Lots of denials to the Pitino report

There have been statements from both Louisville and Sacramento that suggest Rick Pitino is not a candidate for the Kings job, as reported late Thursday by Yahoo! Sports. But it's worth noting that Adrian Wojnarowski authored that story, and he's well connected with a solid track record, meaning you can trust this Pitino-to-the-Kings possibility is something he was told on authority (even if it's untrue) as opposed to something he just invented (as some Louisville fans have angrily suggested) to hurt the Cardinals' program.

In a related note, there was a strong rumor in basketball circles early Thursday indicating Pitino might resign from Louisville by the weekend. But two sources close to Pitino shot that rumor down instantly, with one going as far as to tell CBSSports.com by text message that "there's no way" that would happen. On Friday morning, another source discounted the idea that Pitino would leave for the Kings, at which point I was reminded of a story I was told last month, not long after John Calipari was hired at Kentucky. At the time, there was speculation that Pitino might listen to a ridiculous offer from Memphis or that he could accept the Arizona job. But a source close to Pitino explained in the simplest terms possible that Pitino wouldn't make either move given the circumstances because he'd "never follow Calipari" at Memphis and hesitate to leave for any other job right now because he wouldn't want it to look like he was "running from Calipari."

(Rest assured, that's the way Calipari would interpret it. And he'd love it.)

So if you believe that theory, that's at least one reason why Pitino will likely remain at Louisville for the time being.

A move would be perceived by some (particularly in the state of Kentucky) as a surrender to Calipari.

And Pitino might rather rebuild at Louisville than deal with that perception.

Yeah, I know they pay coaches a ton of money in the NBA, but, first, it's not like Rick Pitino is paid peanuts by Louisville. Secondly, he's already coached at the pro level. The first time, with the Knicks, was fairly successful, but he's frenetic style did not suit the rigors of an 82 game regular season schedule, followed by playoffs which can add another 20-25 games to the wear and tear. His second position, with the Celtics, was a certifiable disaster. Not sure why he would want to even get close to repeated that type of gig.

There is something to be said about the argument that coaching in Sacramento would be vastly different than coaching in either New York or Boston. The Kings are the only pro franchise in the city. They are, without question, the top dog in the area. Still, I don't see Pitino doing it, unless (1) he's REALLY sick of recruiting or (2) the wifey is putting her foot down and saying they have to leave Louisville. I know of nothing to support #2, other than the recent story about Pitino allegedly having an affair with the woman who supposedly tried to extort him. Most everything else I've heard or read indicates that Mrs. Pitino likes Louisville a lot. If, however, she demanded that he leave, it wouldn't be the first time that a person would switch jobs for reasons that have very little to do with his actual job duties and responsibilities. Quite often, family considerations play a role in these kind of decisions.

On the whole, however, I don't see him doing it. He's only 57. He can go out on his own terms at Louisville. The chances of him retiring from coaching (when he actually wants to) as the coach of the Sacramento Kings are relatively small.

I'm not even factoring in the ego thing (not wanting to look like he was running away from John Calipari and Kentucky). If that part is true, that just makes it more unlikely, IMO.

I don't see it happening.

