Bontemps: Yormark would offer John Calipari "everything"

[Paradise]

Q: John Calipari

I know this is difficult to accurately project, but for fun please take an educated guess on the likelihood that John Calipari is coaching the Nets next year.

A: Tim Bontemps


"If Brett Yormark is in charge of decision making, Calipari will undoubtedly be offered everything under the sun to become basketball czar of the Nets. I've heard conflicting opinions on whether he'd take it, but that will undoubtedly be the first call if Yormark gets his way."


http://live.washingtonpost.com/posting-up-nba-chat-with-tim-bontemps151229.html

I'm not sold on Calipari as a coach in today's game but I think he would be a real solid replacement in basketball operations. We might actually develop talent for a change.

[shakendfries]

Nets PR - selling fans on hope since 2011

[CalamityX12]

I'm not sure why Calipari is being viewed as a must have coach... I think of him as a great recruiter & motivator before HC... Idk... he's ok as coach but all the buzz around him...

does stem from actually quality on his part or desperation on ours?

[NyCeEvO]

He isn't a must have coach. I'd much prefer to have Thibs who has already excelled at the NBA level.

[kerry kittles]

He isn't a must have coach. I'd much prefer to have Thibs who has already excelled at the NBA level.

Thibs as a top paid assistant under Cal? associate HC?

I would prefer this over resigning King as some have reported is a strong possibility.

[Prokorov]

Q: John Calipari

I know this is difficult to accurately project, but for fun please take an educated guess on the likelihood that John Calipari is coaching the Nets next year.

A: Tim Bontemps


"If Brett Yormark is in charge of decision making, Calipari will undoubtedly be offered everything under the sun to become basketball czar of the Nets. I've heard conflicting opinions on whether he'd take it, but that will undoubtedly be the first call if Yormark gets his way."


http://live.washingtonpost.com/posting-up-nba-chat-with-tim-bontemps151229.html

I'm not sold on Calipari as a coach in today's game but I think he would be a real solid replacement in basketball operations. We might actually develop talent for a change.

Getting calipari would be an enormous saving grace for this franchise... especially since we are in a situation where our only hope is to recruit free agents to coming here. No one is better at that the calipari. the guy is able to connect with people on levels most others cant. ive read most of his books, but if you have a chance to read players first or bounce back, it gives a real insight on how is able to form such strong relationships. there is alot more to the guy then the greasy car salesman 1 and done image.

as far as whether he can coach in the NBA, i though he did a decent job last go round. and the guy is very open to change and i think would embrace doing whatever it took. either way, with him here, we'd have better players then any gm/coach/president would be able to bring in here.

i pray we get the dude, it would be franchise changing

[Prokorov]

I'm not sure why Calipari is being viewed as a must have coach... I think of him as a great recruiter & motivator before HC... Idk... he's ok as coach but all the buzz around him...

does stem from actually quality on his part or desperation on ours?

he had the 98 team playing pretty well, had they not run into MJ's 3 peat bulls, we might have made some noise in those playoffs. he wasnt a flop in the NBA like say patino was in boston. and he got some pretty tough players(jason williams) to buy in. no small task. took a 26 win team his first year and turned it into a 43 win playoff team, ending a 4 year drought.

even if you bring him in for recruiting and player relationships, he isnt some horrific coach where giving him the reigns as coach in order to get him to agree to sign on as GM/president would be a big issue.

not ot mention the buzz he would bring a team that desperatly needs it and the confidence he can instill in players, ownership, fans.

