On the morning after Mike D’Antoni resigned as head coach of the Lakers, Kentucky coach John Calipari tried to jump out in front of the situation.
Calipari Tweeted: “Before it starts, I’m totally committed to helping this group of young men reach their dreams. I wouldn’t & couldn’t leave this group!”
Calipari has already been mentioned — along with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Florida’s Billy Donovan , UConn’s Kevin Ollie and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo — among potential candidates to replace D’Antoni, who opted to step down because the Lakers wouldn’t add one more year to his contract so he wouldn’t be a lame duck.
Before the NCAA championship game last month, Rex Chapman set Twitter afire by saying Calipari to the Lakers was a done deal.
The story overshadowed the game and Calipari was asked about it immediately following the game.
“The Lakers have a basketball coach,” Calipari said following Kentucky’s 60-54 loss to UConn at AT&T Stadium. “Kentucky has a basketball coach. I have the best job in the country.”
He added: “I’m not going to even dignify that stuff.”
Of course, now the Lakers don’t have a coach and Calipari will seemingly be forever linked to open NBA positions.
Still, he met earlier this week with his players to talk about how they can improve for next season.
With the return of every key player on their roster save for Julius Randle and James Young, Kentucky will feature nine McDonald’s All-Americans, has already been installed as a preseason No. 1 by several outlets and should be among the favorites to cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
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