what I think will happen

[UKat1]

“Unless Mitch can find a home run coach now , it is way too big of a gamble to fire Cal and not make an awesome hire.”

There are 351 Division 1 college basketball coaches presently. You are intimating that it would be very difficult to find 1 coach who would be equal to or better than our beloved CCC?

Where is the gamble? What is a “home run hire” and what are the measurable traits that such a coach must have to be considered a HRH? A certain win %, 5+ years coaching Division 1 schools, # of conference championships, Final Four appearances or National Championships, no NCAA violations. — can you be more specific?

You would prefer that UK waits 1 more year and deal with the mediocrity level that CCC has now demonstrated for years, so that one or several HRH’s will miraculously appear on the horizon!

Out of 351 coaches I am sure, for arguments sake, you could eliminate 80% as either not a HRH or not at all interested. That leaves 70 coaches who may have the qualifications. Eliminate guys like Izzo, Self, Few, Matt Painter etc that obviously won’t come to UK plus another 25% and you are now down to 50 coaches who may have the qualifications to be the next head basketball coach. Now the greatest fear that Mitch and/or a hiring committee would face is out of these 50 candidates who could possibly handle the immense pressure that a UK coach would be under once he accepts this job!!! There is only 1 coach on the planet that can handle the pressure and , wait for it, it is CCC, our Hall of Famer! What lunacy for the administration and the fanbase to think that COW has not performed up to the historical standards of the program. I have been wanting CCC gone since at least 2021 but have realized that if CCC is no longer the UK head coach, there is no hope as there is no successor today or in the near future. UK may have to either cancel the program or drop down to Division 2 and hope to compete with the next coach who we know will never fill the enormous void left by the great COW.

Guarantee you Bruce Pearl could handle it, he'd crawl to UK if offered

 

[HagginHall1999]

People will get on your for this but it is true. That's not saying I want Cal to come back, but this really is a risk.

You get this next hire wrong and the program really is screwed. The money won't be there to pay Cal's buyout, his replacement's buyout, plus the salary of the next replacement. This exact scenario is playing out at Indiana right now. They can't afford to fire Woodson because they're already paying too many buyouts.

There's a legitimate argument to be made that it's less risky long term to wait one year and see what happens. The buyout would be less and it's another year to see if there's a more sure fire replacement. Nothing can happen next year that would make the next coach's job any more difficult than it would be now.

Big picture you and other poster are 100% correct.

For better or worse (though I think he is done), the best thing that could happen (barring hire 1A and 2A available) is Mitch and Calipari have a come to Jesus moment. They get aligned and Cal fixes what deficiency with the staff, roster and most of all himself.

A buyout of this magnitude would be a major risk, again, unless you land your A list candidate. The problem is some of those guys are coaching now and may be for a couple more weeks.

This is a hot mess.

 

[TFCats11]

Dream on! Cal and UK will come to some mutual agreement, and that will be that. I fully expect Jay Wright to be in play, because the money is there, he’s still “got it”, and he could come in immediately, no strings or baggage attached, and it’s instantly game on!

 

[Kyhoward]

Cal brings Payne back, talks of positive changes, promotes new NIL program, recruits a couple of older transfers and we act like everything is ok until we lose 1st games in SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Talks is the key word, talks a lot, Ad nauseum, won’t change a thing but maybe fire a couple assistant who are not responsible for his mess!

 

[Short-Dawg-69]

Mitch and Cal will hold a press conference and Cal says next year is his last, "I
love coaching this group of kids". Mitch is on board and says they will make an awesome hire next
year and we should give Cal the sendoff he deserves..... Unless Mitch can find a home run coach now , it
is way too big of a gamble to fire Cal and not make an awesome hire.

I could agree with this could be a high possibility.

