John Calipari interested in coaching the Bulls?

by Big D on Mar 22, 2008 12:09 AM CDT

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080322-23

I've heard this one now from about five well-connected sources around the league: University of Memphis coach John Calipari has serious interest in the Bulls job.

Calipari, for the record, strongly denied such interest when contacted by ESPN.com this week.

Where the Bulls stand on Calipari, meanwhile, could not be immediately determined. Yet this much seems clear: Chicago is headed for an offseason coaching change, as addressed here last week.

I suppose a playoff run under Jim Boylan still could change things, but that's difficult to picture, given the unrest in the locker room that lingers long after Scott Skiles' Christmas Eve departure and with Chicago still one of just four teams this season that have failed to post at least one three-game winning streak. The others are Minnesota, Memphis and Miami.

Who was the last college coach to succeed in the NBA? Calipari's already failed in the NBA once. I'd much rather see some NBA assistant like Tom Thibodeau get the job.

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Anyone but Boylan

http://web.archive.org/web/20051029054118/http://www.blogabull.com/

by gobulls1124 on Mar 22, 2008 2:58 AM CDT 0 recs

Calipari's the most famous convert

to that guy Hallberg's offense that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Very aggressive, and I think all we need is a really good penetrator to put it in play. TT, BG and Deng could go off in it. There was an article a few weeks ago about Hallberg in SI, if anyone's a subscriber.

by California Al on Mar 22, 2008 4:56 AM CDT 0 recs

Good call, California Al,

I read that article with a great deal of interest. It seems to me (and I'm agreeing with you here) that the Bulls lack a quick and penetrating guard to make this work, although you'd think that any of them could learn to become that way--they theoretically should all have the physical tools to turn the corner on their man and penetrate; they just have picked up bad habit of not doing so.

The article mentioned that the system is premised upon driving the ball into the heart of the defense and then kicking the ball out to the opposite side of the floor, at set spots, where the recepient would then do the same thing. This would go on until enough chaos is created in the defense, leading to an open jumper or layup/dunk.

The Bulls seem to do this already (although not well), resulting in a lot of instances where the penetrating player elevates, then attempts a cross-court pass that is stolen.

The article also let on that the system is far, far more complicated than just its overall premise, so who knows if this could work in the NBA.

"Duhon, don't make that garbage-time jumper... Save it for the next game!"

by bullhockey on Mar 22, 2008 6:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

It was fascinating enough

to take my mind off the impending oral surgery I was waiting for :-). I heard Calipari interviewed earlier this year about how squirrely of an idea it was to adopt a juco concept after a one hour lunch with its originator. But to hear Calipari discuss it, the best part is that players love to run it. It seems to showcase their individual skills, and I loved the comment about spending more time teaching basketball instead of running plays. Seems perfect for the NBA. Similar to Nellie Ball in rolling the ball out and letting them play.

Other favorable comments that I remember Calipari making is about players coming to him after practice to work one to one on skills, and the ease of recruiting players into an aggressive offense. How unlike our present state of affairs, eh? Can't you just see Thabo, Deng, Hughes, or Thomas receiving the kickout and going to work?

Insofar as it being NBA applicable, didn't it say Denver and Boston had adopted parts of it? It didn't say if that was due to problems with it or a lack of knowledge of the nuances. Either way, I applaud Calipari for having the cojones to make such a bold change and reviving his career.

by California Al on Mar 22, 2008 8:15 PM CDT up 0 recs

Hey, hope

your oral surgery thing went well. I actually read it while at a doctor's office, too, for a flu-like thing I had for few days.

The aspect of the article that you mention--this genuine teaching/mentorship role--is worlds away from where the Bulls are right now.

I know there have been various comments posted saying it's the players' fault, it's management's fault, it's the coaches' fault... and those are just comments posted by me.

But wouldn't it be great to start with a clean slate on the coaching side? I don't know if it will be Calipari, but anyone who could get the Bulls to have that spark of newness again would be awesome.

A dynamic offense, like the one Calipari employs, would be really cool, too.

"Duhon, don't make that garbage-time jumper... Save it for the next game!"

by bullhockey on Mar 23, 2008 12:00 AM CDT up 0 recs

Help - All I know about him is he was fired

as coach of New Jersey. Any further insights would be appreciated. Here is a Wikipedia exerpt

New Jersey Nets

In an effort to start anew for the 1996-97 season, John Calipari replaced Butch Beard as head coach of the New Jersey Nets. Kerry Kittles was selected in the 1996 NBA Draft and midway through the 1996-97 season, the team traded for Sam Cassell. After a 26-56 win-loss season, the Nets made a major draft-day trade in June 1997, acquiring Keith Van Horn, Lucious Harris and two other players for Tim Thomas. The only player from the early 1990s that the Nets retained was Jayson Williams, who was developing into a rebounding specialist.