[CalamityX12]

I'm not sure why Calipari is being viewed as a must have coach... I think of him as a great recruiter & motivator before HC... Idk... he's ok as coach but all the buzz around him...

does stem from actually quality on his part or desperation on ours?

he had the 98 team playing pretty well, had they not run into MJ's 3 peat bulls, we might have made some noise in those playoffs. he wasnt a flop in the NBA like say patino was in boston. and he got some pretty tough players(jason williams) to buy in. no small task. took a 26 win team his first year and turned it into a 43 win playoff team, ending a 4 year drought.

even if you bring him in for recruiting and player relationships, he isnt some horrific coach where giving him the reigns as coach in order to get him to agree to sign on as GM/president would be a big issue.

not ot mention the buzz he would bring a team that desperatly needs it and the confidence he can instill in players, ownership, fans.

Its a different NBA then than it is now... I'm sure he's everything a fan wants in a coach/player relationship....

but what about the Xs & Os? is his style(if any?) NBA material?

It feels more hype and fan feeding than legit logic or rationale behind such a move. Yomark is PR... PR PR PR... I can't take his POV with concrete belief its basketball best. Not saying he's wrong either.

Of course this is just me, a guy who's tired of the same sh*t from the same franchise... I tell you, the day they traded VC away for whatever reason, was the day bball gods just piss on our franchise season after season....

[Prokorov]

Its a different NBA then than it is now... I'm sure he's everything a fan wants in a coach/player relationship....

but what about the Xs & Os? is his style(if any?) NBA material?

calipari is an extremely intelligent guy. he isnt some stubborn person who will force square pegs into round holes. he has no "style" other then to maximize the talent he has. what he runs today isnt even similar to what he ran 2 years ago at kentucky and isnt anything like what he ran in memphis. he is driven to be the best and to win and if you read his book "players first" its all about maximizing the talent of his players, and getting them all to be the best player they can.

he would not just embrace the analytics era, he would probably have some of his own innovations.

It feels more hype and fan feeding than legit logic or rationale behind such a move. Yomark is PR... PR PR PR... I can't take his POV with concrete belief its basketball best. Not saying he's wrong either.

PR moves can help the team too.... getting durant would be ahuge PR move, it would also make us a ton better on the court. id suggest looking more into caliparis career, how he came up, the teams he coached, how those guys still rave about him. the guy is a winner and he knows how to connect with people

Of course this is just me, a guy who's tired of the same sh*t from the same franchise... I tell you, the day they traded VC away for whatever reason, was the day bball gods just piss on our franchise season after season....

the basketball gods have been pissing on this franchise since we moved to the NBA.

[CalamityX12]

PR moves can help the team too.... getting durant would be ahuge PR move, it would also make us a ton better on the court. id suggest looking more into caliparis career, how he came up, the teams he coached, how those guys still rave about him. the guy is a winner and he knows how to connect with people

Getting Durant wouldn't be a PR move. That's a basketball move IMO. Getting a declining D12 is a PR move or close to it.

I followed Cal since Memphis with Rose on that team. He has a great way of recruiting and playing a certain way.... But I don't want overreact or overrated what he's done either.

But of course maybe he'll have that positive impact.

[MrDollarBills]

I'm all for it.

[Prokorov]

PR moves can help the team too.... getting durant would be ahuge PR move, it would also make us a ton better on the court. id suggest looking more into caliparis career, how he came up, the teams he coached, how those guys still rave about him. the guy is a winner and he knows how to connect with people

Getting Durant wouldn't be a PR move. That's a basketball move IMO. Getting a declining D12 is a PR move or close to it.

I followed Cal since Memphis with Rose on that team. He has a great way of recruiting and playing a certain way.... But I don't want overreact or overrated what he's done either.

But of course maybe he'll have that positive impact.

hiring calapari isnt a PR move either. he is one of the better basketball guys around, and one of the best personel/player relationship guys as well. and he certainly doesnt have a style. at UMass he ran a slowed down, drag em out defensive minded game. mostly man to man. with the nets it was completely different... up and down, offensive minded, we had the 4th highest scoring team in the league, we had the 5th best offense in the league (108 points per 100 possesions) we were one of the faster paced teams in the league.