 

[Kyhoward]

Mitch and Cal will hold a press conference and Cal says next year is his last, "I
love coaching this group of kids". Mitch is on board and says they will make an awesome hire next
year and we should give Cal the sendoff he deserves..... Unless Mitch can find a home run coach now , it
is way too big of a gamble to fire Cal and not make an awesome hire.

Mitch and Cal will hold a press conference and Cal says next year is his last, "I
love coaching this group of kids". Mitch is on board and says they will make an awesome hire next
year and we should give Cal the sendoff he deserves..... Unless Mitch can find a home run coach now , it
is way too big of a gamble to fire Cal and not make an awesome hire.

That will do wonders for recruiting. A lame duck coach and no idea who the next coach may be. Give him the sendoff now!

 

[Bkocats]

The risk of keeping him exceeds the risk of sending him on his way.
With cal, we can really not expect next year to be any better than the past 4 years. The fan base and donors will go from angry to apathetic. Things will continue to get worse and worse and uglier and uglier until we become a has been program.
Blow it up now. Take a bad year or two if need be with new blood and excitement for the future.
We are in route towards a cliff. Staying the course is suicide.

THIS!!
Well said sir

 

[wldktz8]

“Unless Mitch can find a home run coach now , it is way too big of a gamble to fire Cal and not make an awesome hire.”

There are 351 Division 1 college basketball coaches presently. You are intimating that it would be very difficult to find 1 coach who would be equal to or better than our beloved CCC?

Where is the gamble? What is a “home run hire” and what are the measurable traits that such a coach must have to be considered a HRH? A certain win %, 5+ years coaching Division 1 schools, # of conference championships, Final Four appearances or National Championships, no NCAA violations. — can you be more specific?

You would prefer that UK waits 1 more year and deal with the mediocrity level that CCC has now demonstrated for years, so that one or several HRH’s will miraculously appear on the horizon!

Out of 351 coaches I am sure, for arguments sake, you could eliminate 80% as either not a HRH or not at all interested. That leaves 70 coaches who may have the qualifications. Eliminate guys like Izzo, Self, Few, Matt Painter etc that obviously won’t come to UK plus another 25% and you are now down to 50 coaches who may have the qualifications to be the next head basketball coach. Now the greatest fear that Mitch and/or a hiring committee would face is out of these 50 candidates who could possibly handle the immense pressure that a UK coach would be under once he accepts this job!!! There is only 1 coach on the planet that can handle the pressure and , wait for it, it is CCC, our Hall of Famer! What lunacy for the administration and the fanbase to think that COW has not performed up to the historical standards of the program. I have been wanting CCC gone since at least 2021 but have realized that if CCC is no longer the UK head coach, there is no hope as there is no successor today or in the near future. UK may have to either cancel the program or drop down to Division 2 and hope to compete with the next coach who we know will never fill the enormous void left by the great COW.

Hate to break it to you, but Cal has kind of proved himself at the top level of CBB. He has over 400 wins, a championship, runner up and multiple conference championships at a top tier school. He’s also led UK to two 38 win seasons. No other coach in division 1 has won 38 games in a single season. He’s done it three times! The other was at Memphis. The closest at a top of the NCAA are Few, Self and Webber with a single 37 win season. Both Tubby and BCG are proof that UK is not bigger than some coaches.

 

[Kyhoward]

Hate to break it to you, but Cal has kind of proved himself at the top level of CBB. He has over 400 wins, a championship, runner up and multiple conference championships at a top tier school. He’s also led UK to two 38 win seasons. No other coach in division 1 has won 38 games in a single season. He’s done it three times! The other was at Memphis. The closest at a top of the NCAA are Few, Self and Webber with a single 37 win season. Both Tubby and BCG are proof that UK is not bigger than some coaches.

And since 2015?
His record the past 4 years?
Larry Bird was an unbelievable player but I don’t want him on my Celtics now!

