John Calipari: Coach Cal Smart to Skip NBA and Stay at Kentucky

At least for now, John Calipari is contending he has no interest to returning to the NBA. And if he is to be believed, he most certainly is making the smart decision.

From Andy Katz of ESPN:

"

Kentucky coach John Calipari said Wednesday he isn't going to coach the New York Knicks or any other NBA franchise for the foreseeable future.

"Kentucky is the best job in basketball coaching," Calipari said. "Why would I leave? We just won the national title. We're chasing UCLA."

Kentucky's title win over Kansas on Monday night in New Orleans gave the school eight national men's basketball titles, three short of UCLA's all-time record of 11.

Calipari said no NBA team has contacted him about an opening, including the Knicks, which are being coached by Mike Woodson on an interim basis after Mike D'Antoni was fired.

"

How often have we seen elite college coaches fail at the professional level? Hell, Calipari only lasted two seasons and change as head coach of the New Jersey Nets when he first made the jump.

And why go pro when it's clear Calipari is at a great college basketball institution, is a master recruiter and has proven to be more adept at developing and leading young, elite talent than trying to handle NBA egos?

Keep in mind that what Calipari did with an incredibly talented Kentucky roster this year was nothing short of masterful. He took a group of guys who would all be top options at other schools and convinced them to play as a defensive-minded, unselfish team.

Not all coaches have the ability to take incredibly talented individuals and make them a team. At the pro level, Phil Jackson was arguably the best of all time at doing just that.

At the collegiate level, Calipari appears to be the new master of that feat.

I get that he is a competitor, that the NBA is a challenge he hasn't conquered yet. But there also comes a point for any competitor when it is important to acknowledge they are better suited for certain roles rather than others.

Some coaches are simply better suited for the NBA game, and vice versa, others wouldn't work terribly well at the collegiate level.

Calipari is where he belongs. His talent for recruiting would be wasted at the NBA level. His ability to mold elite talents into team players might not translate in the NBA, where players are equals, if not superiors, to many coaches.

Here's to hoping he's a man of his word on this one. For his own sake.

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