NC Game Storyline: Calipari to Lakers?

Submitted by MGoLesher on

I apologize for not being able to embed the actual tweet on here (and maybe somebody can help me out), but Rex Chapman tweeted out just a little while ago:

@Rexchapman: Was messin' 'round on Sat nite re: Cal. But word is - win or lose 2nite - it's a #DoneDeal ...Cal 2 La-La-Land 2 coach Mamba's Lakers. #NoBS 

Link to Chapman's Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/rexchapman 

Take it for what it's worth.

Yeoman

April 8th, 2014 at 4:58 PM ^

None of those kids would have gone to OSU. None of them even took visits and only Randle was offered.

Offer lists, besides Kentucky:

Aaron Harrison: Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Maryland, Memphis, Texas, UCLA, UNLV, Villanova

Andrew Harrison: Arizona, Baylor, Georgetown, Maryland, Memphis, SMU, Texas, UCLA, UNLV, Villanova

Julius Randle: Baylor, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, N.C. State, Ohio St., Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., SMU, TCU, Texas

Dakari Johnson: Kansas, Georgia, Central Florida

James Young: Arizona, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan St., Syracuse

 

Arizona and Kansas are the big winners if this happens. Maybe Louisville. Maybe Baylor and Texas get some better in-state recruits. But nobody's going to Ohio.

mackbru

April 7th, 2014 at 10:04 PM ^

If he wants to be the nba, I don't know why he'd go to the lakers. They're screwed while Kobe's still there. No salary cap flexibility and an ancient roster.

TheLastHarbaugh

April 7th, 2014 at 11:38 PM ^

Cal is already an NBA coach. He might as well make it official.

In all seriousness, I actually think he would make for a good NBA coach, unlike most college coaches.

NBA coaches generally need to be managers of people more than Xs and Os guys, and Cal is clearly good at getting guys to like him and play hard. So I don't think he would have a problem handling pro players due to the fact that he's already a player's coach. He doesn't have a grating style that would turn off a lot of NBA players a la Izzo.

If he can assemble a coaching staff to handle most of the game planning stuff, I think he'd do quite well. 

Edit: Obviously, he was an NBA coach for the Nets in the late 90s and was fired, but he got a pretty raw deal, IMO. The Nets were a horrible franchise at that time, he had to deal with the lockout, and was basically only given 2 years, 1 of which he made the playoffs (which was an accomplishment for the inept Nets).

LJ

April 7th, 2014 at 10:07 PM ^

Why does the NBA even want him?  Isn't almost all of his success attributable to recruiting--a part of the job that literally does not exist in the NBA?

gwkrlghl

April 7th, 2014 at 10:10 PM ^

People think Kentucky is just how coach Cal has always been. He made UMass into a Final Four team I believe from nothing and he made Memphis into the powerhouse program they were through the mid-2000s. It wasn't always recruits.

It wasn't till he got to UK that his model went from one or two one-and-dones on his Memphis teams to literally entirely rosters of guys who all think they're going to be one-and-done

aplatypus

April 7th, 2014 at 10:23 PM ^

those years didn't happen. 

Marcus Camby got paid in hookers and drugs, Derrick Rose got someone else to take his SAT, among other various non-confirmed things like some cars, sudden jobs for recruits, etc.

LJ

April 7th, 2014 at 10:29 PM ^

He definitely did well at those other two schools, but even if there was no foul play going on, a huge part of his success at those schools was simply getting superior talent.  He recruiting Marcus Camby, Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, etc.  Which, in college, is more than half of the battle.  But in the NBA, where you can't simply out-talent other teams, you need other skills (Xs & Os; player development; roster/ego management, etc.).  He very well might have those skills, but I don't think those are the things that make him a great college coach--it's mostly great recruiting.

BloomingtonBlue

April 7th, 2014 at 10:34 PM ^

The NBA is more about talent than the NCAA. At least in college 10-15 teams can win it every year. In the NBA there are a maximum of 5 teams who could possibly win it every year. There are jobs like the Lakers, Heat, Bulls, Knicks, Celtics. Throw in a few others periodically. The best players always go to the big markets.

LJ

April 7th, 2014 at 10:40 PM ^

I'm not sure I agree with you, but even if you're right, is Cal's college recruiting prowess in the NCAA going to translate to bringing NBA players to his team?  I'm skeptical a coach has anywhere near the roster assembly role in the NBA that he does in the NCAA.

BloomingtonBlue

April 7th, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^

But if he chooses the right job, and it doesn't get any better than the Lakers. Players will come and Cal will be just fine. We can all say what we want about his ethics and way of doing business but the guy is a winner. 

Yeoman

April 8th, 2014 at 12:08 AM ^

Unless they're going to give the Lakers three or four lottery picks every year, what he does now won't translate. He might get the best talent in LA but it won't be vastly superior to everyone he plays.

"He's a winner" is content-free. He's a winner for particular reasons, and the only one of those that might possibly be worth something in the NBA is player-management skills.

Yeoman

April 8th, 2014 at 11:45 PM ^

The reason he's up for a prestigious position is the same reason that he wins--he has the right friends.

And it's possible that it might actually translate to the NBA, because the friends that are so instrumental in delivering his recruiting classes also have a lot of influence on movements in the pros. And the context of Chapman's tweet is...

Chapman was seen with coaching agent and Calipari confidant William Wesley this weekend

It's not hard to figure out what Wes might be pitching the Lakers.

Yeezus

April 7th, 2014 at 10:11 PM ^

I live in KY and have heard enough about this guy that I would never want him coaching any team I root for.

He is a legit criminal.  No lie.