jamammy Reputation: 96 Level: Superstar Since: Feb 15, 2009	Posted on: May 8, 2009 10:26 am Score: 72 Lots of denials to the Pitino report Gary, Don't be so down on your skin color. This is 2009. Get over it. This ain't the fifties anymore. You have the same rights as everyone else. [ Reply to Comment ]
Jayhawk_Jake Reputation: 95 Level: Superstar Since: Mar 9, 2009	Posted on: May 8, 2009 11:00 am Score: 127 Lots of denials to the Pitino report Pitino dont' leave the college ranks man, think back for a second and remember Boston bad memory huh, oh I know all too well im a Boston fan. Louisville is your place to make a nest and lay in it you are a great college coach. If things couldnt work in a very proud franchise like the Celtics what makes you think they would on the Kings bench. No offense to the Kings fans, you have a great town and rich owners but im just being honest here. P.S Pitino a late thank you for getting Paul Pierce in a robbery at the 10th pick, we appreciate it! [ Reply to Comment ]
Tiger Beast Reputation: 95 Level: Superstar Since: Mar 30, 2009	Posted on: May 8, 2009 11:06 am Score: 87 Lots of denials to the Pitino report "you can trust this Pitino-to-the-Kings possibility is something he was told on authority (even if it's untrue) as opposed to something he just invented" If someone in authority tells you something that isn't true, what do you do with that? Don't you have a responsibility to figure out why that person lied to you and at least report that back to those who "accidentally" misinformed? I'm not saying you should reveal your sources. But at a minimum, shouldn't you at least do a follow-up explaining why this person in authority would have told you something that wasn't true? Such as: while my source will not tell me why he gave me bad information, it is most likely that he was trying to pressure the Kings to pull the trigger on a coaching change. That would add to the understanding of the story and would change the direction of the story back toward the facts. For instance what if the explanation was instead: while my source will not tell me why he gave me bad information, it is possible that he is trying to help Louisville change the topic of conversation from Pitino's personal to professional circumstances. What is a journalist's responsibility to their readers when he/she reports information that turns out to be false? [ Reply to Comment ]
NatiMatt Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Jan 13, 2007	Posted on: May 8, 2009 11:33 am Score: 99 Lots of denials to the Pitino report As a Kentucky die hrad, I can hardly say that this is hardly a surprise. It was long ago when Pitino called Lexington his "Camelot" and bolted for Beantown shortly thereafter. The "surrender" to Calipari may be a bit overblown, but I do feel that Pitino is a bit worried about Coach Cal's arrival. That being said, Pitino will leave Lousiville lickity-split if the offer is right. Pitino is known to talk out of both sides of his mouth; if you're the old an not the new I would be worried. [ Reply to Comment ]
madisoncard82 Reputation: 81 Level: All-Star Since: Dec 3, 2008	Posted on: May 8, 2009 12:17 pm Score: 84 Lots of denials to the Pitino report Hes not leaving guys , the only people who really want to see him gone are .............Uk fans (not that thats suprising). "never follow Calipari" "running from Calipari" hahahah the man welcomes back the challenge of kicking his butt around some more. With all the negitive news surrounding Uofl we will still have a good time and beat UKkk count on it!!!! [ Reply to Comment ]
sportsdvl Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 21, 2006	Posted on: May 8, 2009 12:19 pm Score: 116 Lots of denials to the Pitino report Pitino has already flamed out at the NBA level. Why would he want to go back, but a better question is why would any NBA team want him? He's a great college coach, not a great pro coach. Besides, the Kings already tried one of his scrub assistants in Reggie Theus who absolutely sucked. They hired him after just 2 yrs head coaching at crappy NMSU! You'd think the Maloofs would be smarter considering how much money they've made but since most of it was inherited maybe they are stupid enough to hire Pitino. Pitino needs to stay in the NCAA where he is a good coach and has a lot of success. [ Reply to Comment ]
Sidd_Finch Reputation: 97 Level: Superstar Since: Jan 27, 2009	Posted on: May 8, 2009 12:43 pm Score: 124 Why would he want to go back to the NBA? Yeah, I know they pay coaches a ton of money in the NBA, but, first, it's not like Rick Pitino is paid peanuts by Louisville. Secondly, he's already coached at the pro level. The first time, with the Knicks, was fairly successful, but he's frenetic style did not suit the rigors of an 82 game regular season schedule, followed by playoffs which can add another 20-25 games to the wear and tear. His second position, with the Celtics, was a certifiable disaster. Not sure why he would want to even get close to repeated that type of gig. There is something to be said about the argument that coaching in Sacramento would be vastly different than coaching in either New York or Boston. The Kings are the only pro franchise in the city. They are, without question, the top dog in the area. Still, I don't see Pitino doing it, unless (1) he's REALLY sick of recruiting or (2) the wifey is putting her foot down and saying they have to leave Louisville. I know of nothing to support #2, other than the recent story about Pitino allegedly having an affair with the woman who supposedly tried to extort him. Most everything else I've heard or read indicates that Mrs. Pitino likes Louisville a lot. If, however, she demanded that he leave, it wouldn't be the first time that a person would switch jobs for reasons that have very little to do with his actual job duties and responsibilities. Quite often, family considerations play a role in these kind of decisions. On the whole, however, I don't see him doing it. He's only 57. He can go out on his own terms at Louisville. The chances of him retiring from coaching (when he actually wants to) as the coach of the Sacramento Kings are relatively small. I'm not even factoring in the ego thing (not wanting to look like he was running away from John Calipari and Kentucky). If that part is true, that just makes it more unlikely, IMO. I don't see it happening. [ Reply to Comment ]
uoflcards121 Reputation: 80 Level: All-Star Since: Mar 16, 2009	Posted on: May 8, 2009 12:47 pm Score: 62 Lots of denials to the Pitino report rick didnt deny it, he has said that he is interested in going to the NBA again someday. he is not leaving this year to go anywhere as of yet. ESPN and UofL's AD Tom Jurich have come out saying that he is staying put. so done deal, hes not leaving this year. [ Reply to Comment ]
steff1 Reputation: 91 Level: All-Star Since: Mar 2, 2007	Posted on: May 8, 2009 12:52 pm Score: 60 Lots of denials to the Pitino report If they dont hire a black man for the job we should boycott the NBA. and Obama should make teams hire only black coaches. The NBA is 90 percent BLACK and the owners should be the same. [ Reply to Comment ]
RJRfootball51 Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 15, 2008	Posted on: May 8, 2009 1:58 pm Score: 122 Lots of denials to the Pitino report steff, the owners should be black because the players are black? Oh, and the coaches to? The tried that in baseball one time, they called it the "Negro League". Why go back so something like that. Not to mention the fact that the increased emergence of foreign players into the NBA must mean that there HAS to be some foreign owners and coaches right? And how about we let our President worry about things that really matter to our society, the economy, the war, the BCS. You individuals with your misguided belief that "the man" is intentionally withholding coaching and managment positions from minorities really need to do some research. Especially in the NBA, the NFL and MLB seem to be far behind the NBA in this area. As for the topic at hand, Pitino needs to stay put. He has a good thing going at Louisville and really shouldn't jeopardize that by considering going to one of the worst teams in the NBA. Just the job security in the NBA seems like it would be a deterent. Anyone know the average length of NBA coaches tenures? I would venture a guess at around 3 years. He could name is own price at Louisville after a couple of more good years. [ Reply to Comment ]

Gary Parrish

Parrish: The Thoughts