The 1997-98 season was a lone bright spot for the Nets in the late 1990s. The team played well under Calipari, winning 43 games and qualifying for the playoffs on the last day of the season. The Nets were seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1998 playoffs in three straight games. The Nets played well and came close to taking the first two games.

The 1998-99 season was delayed for three months due to an owners' lockout of the players. When the abbreviated 50-game season began, the Nets were a fashionable choice by experts as a surprise team. However, Cassell was injured in the first game and the team started poorly. With the Nets underachieving at 3-15, the Nets traded Cassell to the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Nets acquired Stephon Marbury from the Minnesota Timberwolves. After two more losses, Calipari was fired as head coach with the team at 3-17.

by chgobr on Mar 22, 2008 6:48 AM CDT 0 recs

Wow. Deja vu... !

Sounds like the mirror image of the Bulls this season.

Anyway, Calipari was pretty highly regarded at the time. But Kittles was, well, brittle, despite early signs that he was the next Scottie Pippen. In fact, he eventually shattered his leg and just retired. Within the next two years I think Jayson Williams did the same thing.

The Nets were pretty good under Calipari, but running into the Jordan Bulls in the playoffs just made them a secondary plot line in the NBA. Kind of like whoever gets the 8 seed in the East this season.

At the time people were comparing Calipari, a Pitino understudy, to Pitino himself. There was a lot of hype about how great Calipari, and in fact both of them, would do in the league, and somehow neither of them ever made much of themselves in the league at that time.

But at least Calipario didn't do as poorly as Pitino, who built his entire team around his own former college players and screwed up on a massive scale, essentially setting the Celts back a number of years.

"Duhon, don't make that garbage-time jumper... Save it for the next game!"

by bullhockey on Mar 22, 2008 6:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

no thanks

I'll take JVG please. The next Bulls coach has to be someone who achieved something real at the pro level so he can instantly get the respect of the players. VanJeezy took a weak Knicks team to the NBA Finals in 99, and that qualifies for me.

by Stay Chisel on Mar 22, 2008 2:07 PM CDT 0 recs

"Weak Knicks team?"

That team went 27-23 in a 50 game season. They finished only 6 games out from having the top seed in the conference. Sure, they were the eighth seed that year, but they weren't exactly sneaking up on people. They had the 4th best D in the NBA. They would win 50 games the next year and 48 the year after that. They were far from terrible. They also weren't great. This was the first year after Jordan. The East was already a far inferior conference by that point. The Knicks making the Finals in '99 was about as big an accomplishment as the Cavs making it last year. If you think the Bulls are unwatchable now, just wait until JVG takes over. While he might play uptempo to start to fit in with the team's personnel, it'll only be a matter of time before he gets his type of players and he starts sucking the air out of the ball.

by snley on Mar 22, 2008 4:51 PM CDT up 0 recs

Plus, the Van Gundy

who can coach is Stan, not Jeff. Especially on offense. Especially a young team. Without a superstar.

Of course, the Knicks made it to the finals after Ewing was hurt, but still, they had a number of superstar-level guys, specifically Spreewell, Houston and to some extent Oakley/Mason/Starks.

Damn. Those names. There goes my clean feeling for the day.

"Duhon, don't make that garbage-time jumper... Save it for the next game!"

by bullhockey on Mar 22, 2008 6:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

JVG

With only 50 games, being 6 back is kind of a lot. Also, their record was akin to winning 44 games in an 82 game season (which was not as good as last year's Cavs' 50 wins). That Knicks team was basically the same one that was whipped 4-1 by the Pacers in the previous year's playoffs.

The reality is that unless the Bulls make some power moves in the summer, the next coach is going to have to make some lemonade. JVG did that with his underwhelming '99 team (H20, Spreewell, the Ghost of Patrick Ewing and Charlie Ward at PG). One of the ways he did it was with defense, which proved to be the cornerstone for the Bulls' success the last 2 seasons. I didn't think those Bulls teams were boring.

I will admit that his stint in Houston showed that he is resistant to an uptempo game. Maybe he thought he had to play that way to accommodate the relatively slow Yao Ming. I tend to believe that he is a good coach who will learn from that experience and play to the strengths of the young and athletic Bulls by speeding things up.

If you really want to gun it, there's always former Bull Paul Westhead.

by Stay Chisel on Mar 22, 2008 6:36 PM CDT up 0 recs

whoops

by Stay Chisel on Mar 22, 2008 6:39 PM CDT up 0 recs

Van Gundy

inherited a Knicks team that went 55-27 the year before he started coaching, and didn't bring home a championship in six years.

Then he inherited a 43-39 Houston team with Yao Ming in his second year, and didn't win a playoff series in four years.

