ESPN.com is reporting tonight that John Calipari and the University of Kentucky are “inching closer” to a deal and that something could even be ironed out as soon as late tonight. (Coincidentally, the picture to the left is reporting that John Calipari likes to spontaneously air-ride motorcycles in the middle of basketball games.)
It’s 11:00 CT as I write this, and I have seen no announcement yet.
According to the ESPN report, the deal being negotiated between John Calipari and Kentucky is for 8 years and somewhere in the neighborhood of $35 million. Such a deal would make Calipari the highest paid coach in America, despite the fact that he has never won a national title nor coached in a conference other than the Atlantic 10 or Conference USA. Hmm…
For more on the bio and career of John Calipari, we traced his successes (at UMass and Memphis) and failures (the NBA, his reputation with the public and some peers) over what has certainly been a distinguished and somewhat controversial career.
Currently, Calipari has four years left on his Memphis deal, which pays him $2.35 million annually. The AP reported that Memphis 
AD R.C. Johnson said that Memphis will do whatever it can to keep Calipari with the Tigers. Something tells me that 8 years and $35 million may be a bit out of their price range; but, the Tigers are the only game in town, so perhaps they can dig deep and keep their coach around.
Also of interest to Kentucky and Memphis fans: recent Memphis commit DeMarcus Cousins has not signed a letter of intent with Kentucky, and could follow Calipari to Lexington and play next year. Memphis is also supposedly a finalist for the top unsigned player remaining in the class of ’09: John Wall.
Thus, If Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson stay in school and Calipari comes galloping into town (or air-riding a Harley) with Cousins and Wall, the fortunes of the Wildcats could turn around pretty quickly.
(Excuse me for a moment while the Cream & Crimson blood pumping through my veins induces me to vomit. And while I realize that statement does not make physiological sense, all IU fans know what I’m talking about.)
I’ll keep you posted on what happens, but let’s be honest: you’ll probably find out about a final deal between Calipari and Kentucky before I get it posted here. However, if you want funny John Calipari pics to go along with your Calipari-Kentucky updates, we’re your source!
And, as always, we can’t post about John Calipari without also embedding this video:
If Calipari ups and leaves Memphis for the bluer pastures of Lexington, John Chaney might not be the only 
person who wants a piece of Coach Cal.
But seriously, he’s a college basketball coach, with a rep as being one of the sleazier ones in the business, and Kentucky is going to pay him more than any other coach in America. Can you honestly say that you’d be surprised, or begrudge him, for leaving?
I can’t. And the truth is, it’s probably a hell of a move for Kentucky if it happens.
Plus, we’ll all get a chance to see if Calipari can only dominate as a big fish in a small pond, or if he can truly build a winner in a legitimately competitive conference.
I just hope that if Calipari is at Kentucky that Tom Crean and the Hoosiers give him a proper ass-whooping welcome in the IU-Kentucky game next year. Losing to Kentucky would be bad enough. Losing to Kentucky with John Calipari on the sidelines…well that would just be…dirty.
And it would make me feel like this:
Good luck Kentucky. Calipari will win games, and all things considered I like this hire for the Wildcats if it comes to fruition, if for no other reason than Kentucky fans and their administration have proven that all they care about is winning.
But all I will say is this: Indiana once made a desperate deal with the devil not too long ago during a moment of weakness when winning was the only thought on our minds. We hired a coach that had been
to the Final Four but had never won a title, who was dogged by a less-than-sterling reputation among his peers, and whose huge ego drove him to chase a bigger contract and a higher prestige job right after signing a great recruiting class at his old school.
Sound familiar?
It all started out great — or so we thought — and then a couple of years later we won 7 games.
Look, I don’t know if John Calipari’s reputation is spot-on, or more fact than fiction, or vice versa, and I’m not saying John Calipari will be anything like Coach Snake (nor do I wish that kind of malfeasance on anyone). I’m just saying be careful. When winning is the only consideration, sometimes you end up getting exactly what you wish for…right before getting kicked in the groin with a steel-toed boot that you never see coming.
Just saying…
What do you think?
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About Jerod Morris
Of course, a deal was already announced last night 3/31/09 during the 6:00 news hour when Lexington stations aired news reports out of Memphis stating that Calipari had resigned his position at Memphis. His plane left Memphis at 5:15 p.m. and landed in Lexington at 7:15 p.m. News conference at 9:30 a.m. today for the big signing event. Hope this works out well for Kentucky, will help the school and the whole SEC if it does. GO BIG BLUE!
this article is based on assumption from some IU fan who feels hopeless and knows nothing
@john, I am admittedly biased against Kentucky and would love to see the Calipari hire blow up in their faces. I do not, however, think it will happen — despite all of the whispers and rumors that follow Calipari everywhere he goes — and I think Kentucky will be back among the nation’s elite for the foreseeable future. It pains me to say so, as an IU fan, but is the most likely outcome. You can certainly say that I know nothing, but I think if you read the posts I’ve written about Calipari you will see that they are well researched and make no claims that have not been suggested elsewhere. And while I am now hopeless that Kentucky will stay down — Calipari is too good a coach — I am very hopeful that Tom Crean can compete step for step with Calipari and that the IU-UK rivalry will get back to its early 90s relevance again.
@JRod, I value your opinion on IU and how ky will be the best and it would be cool if IU ever made it to the tourny and faced ky that would be a good game…not!!! main point IU just isnt good enough…sry
@john, I agree with John and both IU and UK are in rebuilding stages but seriously Calipari takes UK to a whole new level that I cannot see IU competing with anytime in the near future and i think thats just the way it is
@joe, thank you joe, Uk is in a rebuilding stage and i believe Calipari will do a great job there and bring home a national championship….eventually. Anything will be better than this year especially with the great recruits already coming. Calipari made a huge decision going to Uk and i think it will pay off.
@John, I totally am on board with you john. I am a die hard UK fan and this year was so painful to watch. When UK hired Calipari I was so happy. I know that with him at the helm of the Kentucky empire UK will be restored to greatness once again. GO CATS!!!!
@Joe, finally a UK fan. Its good to see that someone shares the same feelings that i have for our university. “in the next few years KY will be the best”