than we do) was that Cal will be a given a chance to make drastic changes while being very much under tight surveillance. If he won’t or isn’t willing to budge, he’s gone. That’s just me though.

I normally have a hunch about this type of stuff but I have no idea what’s gonna happen here.
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The thing about that is that MJ is transparently giving one side of the story. He doesn't have access to give Calipari's perspective or goals, but we have to assume Calipari does have his own agenda. So, there is probably some middle ground between Cal's vision and the university in terms of negotiations, but that's really the big question mark the way I see it.

What I mean by that, for example, is that Calipari very well may come back and say "one more year and Im retiring." That changes the conversation of everything, but we are just speculating on his response.
 
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BlueSince92 said:
Yeah I have a hard time picturing Cal maintaining the Going Out Gracefully act for a solid year even if he could do it at all. Especially given he's always going to win one or two games he's not expected to in a given down season, I'll give him that. And he's probably also going to go on three-plus game winning streaks here and there. Can you imagine how much it would divide the fanbase for him to go on a five-game winning streak that included some upsets, as he did towards the end of this season, with it already set in stone that he would have to step down afterwards regardless? I guess it would be great Jerry Springer material.
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Seems like that would be ripe for sabotage. Coach knows he's out, he's clearly been disillusioned with the fans for many years. Somehow we end up with a transcendent team and he intentionally throws a game with bad sub-patterns, bad lineups, etc... some sort of soft inting that you wouldn't be able to strictly point to and say he 100% threw the game, but reading between the lines you could tell.
 
I'm not saying I love it, or want Cal for another year. I want him gone yesterday. It's not perfect, but I just think it checks boxes for both sides. Feeds Cal's ego and doesn't paint UK as an unrealistic employer. My guess is it makes Cal go away quieter and cheaper.
 
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idk where Cals head is on his ideal timeline…but if he has anything less than 5 years in the tank then I think he should heavily consider a farewell tour option and just hang up the cleats.

you can easily pitch it as Cal’s plan to retire in 1-2 years all along. You could even say 2 more years and most ppl would be ok with it if they knew that the end of the tunnel was there and our Athletic dept would have a full year with every big name coach out there also knowing this job was opening to find their guy.
 
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He can do farewell signings between now and May 1, subtract the money he makes from the buyout. No good reason to keep a disgruntled employee around an extra couple weeks, tho.

Let's have a big telethon send-off to raise money for His buyout instead. He can contribute his usual .06-1% toward the cause and it's a win/win for all involved.
 
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Yes, let’s save face and pretend UK is one at the expense of recruiting. We will have a lame duck coach and will not be able to name the next head coach, unless he is retired, after the season is over. Many on this board “concerned” what will happen after COW and you give the next guy this scenario. This will really scare off any potential candidate who may have been interested and may have been just the right hire. I truly believe that CCC is going to do a 180 next year and become an X’s and O’s coach, with a fundamentally sound team, not concerned about generational poverty, and coaching for the name on the front of the jersey etc etc. Next year will be worse than this year, we may not make the Big Dance but, at least, we did not hurt the multi-millionaires’ feelings.
 
stop using the “there are no realistic options to replace Cal” excuse. The same coaches available now will be the same ones next year. Calipari does not deserve a retirement tour because he is a prick, hell he doesn’t even like the fans of BBN and you all want to give him a damn tour. Get a grip
 
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SemperFiCat said:
I wonder if they aren't going to set up a farewell tour type thing. On the surface, it may sound ridiculous, but they could easily pull it off given Cal's entire legacy and revitalizing Kentucky basketball. But, most importantly, and the main reason, it would allow both sides to save face and make it appear they are parting amicably. UK doesn't look like they are firing a HOFer, and Cal doesn't look like he's being fired for underachieving. It's a win win for everyone (except the fans stomaching being stuck with a lame duck coach for one more season). Plus, it also saves money. It also gives Kentucky a full year for a calm, thorough coaching search. Kentucky also gets a year to decide if they keep Mitch going forward. This scenario is a win all the way around when you think about it.
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Crazy . Can’t go a year without recruiting
 
It does have it's benefits for the parties concerned.

Cal gets roses thrown at him along the way (from some places, not from others). Gets to make it about himself.
Kentucky MAYBE can get some damn decent officiating for once as this is the retirement tour (reson why Coach K and Jeter did this, and why someone like Caitlin Clarke announces weeks ahead of time she's not coming back).
And the school and AD can really focus on the next coach. Making calls, seeing who is even interested, eliminating choices, etc.
 
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SemperFiCat said:
I wonder if they aren't going to set up a farewell tour type thing. On the surface, it may sound ridiculous, but they could easily pull it off given Cal's entire legacy and revitalizing Kentucky basketball. But, most importantly, and the main reason, it would allow both sides to save face and make it appear they are parting amicably. UK doesn't look like they are firing a HOFer, and Cal doesn't look like he's being fired for underachieving. It's a win win for everyone (except the fans stomaching being stuck with a lame duck coach for one more season). Plus, it also saves money. It also gives Kentucky a full year for a calm, thorough coaching search. Kentucky also gets a year to decide if they keep Mitch going forward. This scenario is a win all the way around when you think about it.
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You have to be joking Id rather have the death penalty for a year
 
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