Van Gundy seems like an okay coach, but there has to be better options.

by YaoPau on Mar 23, 2008 7:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

This is my new opinion on next year's coach

Anyone who wants the job is clearly insane. ;)

Maybe I'll take up hockey.

by wjb1492 on Mar 23, 2008 12:29 AM CDT 0 recs

Money and ego is a dangerous combo

College coaches have an inflated sense of worth, and a guy like Larry Brown loves nothing more than fixing another dysfunctional team while the media performs fellatio on his legendary status.

Dickey Simpkins>Ben Wallace

by rusty longley on Mar 23, 2008 12:38 AM CDT up 0 recs

Here's the link to SI's article

on Calipari's offenese

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/02/12/memphis0218/

Very intriguing article.

by California Al on Mar 23, 2008 7:35 AM CDT 0 recs

Rick Carlisle?

The New York Daily News reports 3-23-2008

Rick Carlisle's chummy relationship with Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf apparently has put him at the top of the list of candidates to succeed interim coach Jim Boylan. But if Nets exec Kiki Vandeweghe crosses the Hudson to take over the Knicks, he has Carlisle at the top of his list of coaching prospects.

Here is the Wikipedia link.

He will be remembered as the coach of the brawl in the Palace. A positive spin is presented in 24sec.net

Shortly after the brawl, there was the game between the Pacers and the Magic. Being without Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson and all the injured players, the Pacers suddenly hadn't eight healthy players to play so Pacers coach Carlisle had to list an injured player. But the starting five players played all over 40 minutes. That was the start of an unbelievable coaching performance by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. Being always without any leader on the field he had to play with young guys or the bench players for more than 20 games. Whenever you asked people to predict the Pacers record until the comebacks of the players, you heard something like 4-16 etc.

As luck would have it the Pacers started to win back to back games with all the underestimated players shining during the games. At the end the team had nearly as many wins as losses in this critical stretch.

The reason why we are writing here is coach Rick Carlisle. Taking over a dead team like the Pistons three years ago, he made name of himself and is seen as the best coach in the NBA for now, in eyes of many peoples.

Another view in Pacers Digest

Well I did what I promised I would do. I sat at the game and counted, one by one how many times Rick called an offensive play.

let me give you the raw numbers and then I'll tell you my counting methods. I wonder if anyone cares about this, but please humor me because it was a pain in the butt to count every play.

Let me first say I did not count the 4th quarter as it was garbage time.

Of the 70 or so possessions - here are the results.

Rick called 39 plays
Rick did not call a play 24 times
Pacers had 7 fastbreaks where there wasn't an opportunity for anyone to call plays.

by chgobr on Mar 23, 2008 8:51 PM CDT 0 recs

I like Carlisle

He seems like a knowledgeable coach.

by YaoPau on Mar 23, 2008 10:12 PM CDT up 0 recs

He has a solid track record

And the one year his team was chock full of talent, Ben Wallace instigated a fight and Ron Artest snapped. He also seems like the kind of guy who can command respect from a team.

Dickey Simpkins>Ben Wallace

by rusty longley on Mar 24, 2008 12:04 AM CDT up 0 recs

Butler Coach?

How about that young Butler coach who's 31.

by armstrong2389 on Mar 23, 2008 10:25 PM CDT 0 recs

This is his

first year as their head coach. He inherited this team from Todd Lickliter who is now at Iowa. Here's his bio

http://butlersports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/stevens_brad00.html

by sue369 on Mar 24, 2008 8:54 AM CDT up 0 recs

No chance

John Calipari is barely even a coach. He's a recruiter. Watch Memphis games. There's about as much coaching going on in those games as Boylan is during Bulls games.

Calipari wastes talent, he can't discipline any of his players, he needs serious help to recruit players to Memphis(See William Wesley and adidas), and he's already coached in the NBA to a great degree of failure which led him back to the college game where he's better suited.

Furthermore, Calipari has a Chinese coach on his staff and Calipari has expressed a great level of interest in expanding college recruiting to China.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2007-10-16-3619344756_x.htm

The Kids Must Stay In The Picture!!!

by NBA Observer on Mar 25, 2008 4:14 PM CDT 0 recs

Read the SI article

That was at the heart of the Halberg's strategy: put the players in positions to play ball aggressively. Contrast that with a Bobby Knight team with all 5 players with at least one eye on the coach. And re being a recruiter, isn't that the heart of being an NCAA coach?
Like I said earlier, it's not so much Calipari that excites me, it's the implications of him considering the job that tells me that upper mgt sees the same problems we do and is poised to take dramatic actions to turn this mess around.
It's not going to be a tweak or an acquisition that does it. Pax/Skiles were establishing a culture, but it went south. I think that something like the dribble-drive could establish a direction that energizes the organization and offers more hope than the alternative plan of maximizing the talents of the current roster. It's an attacking, high pressure style of play. I think that it could be to the Bulls what the 46 was to the Bears. And that, my friend, would sell in Chicago.

by California Al on Mar 27, 2008 3:03 AM CDT up 0 recs