NY Knicks Pursuing John Calipari Would Be Another Disaster Move

While it's true that the New York Knicks are off to a rough start in 2013-14, it's possible for the waters to get a whole lot rougher before they start to calm down.

With Mike Woodson placed firmly on the hot seat following an overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers that pushed the record down to a putrid 3-8, an unusual possibility has emerged, per CBS Sports' Ken Berger. 

Berger suggests that the Knicks could take a long, hard look at stealing John Calipari away from the Kentucky Wildcats, a move that's made possible by the team's connections to the Creative Artists Agency. I don't want to dive into the nitty-gritty details of the CAA connection, but you can check them out for yourself here. 

Instead, let's just focus on how disastrous such a move would be.

Flopped Before...Would Flop Again

Let's not forget that we've been down this road before. 

Calipari was the head coach of the then-New Jersey Nets during the late 1990s, coaching them up from the start of the 1996-97 campaign until he was fired a few years later during the middle of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.

It didn't go so well. 

The Nets went 26-56 during his first season in charge before improving rather dramatically the next year. They earned a 43-39 record and sneaked into the playoffs on the last day of the season. Then they were eliminated from the postseason quickly as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls got out their brooms. 

But that team should have been better. 

The five leading scorers in 1997-98 were Keith Van Horn (22 years old), Sam Cassell (28), Kerry Kittles (23), Kendall Gill (29) and Jayson Williams (29). Most of the guys are household names, and they were all in or approaching their athletic primes. Add in some quality veteran depth and you should have the makings of a team far better than a No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. 

Regardless, that was Calipari's one shining moment in the NBA.

The next year, Cassell was injured at the beginning of the season and traded. After that, Calipari was fired.

So what makes anyone think it would be different this time around? Coach Cal is a great strategist at the college level, but the NBA is a different ballgame. He can't come up with the simple schemes that he runs to hide the flaws of his roster, especially as the play-calling in the Association has gotten increasingly advanced over the last few years.

There's no denying that he's a good coach. Just at the college level when he doesn't have to make as many in-game adjustments. 

Everything he does is fairly simplistic, whether he's running a switch-heavy defensive system, a pick-and-pop offense or a set of drive-and-kicks. If you watch the Kentucky games he coaches, they aren't filled with nuance and creativity, except for when he lets his talented recruits play what amounts to pickup basketball.

You have to admire Cal's willingness to change systems every year because he takes to heart the principle that it's more important to mold a scheme to a roster than to attempt the difficult process of shaping the players to a scheme. But there's no need for that in the NBA; there shouldn't be as much need for roster turnover on a year-to-year basis.

Some college coaches are made for the NBA. Brad Stevens is one, and Shaka Smart, Bill Self and Mike Krzyzewski (not that he'd ever leave Duke) would fit into that mold as well.

But Calipari doesn't.

That's not a knock on his abilities, just his mentality.

Good Luck Getting 'Melo to Stick Around

One of the many goals in Madison Square Garden this season is keeping Carmelo Anthony in Madison Square Garden.

The All-Star forward and reigning scoring champion has an opt-out clause in his contract, one that he can use at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season. And if he uses it, he becomes an unrestricted free agent who can take advantage of his newfound freedom and go anywhere that has enough money to sign him.

You know, like the Los Angeles Lakers, an organization steeped in winning tradition, prestige and cap room.

All decisions have to be geared toward winning, but they also have to get 'Melo to stay in his New York threads. How exactly does hiring Calipari fulfill either of the main criteria? 

It doesn't.

If you're looking to win over a superstar, give him a better shot at winning. Give him a coach who has spent his career maximizing the success of players with similar skills. Give him an established NBA coach.

Can you imagine the message James Dolan would be sending Anthony if he actually decided to offer Cal a contract so big that he had no choice but to walk away from Kentucky? Here's a conversation between the two: 

• Anthony would say: "So...uh...James. Why are we hiring Calipari?" 
• Dolan would respond: "He's a big name and brings more excitement to the team. Either that or I dreamed that it might be a good idea." 
• Anthony: "You do know that he's never had much success in the NBA..."
• Dolan: "Neither have I, yet I still have a job!" 
• Anthony: "There are better options out there."
• Dolan: "But...publicity!"
• Anthony: "His systems don't work in the NBA." 
• Dolan: "Publicity!"
• Anthony: "Alright, I'm opting out after this season." 
• Dolan: "PUBLICITY!!!!!"

Right now, there's no telling what Anthony's thoughts on free agency are. That's well off in the distance, and he has much more important things to focus on, like digging the Knicks out of the hole they've created by starting the season with a 3-8 record.

But if the Knicks dug themselves an even deeper hole by hiring Cal...

Well, that's when Anthony might recognize the futility of even trying to escape the pit that's been created. That's when he might make his decision months in advance.

Can the Knicks afford that? 

It's a Waste of Time

More than anything else, pursuing Calipari is a worthless endeavor because the Knicks won't successfully lure him to New York.

According to Berger, the team could offer him a ridiculous sum of money: 

"

Given the path they've chosen, the Knicks can't get any of the NBA-ready players on Kentucky's roster, but they can get the coach -- and are perhaps the only team positioned to pay Calipari what it would take. One league executive surmised that the bidding would start at $8 million a year.

'That's what Wes will be pushing,' one of the executives said. 'That's what CAA will be pushing.'

"

It's just too bad that doesn't matter. What does an increase in salary actually do for the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats?

Nothing, claims Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News:

"

More money? John’s never been one to turn down more money—except when he has, such as in moving to Kentucky despite an offer to stay in Memphis that would have paid him slightly more. He’s already making $5 million plus and still has cash from his New Jersey Nets contract settlement that he’ll never spend.


"

So if money doesn't matter, what exactly is the appeal of a move to the NBA and rekindling doubts about his ability to do his job successfully?

Calipari has a perfect gig right now.

He can recruit to his heart's content—as evidenced by the 2013 class, one of the best ever—and then sit back and watch as the product develops on the court throughout the season. Sure, there will be down years, like the 2012-13 campaign, but he can just reload the next offseason. 

The man is a master recruiter, and there's no school that gives him an opportunity to showcase his talents with more success than the one in Lexington. It's a cushy gig, and he's adored by Big Blue Nation.

Until the rest of the NCAA catches up with his one-and-done plan that's meant to exploit the inherent weakness of college basketball's rules, or until a rule change is implemented, there's no reason for him to pursue any other job opening.

And it's not like the job in New York is appealing as it could be.

While the Knicks franchise does resonate on an international scale and offer a job filled with prestige, it's not as attractive a landing spot as it once was. The lack of cap room and plans for the future diminish the appeal. So too does the lack of control a coach has while the unpredictable Dolan is in charge. 

Maybe a few years down the road, things will be different. But at the moment, there are more perks in Kentucky than in New York.

The Knicks shouldn't waste their time. Right now, it's crucial to focus on more important and more likely things.

Winning games, for example.