Kentucky's John Calipari Says He's Not Interested in Knicks' Head Coaching Job

University of Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari said Friday he's not a candidate to fill the New York Knicks' head coaching vacancy.

Calipari has been speculated as an option for the job, which is being held by Mike Miller on an interim basis, since Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported Thursday that the Knicks were finalizing an agreement to make prominent agent Leon Rose their new head of basketball operations.

"I've never heard anyone in 25 years say anything bad about Leon Rose," Calipari told reporters. "He's a gatherer; he's a culture-builder. I'd help him in any way I could being a resource. It just wouldn't be to coach."

Along with Rose, the Knicks are expected to hire William Wesley, a consultant for the Creative Artists Agency better known by his nickname "World Wide Wes," who's developed a "close relationship" with Calipari over the years, per Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.

It's not the first time the 2015 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee has been linked to New York. In 2017, he was rumored as a candidate to take over as the team's president. He quickly dismissed the buzz:

Nearly three years have passed since that denial, and while Calipari has continued to find success at Kentucky, the Knicks have remained in a rut.

New York has missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, and its 16-36 record puts the team on pace to extended that stretch.

Calipari struggled during his only stint in the NBA, posting a 72-112 record across two-plus seasons with the New Jersey Nets from 1996 through 1999.

The 60-year-old Pennsylvania native is one of the country's most decorated college coaches, though. He's compiled a 767-216 record with UMass, Memphis and Kentucky. He led the Wildcats to a national title in 2012 and has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times. Last April, Calipari signed a 10-year contract extension that included a paid ambassadorship with UK for the rest of his life after he retires.

While hiring Calipari would make a splash, the Knicks must rebuild their roster before any coach will have a chance at sustained success. They simply don't have enough high-end talent to compete in the star-driven NBA.

It would make the jump a major risk for Coach Cal, whose program is stable.