 

[kitkat46]

Well,I hope bennie doesn't want to be down there to see you!.. Hell fire is eternal,! Burning and falling into a bottomless pit! And feeling The effects of being on fire forever! But remember..hate can send you there! And what have Coach Cal done to you personally that you feel the need to hate on? And hating is a one way ticket to that bottomless pit! No coming back!

 

[CatPhight]

Well,I hope bennie doesn't want to be down there to see you!.. Hell fire is eternal,! Burning and falling into a bottomless pit! And feeling The effects of being on fire forever! But remember..hate can send you there! And what have Coach Cal done to you personally that you feel the need to hate on? And hating is a one way ticket to that bottomless pit! No coming back!

Judge not lest ye be judged is not applicable?

Also...

 

[silentsaregolden2.0]

Mitch and Cal will hold a press conference and Cal says next year is his last, "I
love coaching this group of kids". Mitch is on board and says they will make an awesome hire next
year and we should give Cal the sendoff he deserves..... Unless Mitch can find a home run coach now , it
is way too big of a gamble to fire Cal and not make an awesome hire.

Problem with that is Cal would leave over 20 million on the table by resigning after next season.

 

[silentsaregolden2.0]

Cal will NEVER agree to ending his current contract without a full payment of the buyout. That is the holdup here. Cal has Mitch and UK by the _alls!!

Cal is HATED right now by MOST of the fan base and MOST of the UK administration. WHY would Mitch want to parade Cal out for a "Last season" when NOBODY wants that, including Cal???

We either have to find ALL of the money to get rid of him OR bring him back and MAKE HIM fulfill EVERY aspect of his contract!!! No more ducking out of Press conferences, no more VAGUE answers on the status of players, no more "players first", no more "Basketball Benny" comments.

Put a leash on him so tight that he will be MISERABLE for staying!!!

According to MJ, there is no lump sum payout, and the total buyout is spread out over several years. He said the buyout is not a sticking point.

 

[kitkat46]

Judge not lest ye be judged is not applicable?

Also...

You and I are both being judged now! Good or bad!

 

[kitkat46]

You and I are both being judged now! Good or bad!

And not judging... just the effects of Hate? Especially if someone have not done anything to us!

 

[CatPhight]

You and I are both being judged now! Good or bad!

Apparently you're also busy in the judging department, no?

 

[2StepShep]

Mitch and Cal will hold a press conference and Cal says next year is his last, "I
love coaching this group of kids". Mitch is on board and says they will make an awesome hire next
year and we should give Cal the sendoff he deserves..... Unless Mitch can find a home run coach now , it
is way too big of a gamble to fire Cal and not make an awesome hire.

I think this type of thinking shows how masterful Cal is at branding himself. He has been overpaid at Kentucky and has brought the worst seasons and losses in UK history, yet there are those that want to give him a coach K send off, or seem to think he deserves more than what he’s getting. He’s also walking about with far more money than any coach in UK’s history. He really is great at selling himself and keeping people’s eye off the ball. It’s one of the reasons I tend to think Calipari knew to have the success weighted toward the front end and went hard to work to make it happen. Once his name recognition was at its highest, he did less and less work and relied on it.

Cal deserves to be fired. He is not special and he’s been given a lot of trust and control which he has failed with. Some of the money was probably back end pay for the former successes, but he’s past that now and just bleeding the program of resources without contributing to the program’s position and needs.

If the AD doesn’t fire him he’s accepting less than blue blood standards without a fight. You simply cannot do that and allow it to happen from a fear of who to hire. It’s pretty absurd to have that mindset.

 

[catben]

According to MJ, there is no lump sum payout, and the total buyout is spread out over several years. He said the buyout is not a sticking point.

It's STILL $6+million/year over the next 5 years. That's going to hamper our next hire TREMENDOUSLY!! It's a WHOLE LOT of money no matter how it's paid out.

And even if Cal gets another job the difference in his yearly salary will be made up by UK. So if his new school only pays him $4 million/year, UK is STILL on the hook for the remaining amount.