Calipari was hardly a failure here. we were unfortunate to lose him... but after the playoff season was the NBA lockout, and the team traded cassell for marbury, something he was very much against, he had turmoil with ownership and went back to memphis.

at memphis they played a ton of half court trap zone, at kentucky they did tons of pressing, something calipari was never big on, but it suited his team and the style of the game at that time.

instead of getting player to stay longer, he embraced the 1 and done era, and created an atmosphere were top talent wanted to play for him because he would get them on the floor day 1, and playing competitive winning basketball, and get them drafted in the first round.

calipari also learned the game in great programs under great coaches... was an assistant under larry brown at kansas. Charles smith still sings calipari praises about there time togethern when he was an assistant at pitt, who helped him become someone ready to be a pro, and learn winning work habits.

following him from memphis doesnt really do the guys career justice. everywhere he has been he has made the program better.

umass wasnt even a blip on the radar, and he made them a national championship contender

the nets were a 28 win laughing stock coming off the yinka dare/ed obannon diaster era, in 2 seasons he made them a 43 win playoff team with a solid core.

he took a memphis team with a floundering program to a national title game

he took over a kentucky team that had long since been in its glory days to a national title winner and perrinial national title contender

this isnt just some PR move. calipari knows how to win, he knows how to coach, he knows how to develop talent, he knows how to recruit, he is always trying to be innovative and ahead of the curve. i think your jaded by the nets rash of bad pr driven moves, which is understandable, but cal is everything this franchise lacks.

we arent the only team that is trying to make him this godfather offer. he could have any nba coaching or gm if he wanted it. hopefully we make him a godfather offer, and he wants to come back here for a second go round and prove his nba chops

[shakendfries]

the fact that Yormark is trying to convince Nets fans that they have any chance of landing Calipari with none of his former players on our roster is a PR stunt to deflect attention away to the abysmal failure of King and Ramuzov

meanwhile, Vivek Ranadive is licking his chops in Sacramento with his 90% Kentucky roster and one of the best Kentucky prospects of all time

[MrDollarBills]

the fact that Yormark is trying to convince Nets fans that they have any chance of landing Calipari with none of his former players on our roster is a PR stunt to deflect attention away to the abysmal failure of King and Ramuzov

meanwhile, Vivek Ranadive is licking his chops in Sacramento with his 90% Kentucky roster and one of the best Kentucky prospects of all time

Deflect attention?

No one cares about the Nets.

If anything, this stuff has been put out there to put King/Hollins on notice

[Paradise]

the fact that Yormark is trying to convince Nets fans that they have any chance of landing Calipari with none of his former players on our roster is a PR stunt to deflect attention away to the abysmal failure of King and Ramuzov

meanwhile, Vivek Ranadive is licking his chops in Sacramento with his 90% Kentucky roster and one of the best Kentucky prospects of all time

How is it a PR stunt? This being leaked by Winderm first and now Bontemps who no longer even covers NY sports seems to indicate they are prepared to show Hollins and King the door. Who else are we getting that can bring some sort of respectability and stability to this franchise?

[NyCeEvO]

He isn't a must have coach. I'd much prefer to have Thibs who has already excelled at the NBA level.

Thibs as a top paid assistant under Cal? associate HC?

I would prefer this over resigning King as some have reported is a strong possibility.

No, Thibs as Head Coach, Kenny Atkinson as assistant coach/associate head coach, and Cal as POBO/GM.

Although, according to the most recent interview concerning Cal and the NBA, he and his family have no interest in returning to the NBA. They describe it as the worst time of their lives.

There are plenty of other GM candidates I'd consider and who would be better than King, so I don't care if Calipari doesn't end up here.

[shakendfries]

the fact that Yormark is trying to convince Nets fans that they have any chance of landing Calipari with none of his former players on our roster is a PR stunt to deflect attention away to the abysmal failure of King and Ramuzov

meanwhile, Vivek Ranadive is licking his chops in Sacramento with his 90% Kentucky roster and one of the best Kentucky prospects of all time

How is it a PR stunt? This being leaked by Winderm first and now Bontemps who no longer even covers NY sports seems to indicate they are prepared to show Hollins and King the door. Who else are we getting that can bring some sort of respectability and stability to this franchise?

the nets aren't getting anyone. the nets have gone through 4 head coaches in 5 years. they've dug their own grave, and now they're laying in it. the team will be lucky to land a decent free agent.

i think king's job will depend on his pitch for free agents to sign onto this nonsense, and the nets are gonna have to be a playoff team in order for the turnaround to be labeled a success because that's how the impatient nets front office operates- inexplicable championship contention expectations without any statistical foundation leads to someone getting fired, when in reality, the team performs exactly how everyone else in the league would expect

[Paradise]

the fact that Yormark is trying to convince Nets fans that they have any chance of landing Calipari with none of his former players on our roster is a PR stunt to deflect attention away to the abysmal failure of King and Ramuzov

meanwhile, Vivek Ranadive is licking his chops in Sacramento with his 90% Kentucky roster and one of the best Kentucky prospects of all time

How is it a PR stunt? This being leaked by Winderm first and now Bontemps who no longer even covers NY sports seems to indicate they are prepared to show Hollins and King the door. Who else are we getting that can bring some sort of respectability and stability to this franchise?

the nets aren't getting anyone. the nets have gone through 4 head coaches in 5 years. they've dug their own grave, and now they're laying in it. the team will be lucky to land a decent free agent.

i think king's job will depend on his pitch for free agents to sign onto this nonsense, and the nets are gonna have to be a playoff team in order for the turnaround to be labeled a success because that's how the impatient nets front office operates- inexplicable championship contention expectations without any statistical foundation leads to someone getting fired, when in reality, the team performs exactly how everyone else in the league would expect

But what are the other alternatives? We've already established King and every one of his major moves including coaching hires have been colossal failures but we also can't condemn them from trying to get out of it. Calipari, Thibs or anyone of that caliber is what we need. Kidd was seen as a flashy PR hire but in all honesty, it was a good one and he was the best coach we had during the Brooklyn era thus far which was a hire directly from Prok.

[shakendfries]

How is it a PR stunt? This being leaked by Winderm first and now Bontemps who no longer even covers NY sports seems to indicate they are prepared to show Hollins and King the door. Who else are we getting that can bring some sort of respectability and stability to this franchise?

the nets aren't getting anyone. the nets have gone through 4 head coaches in 5 years. they've dug their own grave, and now they're laying in it. the team will be lucky to land a decent free agent.

i think king's job will depend on his pitch for free agents to sign onto this nonsense, and the nets are gonna have to be a playoff team in order for the turnaround to be labeled a success because that's how the impatient nets front office operates- inexplicable championship contention expectations without any statistical foundation leads to someone getting fired, when in reality, the team performs exactly how everyone else in the league would expect

But what are the other alternatives? We've already established King and every one of his major moves including coaching hires have been colossal failures but we also can't condemn them from trying to get out of it. Calipari, Thibs or anyone of that caliber is what we need. Kidd was seen as a flashy PR hire but in all honesty, it was a good one and he was the best coach we had during the Brooklyn era thus far which was a hire directly from Prok.

I know I'll be in the minority, but I actually think the Nets should see Hollins through. This roster really ain't sh*t and its unfair to criticize him for 4-5 losses when they wouldn't make a difference between the Nets being a playoff team. The only reason these 4-5 losses feel significant is because of the draft pick scenario the front office brought upon themselves. Firing another head coach hurts the reputation of the front office more than it helps, and probably kills any free agency possibilities. If there was a big Kentucky free agent, this might be a different story, and it would be opportunistic to give the keys to Cal. But as of now, the organization has no selling point for him, and firing King + Hollins makes things even worse for both the free agent and the coaching hunt.

Nets Head Coach pitch: 0 job security. Unrealistic expectations. If you make it to your third season, you'd be the first.

Give King a 1 year extension and see what happens. If the team sucks, trade everyone and clean house. It may postpone the inevitable, but without anyone clamoring to coach the team, the alternative is probably even worse.

Scenario 1: King 1 yr extension, Hollins gets some free agents and wins 30+ games with the hope of future improvement
Scenario 2: Nets trade Lopez for peanuts, and without any decent draft picks, the Nets struggle winning 15+ games for an undetermined amount of time with some faint hope of superstars teaming up to the delight of Danny Ainge

The team is really stuck between a rock and a hard place

[Paradise]

the nets aren't getting anyone. the nets have gone through 4 head coaches in 5 years. they've dug their own grave, and now they're laying in it. the team will be lucky to land a decent free agent.

i think king's job will depend on his pitch for free agents to sign onto this nonsense, and the nets are gonna have to be a playoff team in order for the turnaround to be labeled a success because that's how the impatient nets front office operates- inexplicable championship contention expectations without any statistical foundation leads to someone getting fired, when in reality, the team performs exactly how everyone else in the league would expect

But what are the other alternatives? We've already established King and every one of his major moves including coaching hires have been colossal failures but we also can't condemn them from trying to get out of it. Calipari, Thibs or anyone of that caliber is what we need. Kidd was seen as a flashy PR hire but in all honesty, it was a good one and he was the best coach we had during the Brooklyn era thus far which was a hire directly from Prok.

I know I'll be in the minority, but I actually think the Nets should see Hollins through. This roster really ain't sh*t and its unfair to criticize him for 4-5 losses when they wouldn't make a difference between the Nets being a playoff team. The only reason these 4-5 losses feel significant is because of the draft pick scenario the front office brought upon themselves. Firing another head coach hurts the reputation of the front office more than it helps, and probably kills any free agency possibilities. If there was a big Kentucky free agent, this might be a different story, and it would be opportunistic to give the keys to Cal. But as of now, the organization has no selling point for him, and firing King + Hollins makes things even worse for both the free agent and the coaching hunt.

Nets Head Coach pitch: 0 job security. Unrealistic expectations. If you make it to your third season, you'd be the first.

Give King a 1 year extension and see what happens. If the team sucks, trade everyone and clean house. It may postpone the inevitable, but without anyone clamoring to coach the team, the alternative is probably even worse.

Scenario 1: King 1 yr extension, Hollins gets some free agents and wins 30+ games with the hope of future improvement
Scenario 2: Nets trade Lopez for peanuts, and without any decent draft picks, the Nets struggle winning 15+ games for an undetermined amount of time with some faint hope of superstars teaming up to the delight of Danny Ainge

The team is really stuck between a rock and a hard place

How would it be opportunistic? He is by far the best basketball mind available in the coaching ranks right now who has enough pull to recruit free agents and develop talent. The selling point is giving him full control of basketball operations for the foreseeable future. It's clearly something that has some sort of relevance because the reports are he would be open to the offer.

The longer Billy King is employed, the less people will take us seriously. You call the idea of pursuing Calipari as a PR move but re-signing King would be a much bigger PR move and it would be a negative one. We are shipping a Top 5 pick to Boston while having a bunch of D-level talent on the floor because of a series of poor trades he made to put us in this spot. What agent, executive or GM is going to take him seriously? We can't make a single trade without the opposing team thinking they can rob us blind. What is the point if keeping someone with the reputation of a dumb blonde GM. John Calipari can actually sell himself, his vision for the franchise, his style of basketball, etc. Someone like Calipari is a big enough personality and winner that can attract and command the respect of someone like Rondo. We don't have very much to sell but someone with a winning pedigree and capable of developing and improving talent will be something that can payoff over time. There is literally no upside with Billy King or Lionel Hollins short or long term.